Certain foods and beverages can harm your baby if you eat or drink them while you are pregnant. Ask your health care provider for a complete list of foods and beverages to avoid. Generally, you should not consume:

• Alcohol. Instead of wine, beer, or liquor, drink apple cider, tomato juice, sparkling water, or other nonalcoholic beverage.
• Fish that may have high levels of mercury (a substance that can build up in fish and harm an unborn baby). Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish during pregnancy. Eat no more than 12 ounces of any fish per week (equal to four 3-ounce servings—each about the size of a deck of cards).
• Soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and goat cheese and ready-to-eat meats including lunch meats, hot dogs, and deli meats. These foods may contain bacteria called listeria that are harmful to unborn babies. Cooking hot dogs, lunch, and deli meats until steaming hot can kill the bacteria and make these meats safe to eat.
• Raw fish such as sushi, sashimi, or ceviche and raw or undercooked meat and poultry. These foods can contain harmful bacteria. Cook fish, meat, and poultry thoroughly before eating.
• Large amounts of caffeine-containing beverages. If you drink lots of coffee, tea, or soda, check with your health care provider about cutting back on caffeine. Instead, try decaffeinated versions of your favorite beverage, or warm low-fat or fat-free milk, or sparkling mineral water.
• Anything that is not food. Sometimes pregnant women crave something that is not food, such as laundry starch or clay. Talk to your health care provider if you have such a craving.