5 foods to avoid during pregnancy

Pregnant women need to ensure that that their diet provides enough nutrients and energy for the baby to develop and grow properly. They also need to make sure that her body is healthy enough to deal with the changes that are occurring.

For a healthy pregnancy, the mothers diet needs to be balanced and nutritious, this involves the right balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and consuming and wide variety of plants like vegetables and fruits.

Some women's diet may be impacted by ethical beliefs, religious beliefs or health conditions, so checking with a doctor is an important part of planning a pregnancy diet plan.

There are some foods and drinks that are best avoided or limited because of small risks to the safety of your baby. Consuming some foods and drinks during pregnancy may increase the risk of harm to you and your baby.

●Unpasteurised milk, cheese and fruit juice - Raw milk and unpasteurised cheese can contain an array of harmful bacteria, including Listeria, Salmonella, E.colli and Campylobacter.

The same goes for the unpasteurised juice, which is also prone to bacterial contamination. These infectionscan all have life threatening consequences for an unborn bay.

The bacteria can be naturally occurring or caused by contamination during collection or storage.

Pasteurisation is the most effective way to kill any harmful bacteria, without changing the nutritional value of the products.

To minimise the risk of infections, pregnant women are advised to consume only pasteurised milk, cheese and fruit juice.

●Processed junk food - Pregnancy is a time of rapid growth. As a result, pregnant women need increased amount of many essential nutrients, including protein, folate and iron.

Yet even though you are eating for two, you don't need twice the calories- about 350-500 extra calories per day during the second and third trimesters should be enough.

An optimal pregnancy diet should mainly consist of whole foods, with plenty of nutrients to fulfil the needs of the mother and growing child.

Processed junk food is generally low in nutrients and high in calories, sugar and added fats. What's more, added sugar has been linked to a dramatically increased risk of developing several diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

While some weight gain is necessary during pregnancy, excess weight gain has been linked to many complications and diseases.

These includes an increased risk of gestational diabetes, as well as pregnancy or birth complications. It can also increase your risk of having overweight child.

This causes long term health issues like overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults.

●Raw sprouts - Raw sprouts, including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean sprouts, may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The humid environment required by seeds to start sprouting is ideal for these kind of bacteria, and they're almost impossible to wash off.

For this reason, pregnant women are advised to avoid raw sprouts altogether. However, sprouts are safe to consume after they have been cooked.

●Alcohol -  Pregnant women are advised to completely avoid drinking alcohol, as it increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. Even a small amount can negatively impact your baby's brain development.

It can also cause fetal alcohol syndrome, which involves facial deformities, heart defects and intellectual disability.

Since no level of alcohol has been proven to be safe during pregnancy, it's recommended to completely avoid it.

●Caffeine - Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive substance in the world and mainly found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and cocoa.

Pregnant women are generally advised to limit their caffeine intake to less than 200mg per day, or about 2-3 cups of coffee.

Caffeine is absorbed very quickly and passes easily into the placenta and fetus. Because unborn babies and their placentas don't have the main enzyme needed to metabolize caffeine, high levels can build up.

High caffeine intake during pregnancy has been shown to restrict fetal growth and increase the risk of low birth weight at delivery.

Low birth weight - defined as less than 5 lbs, 8oz or ( 2.5 kg) - is associated with an increased risk of infant death and higher risk of chronic diseases in adulthood, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.