Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy.

I have a hard time avoiding foods that are high in sugar and fat. What can I do?
Cookies, chocolate, candy and ice cream have a lot of empty calories. Fill up instead on foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar and fat. Choose fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole-grain crackers and breads.

I really love protein foods that have a lot of fat, like bacon and cheeses. What can I substitute for them?
Choose foods that are high in protein but low in fat, such as skinless chicken and turkey, tuna packed in water, cod, ground turkey and lowfat (1%) or skim milk. If you really love bacon, try soy or turkey bacon.

I know milk products are a good source of calcium for me, but I've heard there are some milk products I should avoid. Is this true?
There are a few foods made from milk you should avoid. These include unpasteurized milk and any foods made from unpasteurized milk. Also avoid soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, feta and Roquefort. These products are a common source of food poisoning called listeriosis.

Are there other foods that may contain listeriosis?
Yes: undercooked poultry, undercooked meat, undercooked seafood and undercooked hot dogs can contain listeriosis. Be sure to cook all meat and seafood thoroughly before eating to avoid this problem.

I love junk food. Do I have to give it up completely?
You may have to forgo most junk food while you're pregnant. The foods we consider "junk food" are usually high-calorie, high-fat foods that contain little nutrition for you or your baby. It's probably OK to eat junk food once in a while, but don't make it a regular part of your diet.

I've heard that I shouldn't use artificial sweeteners while I'm pregnant? Is this true?
Aspartame and saccharin are the two most widely used artificial sweeteners. Recently, there has been controversy as to the safety of aspartame. Substitute foods that do not contain the sweetener for products you usually use because at this point we are unsure about its safety for pregnant women and their developing babies.

Pregnant women who suffer from phenylketonuria must follow a low phenylalanine diet or their babies may be born mentally retarded and suffer from delayed development. The phenylalanine in aspartame contributes to phenylalanine in the diet. Saccharin, although it is not used as much today as in the past, is still found in many foods, beverages and other substances. Saccharin is not safe to use during pregnancy.