When you are pregnant, you need to make sure you eat enough for you and your developing baby. However, this is not a license to eat whatever you want. In fact, it is more important than ever to eat healthy. Some of the nutrients that are required for a healthy baby include: protein, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, folic acid, and limited amounts of fat, especially those containing omega-3 fatty acids.

There are also several foods you should avoid while pregnant because they carry a small risk of infection or they have high levels of chemicals that could cause birth defects. Some of these are:

• Soft, unpasteurized cheeses such as feta, goat, Brie, Camembert, and blue cheese.
• Unpasteurized milk or juices.
• Raw eggs or foods that contain raw eggs, including Caesar salad, mousse, meringue, cookie dough, and tiramisu.
• Raw or undercooked meats including beef, chicken, fish, or shellfish, including sushi.
• Processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meats or cold cuts (the latter are OK if they are heated to steaming).
• Fish that are high in mercury, including shark, swordfish, mackerel, or tilefish — other types of fish should be eaten in moderation.
• Unwashed vegetables.

While it is a good idea to avoid these things, don’t worry if you already consumed some of the things on the list above while pregnant. Just make a point of avoiding them in the future.

One thing you should avoid completely is alcohol. There is no safe amount of alcohol to consume while pregnant and consuming it can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome. In addition, if you smoke cigarettes, you should quit right away because the pollutants in the smoke pose a high risk of birth defects. The use of marijuana or other illicit drugs can greatly increase the chance of miscarriage and may also increase the risk of some serious birth defects.

Early in your pregnancy, you should try to avoid caffeine. Caffeine had been thought to be safe in small amounts during pregnancy, but a recent study showed that even small amounts of coffee (one 8 oz. cup per day) in the first trimester is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, while larger amounts increase the risk even more. There is still some debate about the safety of caffeine later in pregnancy, but many doctors believe it is OK to consume caffeine in moderation in the second and third trimester.

A final thing you should avoid while pregnant is kitty litter. If you have cats that have a litter box, someone else should do the cleaning during your pregnancy because exposure to dirty cat litter can cause toxoplasmosis. Caused by a parasite, toxoplasmosis is generally a mild infection with flu like symptoms but if you are pregnant it can lead to miscarriage or birth defects.