I believed the food and drinks to avoid during pregnancy lies for years. Not anymore. Back in 2019, when I was pregnant with my first, I lived in a state of absolute culinary terror. I remember standing in the middle of a Whole Foods in Austin, staring at a tub of feta cheese for ten minutes, frantically Googling whether “pasteurized” actually meant “safe” or if I was about to single-handedly ruin my child’s future because of a Greek salad. I was 33, hormonal, and convinced that every bite of food was a potential landmine.

Now, at 38, having navigated two pregnancies and three years of running a lifestyle blog where I’m constantly bombarded with “wellness” advice, my perspective has shifted. I’ve become the ultimate skeptic. When someone tells me I can’t have a specific tea or a slice of medium-rare steak, my first thought isn’t “Okay,” it’s “Show me the data.” Because to be honest, a lot of the standard advice we give pregnant women is based more on liability management than actual, modern science. that said,, let’s look at what actually matters and what is just noise.

The Caffeine Myth: Is Your Morning Latte Actually Dangerous?

For years, the narrative was that caffeine was a direct ticket to low birth weight or worse. I remember my friend Sarah—who is usually the most chill person I know—literally swatting a cup of Earl Grey out of my hand back in November 2021 because she heard a podcast about “adrenal fatigue” in fetuses. Really. It was that intense.

But when you actually look at the data, the picture is much less scary. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has maintained for years that under 200mg of caffeine per day (about one 12-ounce cup of coffee) is perfectly fine. A 2024 meta-analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology found no significant correlation between moderate caffeine intake and adverse birth outcomes.

I feel now that the “zero caffeine” rule is just a way to make women feel more in control of a process that is inherently unpredictable. During my second pregnancy, I visited Jo’s Coffee on South Congress in Austin almost every morning. I’d get a small iced Turbo ($5.25, and worth every penny) and move on with my day. My son is currently thriving and has more energy than I ever will, so the “stunted growth” fear-mongering didn’t exactly pan out for us.

The Deli Meat Drama: Listeria vs. Logic

This is the one that gets everyone. “Don’t eat cold cuts!” they scream. The fear is Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that can cross the placenta. It sounds terrifying. And to be fair, Listeria is serious. But let’s look at the numbers. According to 2024 CDC data, there are roughly 1,600 cases of listeriosis in the U.S. per year. Out of a population of 330 million people, including millions of pregnant women.

I thought about it later: why are we obsessed with turkey breast but we don’t talk about bagged salad? In reality, recent outbreaks have been linked more frequently to pre-cut cantaloupe and packaged leafy greens than to the deli counter. If you’re really worried, the official advice is to heat deli meats to “steaming hot.” I tried this once with a ham sandwich in 2021. It was soggy, sad, and tasted like disappointment.

My skeptical take? If you’re at a high-end deli where the turnover is fast, the risk is statistically negligible. If you’re at a gas station at 2 AM? Maybe skip the ham. To be honest, I stopped worrying about this after I realized I was more likely to get sick from a “healthy” spinach smoothie than a freshly sliced turkey sandwich. Speaking of health myths, I’ve written before about how the healthy recipes lie almost ruined my relationship with food entirely.

Fish, Mercury, and the Sushi “Rule”

The “No Sushi” rule is probably the hardest one for my lifestyle blogger friends. We live for a good omakase. But the blanket ban on raw fish is actually quite American-centric. In Japan, pregnant women are often encouraged to eat fish for the DHA and Omega-3s. The real issue isn’t the “raw” part—it’s the mercury and the potential for parasites.

The Mercury Heavy-Hitters

There are some fish you should actually avoid because mercury is a neurotoxin that doesn’t just “wash out” of your system. A 2025 report from the Environmental Defense Fund highlighted that large predatory fish are the main culprits. You’re looking at:

• Shark (Who is eating shark anyway?)
• Swordfish
• King Mackerel
• Tilefish
• Bigeye Tuna (Stick to light canned tuna if you must)

The Sushi Loophole

If the fish has been “flash-frozen” (which almost all sushi-grade fish in the U.S. is required to be by the FDA), the risk of parasites is almost zero. Last Tuesday, I was looking at a menu for a local spot and saw a “Pregnancy Roll” that was all cooked tempura. It was $18.00 and looked boring. To be honest, I’d rather have one piece of high-quality salmon nigiri from a reputable chef than a mountain of fried “safe” rolls. The risk of Salmonella from raw fish is there, but it’s usually just a bad case of food poisoning for you, not a direct threat to the baby like Listeria is.

Soft Cheese and the “Pasteurized” Confusion

I once saw a woman in a Facebook group tell a pregnant mom that she couldn’t eat Brie. This is a lie. Most Brie sold in major U.S. grocery stores—like the President brand I buy at my local Kroger for $7.49—is made with pasteurized milk.

The rule is simple: if it’s pasteurized, it’s fine. The only time you need to worry is if you’re at a farmer’s market in rural France or buying “raw milk” cheeses from a boutique creamery. Actually, even then, hard cheeses like aged cheddar or parmesan are safe even if they’re unpasteurized because they don’t have enough moisture for Listeria to survive. It’s the soft, wet, unpasteurized stuff (think raw milk queso fresco or authentic feta) that you should skip.

I remember being at a dinner party back in 2022—I wasn’t even pregnant then, but the hostess was—and she wouldn’t touch the goat cheese. I felt so bad for her because I knew that specific brand was pasteurized. We’ve created a culture of fear where we don’t even read the labels anymore; we just assume the worst. If you’re planning your own event, check out my guide on how to host a dinner party without stressing out your guests (pregnant or not!).

Herbal Teas: The Hidden Minefield?

This is where I’ll actually be a bit more cautious. People think “herbal” means “safe,” but some herbs are actually medicinal and can cause uterine contractions. Last year, I was doomscrolling TikTok at 1 AM and saw a “labor prep” tea that contained red raspberry leaf. That’s great for week 38, but maybe not week 8.

The problem is that the FDA doesn’t regulate herbal teas the same way they do food. You don’t really know the concentration of what you’re getting. I’d personally stay away from:

• Pennyroyal (Known to cause miscarriage)
• Mugwort
• Black or Blue Cohosh
• Excessive Licorice Root

I stuck to peppermint and ginger tea. They’re boring, but they actually helped with the morning sickness. I spent about $4.99 on a box of Traditional Medicinals ginger tea, and it was the only thing that kept me functioning during my first trimester in the winter of 2021.

Alcohol: The “Zero Drop” Policy

This is the most controversial topic in the “food and drinks to avoid during pregnancy” world. In the U.S., the official stance is that no amount of alcohol is safe. Period. However, if you look at the UK or parts of Europe, the advice is often more sophisticated, sometimes suggesting a glass of wine once or twice a week after the first trimester is okay.

that said,, I chose to abstain. Not because I’m convinced a single sip would cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but because the anxiety of drinking it would outweigh the pleasure of the wine. When I was traveling with my kids recently—which you can read about in my stress-free travel tips—I saw so many moms enjoying a small glass of wine at dinner. I don’t judge them. The data on very low-level consumption is incredibly muddy and inconclusive. But for me? I’ll wait for the $65 bottle of champagne once the baby is out.

One mistake I see? People replacing wine with “kombucha” without realizing some kombuchas have up to 0.5% or even 1% alcohol. If you’re being strict, check the label on that $5.00 bottle of GT’s.

The question I keep coming back to: does any of this actually matter? We spend nine months hyper-fixated on whether we ate a piece of unwashed lettuce, yet we live in a world with microplastics in the water and air pollution in our cities. I’m not saying you should go on a raw oyster bender, but maybe we could all breathe a little easier. The stress of trying to be a “perfect” pregnant eater is likely more taxing on your body than a slice of pepperoni pizza. Trust your gut, read the labels, and stop letting the internet scare you out of your morning coffee.