What sandwich fillers can I have during pregnancy?
Tuna
Fish is a good source of many vitamins and minerals. However, you should limit how much tuna you eat, because it has more mercury in it than other fish. If you eat too much mercury, it can be harmful to your baby. You should eat no more than 2 tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or 4 medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) a week.
Ham and cured meats
It is safe to eat cold, pre-packed meats such as ham and corned beef. Although the risk is low, you may also prefer to avoid raw cured meat, such as parma ham, chorizo, pepperoni and salami. Cured meats are not cooked, so they may have parasites in them that cause an infection called toxoplasmosis.
If you get toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, it can cause complications for you and your baby. You’ll usually be given medicines, including antibiotics to treat Toxoplasmosis. It’s very rare for your baby to become infected too.
Read more about Toxoplasmosis here.
Cheese
Hard cheeses like cheddar are safe to eat during pregnancy. Unpasteurised soft cheeses should be avoided as they may contain bacteria that can cause an infection. This infection can then lead to pregnancy complications. Find out more about cheeses that are best to avoid.
Mayonnaise
It is safe to eat shop-bought mayonnaise during pregnancy. If the mayonnaise has been freshly made, check that it has been made using British Lion eggs. Eggs that are stamped with the red British Lion quality mark come from hens that are vaccinated against salmonella and their eggs are regularly tested.
It’s best to avoid anything made from raw eggs if they do not have the red British Lion mark.
Thanks to Dr Helen Crawley from the First Steps Nutrition Trust for allowing us to use recipes from her guide Eating well for a healthy pregnancy.
