What foods should pregnant women not eat? This is arguably one of the most important concerns for women when they find out they are pregnant. What is more confusing for pregnant mothers is that no matter what food it is, there are always people who suggest that it is not good for pregnant women, it is better not to eat it and what it will do to the fetus; or the same kind of food, here it is said to be good for pregnant mothers, there it is said to be harmful to pregnant mothers …… what should be done? The “food that pregnant women can’t eat” circulating in our lives can generally be divided into four cases: 1, harmful food; 2, food that pregnant women should not eat; 3, food that may make some pregnant women feel uncomfortable; 4, pure nonsense superstitious taboos. Harmful food There are not many harmful foods in the absolute sense (if any have been eliminated in the evolution of human diet), but some foods contain substances harmful to the human body, adults are stronger in resistance so there will not be an immediate harmful effect. In recent years, food safety has gradually become a big problem, in view of the rich variety of food, we can not list them all, here are only some common foods, as a reference for a healthy diet for couples preparing for pregnancy. Leather eggs made with lead: In the production process, lead oxide is added to the auxiliary materials wrapped outside the fresh eggs to promote the uniform and rapid penetration of the ingredients into the eggs, so that the leather eggs can solidify quickly and be easily removed from the shell, but the lead oxide also gradually penetrates into the lead. The lead gathered in the mother’s bones will enter the blood and affect the brain development of the fetus through the placental blood circulation, lightly affecting the development of the fetal dental embryo and making the baby susceptible to dental caries in the future, or causing intellectual disabilities, epilepsy and other problems. There are lead eggs and lead-free eggs in the market, please choose lead-free eggs. Raw food: Raw seafood, raw eggs, and undercooked meat can be a source of bacteria. Separate utensils for handling raw food and cooked food, including chopping boards and knives. Foods not suitable for pregnant women Fruits such as hawthorn and papaya should be eaten sparingly because there is an increased risk of uterine contractions when consuming large amounts of these fruits. Foods such as ginseng and cinnamon, which we regard as “great tonic” in our daily lives, are more strongly stimulating to the body and should not be taken during pregnancy. It is also best to exclude from the pregnancy diet drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea, cola and some soft drinks. During pregnancy we recommend that pregnant mothers drink mainly plain water, and soda can also be used as a supplement during pregnancy vomiting reactions. Glutinous rice liqueur contains alcohol, just like normal wine, only its concentration is not as high as strong wine. However, even trace amounts of alcohol can enter the fetus smoothly through the placenta, leading to fetal brain underdevelopment and possibly even heart and limb malformations. The internal organs of animals, if the feed of animals such as chickens, ducks, cows and sheep are raised to be contaminated, harmful heavy metals will be deposited in the internal organs after metabolism. In the kidneys of animals, the content of heavy metal cadmium even exceeds the national standard value by tens or hundreds of times. However, liver is a source of iron supplementation in daily life, so even if it needs to be supplemented, it is best not to consume it more than once a week, and not more than 50 grams (one or two) per serving, along with coarse grains, vegetables and other foods rich in dietary fiber. It is worth noting that even the foods we mentioned above that are not good for pregnant women do not have a “one hit kill” effect. Pregnant mothers should be careful not to use these foods as regular food during pregnancy, if accidentally eaten, as long as there are no special symptoms and no abnormalities are found during regular maternity checks, do not worry too much. There are often pregnant women who take some excessive measures because they mistakenly eat some potentially unfavorable foods and fear that they may be harmful to the fetus, which instead cause harm to the mother and may endanger the fetus. Foods that may make some pregnant women feel uncomfortable Often pregnant mothers ask whether they can eat acidic foods, spicy foods, seafood and so on. Whether these foods are unfavorable or not depends on how the pregnant woman’s own taste is. Foods such as shrimp and crab, which are rich in calcium, can trigger abdominal pain in some people even during normal times when they consume shrimp, crab or other seafood. Therefore, they should also avoid such foods during pregnancy and adopt other diets to supplement the needed nutrients. Likewise, if you can eat sour or spicy foods, or any other foods that make you feel uncomfortable during normal times, you should not eat them during pregnancy, even if they are nutritious. Many people believe that “eating eggplant will turn your baby black”, “eating lamb will make your child smell bad”, or “eating rabbit will cause your child to have hare lips”, or “eating ginger will cause your child to have more lips”. “The consumption of ginger will cause the child to have many fingers” and so on. In fact, whether a child grows dark is related to hereditary factors and the amount of sun exposure; harelip is caused by fetal cleft lip and palate due to strong stimulation of pregnant women during 7-10 weeks of pregnancy; superstition that one cannot eat ginger simply because it has a forked shape; the belief that children cry at night because the rooster crows, etc. These kinds of dietary taboos arising from the association of food characteristics are not based on science, and pregnant mothers need not worry about them.