Featuring Dr. Nardia Strydom, MD, Obstetrician

Duration: 1 minute, 44 seconds

Obviously throughout the whole pregnancy eating healthy is really important.

There are some foods that people traditionally worry about and one of the classics is eating sushi and raw meats. We used to worry about bacteria and parasites in sushi, but we now know that if you’re eating sushi that’s been well-handled and well prepared in a reputable restaurant, then that is totally safe to eat in pregnancy.

The same can be said for eating soft cheeses and deli meats actually. Again, if you know where you’re buying them and they’re well-handled and properly prepared, those are totally safe to eat in pregnancy.

The other thing that people often ask questions about is mercury in fish, and we do recommend that you should avoid high mercury-containing fishes like tuna, shark and marlin when you’re pregnant. But stuff like salmon is safe to eat on an almost daily basis. The healthy eating and what foods you should avoid or what foods are safe in pregnancy apply to all three trimesters: first, second and third.

One of the other things that people ask me about often is coffee, whether it’s safe to drink coffee when they’re pregnant. And there have been some great studies that have looked at that. We absolutely know that up to three cups of coffee a day are safe to have when you’re pregnant.

Alcohol, the recommendations are that pregnant women should avoid drinking alcohol. A lot of people may have had some alcohol at the beginning of pregnancy and are worried about that, and if you’re unsure about what that means for you, then you should speak to your care provider to get more information.

Presenter: Dr. Nardia Strydom, Family Doctor, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Family Doctor