What to eat and avoid in pregnancy

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by advice when you're pregnant. But you may need to tweak your diet to protect your baby's health.

Here's a quick guide (based on NHS advice, external) to what you can eat, the things you should check or limit, and the food and drink you should avoid.

The ideal pregnancy diet is very similar to the healthy and varied diet that's recommended to most people.

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, lean meats or plant-based proteins such as beans and lentils. Drink lots of water.

Getting enough calcium (via dairy like milk and yoghurt, as well as calcium-fortified plant-based products) is important too – this helps build strong bones and teeth.

Fish

While all fish contains mercury, larger fish like shark, swordfish and marlin contain enough to be considered toxic.

Smaller oily fish, like mackerel, salmon and trout contain omega-3 fatty acids, external, which support your baby's brain development and heart health, external.

The NHS says to eat up to two 140g portions of these fish, external per week, plus up to two tuna steaks (which don't count as oily fish) or four medium-sized tins of tuna.

Omega-3

You can also get omega-3 from foods like walnuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, rapeseed oil, green leafy veg and omega-3 enriched eggs. If you don't eat fish, you could take a pregnancy-safe omega-3 supplement (not fish-liver oil, which contains too much vitamin A, external.

Cheese

Cheese lovers may need to skip some of their favourites during pregnancy. Avoid unpasteurised dairy because it can carry listeria, which can cause serious illness in pregnancy, external.

Soft cheeses with a white rind, like brie, camembert and taleggio, and blue cheeses, like gorgonzola, dolcelatte and Danish blue should be avoided unless cooked until steaming hot.

Hard cheeses such as cheddar and Parmesan, and soft cheeses, like cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, halloumi and paneer are safe. Check the label if you're unsure.

Eggs

In the UK, buy eggs that carry the British Lion mark stamped on the shell, as they're considered safe to eat raw (in a mousse or mayonnaise) or lightly cooked.

If the eggs don't have that mark, or they aren't hen's eggs (e.g. duck, goose or quail) you're advised to cook them 'well done'.

Caffeinated drinks

You don't have to give up coffee completely. The advice is not to have more than 200mg of caffeine per day, as too much has been linked to low birthweight in babies, external. Caffeine levels vary a lot in coffee, tea and energy drinks, so check labels.

If you want to cut back, switch to decaf or blend decaf and regular coffee to make a 'half-caf'.

Smoked fish

Hot and cold-smoked and cured fish carry a listeria risk. If you do choose to eat it, make sure it's well within its use-by date, stored correctly and cooked until piping hot.

Sushi, raw fish and shellfish are also best avoided because they may contain harmful bacteria.

Cured and undercooked meat

Meat, including steaks, burgers, sausages, poultry and pork, should also be well cooked due to the risk of toxoplasmosis, external-carrying parasites.

Deli meats like salami, chorizo and air-dried hams should also be cooked and eaten hot rather than cold.

Liver, haggis and pâté

Liver and anything made with it, like sausage, pâté or haggis, is high in vitamin A, external, which can be unsafe in pregnancy. Pâté also comes with a risk of listeria, so it's best skipped.

Raw milk and raw yoghurt

Raw milk and yoghurt, although not widely available, are another food to give a miss due to the risk of listeria.

Folic acid

Leafy greens are packed with folic acid – but you can't rely on food alone to get enough when you're pregnant. Folic acid helps to prevent spinal defects, external (especially spina bifida) as your baby grows and it's recommended you take a 400-microgram folic acid supplement every day during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Vitamin D

All adults in the UK, including those who are pregnant, are encouraged to take a daily 10-microgram vitamin D supplement, external, especially during autumn and winter. Vitamin D helps keep our bones, teeth and muscles healthy. If you have dark skin or tend to avoid sun exposure, you'll probably need to take a supplement in the summer, too.

Iron

Iron deficiency is common in pregnancy. A diet rich in red meat, nuts, dried fruit and leafy greens may be enough to provide the iron you need. But, if you're feeling unusually tired, speak to your midwife – they can check your levels and advise on supplements if needed.

Multivitamin supplements

There are multivitamin supplements designed specifically for pregnancy, which can be helpful if you're struggling to eat a balanced diet because of nausea or sickness. High-dose multivitamins or any supplements containing vitamin A should be avoided, though. If you're unsure, speak to your doctor or midwife.

Originally published March 2018. Updated March 2026.

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