Foods and drinks	Recommendations	Label	Risks
Artificially sweetened foods and drinks	Pregnant women should use caution when consuming foods and drinks containing saccharin.90	C	Saccharin is known to cross the placenta and may remain in fetal tissue.
	Aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame-K probably are safe in pregnant women. Women with phenylketonuria should limit consumption of aspartame.83,90,91	C	——
Caffeine-containing drinks	Moderate amounts probably are safe. Some guidelines83,92,93 recommend limiting consumption to 150 to 300 mg per day.*	B	Observational studies92,94 show an association between high caffeine consumption and spontaneous abortion and low-birth-weight infants. However, confounding factors such as smoking, alcohol use, nausea, and age cannot be ruled out.95
Dairy products	Pregnant women should avoid unpasteurized milk and milk products.2,96–100	C	Risk of contamination with Toxoplasma and Listeria based on case reports†
	Pregnant women should avoid soft cheese (e.g., feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, Mexican queso fresco).2,96–98	C	Risk of contamination with Listeria based on case reports†
Delicatessen foods	Pregnant women should avoid delicatessen foods, pâté, and meat spreads.96–98	C	Risk of contamination with Listeria based on case reports†
Eggs	Pregnant women should avoid raw eggs (e.g., Caesar salad, eggnog, raw cookie dough).2,83,101,102	C	Risk of contamination with Salmonella; salmonellosis can lead to intrauterine sepsis based on case reports.102
Fruits and vegetables	Pregnant women should wash all fruits and vegetables before eating them.2,96,103	C	Risk of contamination with Toxoplasma and Listeria based on case reports†
	Cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and hands should be washed with hot, soapy water after contact with unwashed fruits and vegetables.103	C	Risk of contamination with Toxoplasma based on case reports
Herbal teas	Pregnant women should limit their consumption of herbal tea.83,104 Teas containing ginger, citrus peel, lemon balm, and rose hips probably are safe in moderation.91 Pregnant women should avoid teas containing chamomile, licorice, peppermint, or raspberry leaf.104,105	C	Few controlled trials have addressed the safety of herbal preparations in pregnant women. Some herbal products are considered unsafe in pregnancy.83,104,105
Leftover foods	Leftover foods should be thoroughly reheated before they are eaten.96	C	Risk of contamination with Listeria based on case reports†
Meat	Pregnant women should avoid raw or undercooked meat.2,103,106	C	Risk of contamination with Toxoplasma based on case reports
	Hot dogs and cold cuts should be reheated until they are steaming hot.96–98,107	C	Risk of contamination with Listeria based on case reports†
	Liver and liver products should be eaten in moderation.	C	Excessive consumption could cause vitamin A toxicity.108
	Cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and hands should be washed with hot, soapy water after contact with uncooked meat.103	C	Risk of contamination with Toxoplasma basedon case reports
Seafood	Pregnant women should avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and tuna steaks.109,110 Pregnant women should limit intake of other fish (including canned tuna) to 12 oz (2 to 3 meals) per week.109	B	Exposure to high levels of mercury in fish can lead to neurologic abnormalities in women and their infants.111
	Pregnant women should avoid refrigerated smoked seafood.97,98	C	Risk of contamination with Listeria based on case reports†
	Pregnant women should avoid raw fish and shellfish.83,101	C	Risk of contamination with parasites and Norwalk-like viruses based on case reports
	Pregnant women should eat farmed salmon in moderation. Experts recommend eating a variety of fish, rather than one or two kinds.112	C	Increased levels of organic pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins, have been found in farmed salmon.112
	Cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and hands should be washed with hot, soapy water after contact with uncooked seafood.103	C	Risk of contamination with Toxoplasma based on case reports