When you become pregnant, there are some elements in your lifestyle you will have to change. 

For some of us it may be difficult to give up the occasional glass of wine or the sushi binge.  But even the waiter might give you a surprised look and explain that sushi is not for you "in your condition" if you try to order anyway.

Here is a short list of the basic no-no foods and drinks during pregnancy.

Alcohol

When you drink – your baby drinks, the more you drink the more harm your baby might suffer.  The main problem with alcohol is known as fetal alcohol syndrome, which may result in mental retardation and facial abnormalities in babies.  In other cases alcohol can reduce the your baby’s weight at birth.  There isn't any concrete knowledge as to what amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy, therefore the suggestion is to avoid alcohol altogether when you are pregnant. 

In spite of these facts, some women do drink a glass of wine once in a while when they are pregnant.  The basic advice is to avoid alcohol completely, but some physicians might allow drinking in very small quantities after the first trimester.  

In order to avoid alcohol, try other drinks such as apple cider or tomato juice instead.  You can still enjoy your favorite drinks in their non-alcoholic version.

Fish

Fish which may have high levels of mercury should be avoided.  These include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tuna, salmon and tilefish.  For the same reason, you shouldn't eat more than 12 ounces of any fish per week, which comes to about 1-2 portions per week (give or take).

Raw fish is also off limits since such foods might contain harmful bacteria.  This means no more sushi or carpaccio!  This rule applies to meat and poultry as well, which should be cooked thoroughly.

What you put in your Sandwich

Some soft cheeses and ready made meats may contain another sort of harmful bacteria. Avoid Feta, Brie and goat's cheese.  If you're in the mood for a hotdog or deli sandwich, make sure the meat is steaming hot.  Always pay attention to the freshness of your sandwich ingredients.  

Caffeine 

The general recommendation is to avoid caffeine during your pregnancy.  There isn't much clear-cut evidence explaining the harmful effect of caffeine, but you can assume that the effect caffeine has on you is much stronger and prolonged when it comes to your baby.  For these reasons you should try to cut back on caffeine if you feel you can't give it up altogether. 

Try moving on to herbal teas or warm milk.  Carefully check the ingredients of what you consume to make sure they don't contain caffeine (products such as chocolate, headache pills and other things).  Some herbal teas may contain ingredients that can actually stimulate a miscarriage so check the ingredients carefully. 

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