What Not to Eat When You're Pregnant

From your first prenatal appointment, you'll hear all about what you should be eating and drinking during pregnancy, like calcium and folic acid. But what about foods to avoid? Advice seems to flip-flop from year to year, and things that were once considered perfectly safe may now be on the no-no list. Here's a look at what to cut out for the next nine months.

By Denise Schipani

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Caffeine

Taking in high doses of caffeine daily during pregnancy -- whether from coffee, tea, cola, cocoa, or energy drinks -- has long been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage, and a 2008 study from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research confirms that link. The study found that women who consumed 200 milligrams or more of caffeine per day (that's two or more cups of regular coffee or five 12-ounce cans of soda containing caffeine) had twice the miscarriage risk as women who consumed no caffeine. "It's a good idea to drink decaffeinated beverages, especially during the first trimester when the risk of miscarriage is highest," says Bridget Swinney, RD, author of Eating Expectantly.

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