Reference checklist

Foods to check before you eat

The NHS keeps the definitive list of foods to avoid or limit in pregnancy; this page reorganizes it for quick checking at the shop or restaurant, with the fish section especially relevant here (espadon and thon are Mauritian staples). Three labels: Avoid, Limit, and Check how it is prepared. Tap any item for the why.

Cheese and dairy

Mould-ripened soft cheeses (brie, camembert) and soft blue cheesesAvoid

Higher listeria risk. They become safe when cooked until steaming hot all the way through.

Unpasteurised milk and anything made from itAvoid

Includes raw goat and sheep milk products. Pasteurised versions are fine.

Hard cheeses (cheddar, gruyere, parmesan) and pasteurised soft cheeses (cottage, cream cheese, mozzarella)Check how it is prepared

These are considered safe, including the everyday supermarket cheeses in Mauritius; check labels for pasteurisation.

Eggs

Raw or partially cooked eggs, and things containing them (homemade mayonnaise, mousse)Check how it is prepared

UK guidance allows runny eggs only under a recognised safety scheme. Without that assurance, cook eggs until white and yolk are firm.

Meat and pate

Raw or undercooked meatAvoid

Toxoplasmosis risk. Cook meat with no pink or blood; take extra care with sausages and minced meat.

Cold cured meats (salami, chorizo, prosciutto)Check how it is prepared

Risky raw; safe when cooked through, or per UK guidance frozen for 4 days before eating cold.

Liver, liver products and vitamin A supplementsAvoid

Too much vitamin A (retinol) can harm the baby. This includes fish liver oil supplements.

All pate, including vegetable pateAvoid

Listeria risk applies even to vegetable versions.

Fish and seafood

Swordfish (espadon), shark and marlinAvoid

These large ocean fish, all caught in Mauritian waters, carry the highest mercury levels.

Tuna (thon)Limit

UK guidance: no more than 2 tuna steaks or 4 medium cans a week, because of mercury.

Oily fish (sardines, mackerel, salmon)Limit

Good for the baby, capped at 2 portions a week because of pollutants. White fish is unrestricted for most.

Raw shellfish, and cold-smoked or cured raw fishCheck how it is prepared

Raw oysters and similar carry food-poisoning risk; thoroughly cooked shellfish is fine. UK guidance treats smoked fish as lower risk but cooked is safest.

Sushi with raw fishCheck how it is prepared

Safe only if the fish was frozen first (most commercial sushi is); ask, or choose cooked and vegetarian options.

Drinks

AlcoholAvoid

The safest approach is no alcohol at all in pregnancy; no amount has been proven safe.

Caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks)Limit

Keep under 200mg a day: roughly 2 mugs of instant coffee, or one brewed coffee. Energy drinks can bust the limit in one can.

Herbal and traditional tisanesCheck how it is prepared

UK guidance suggests no more than 4 cups a day of standard herbal teas, and evidence on many traditional preparations is thin; check with your midwife or pharmacist first.

Fruit, vegetables and salads

Unwashed fruit, vegetables and salad leavesCheck how it is prepared

Wash thoroughly to remove soil, which can carry toxoplasmosis; extra relevant for market produce eaten raw.

Raw sprouted seeds (bean sprouts)Check how it is prepared

Eat them cooked rather than raw.

And nearly everything else is yours to enjoy

This list is short on purpose: the overwhelming majority of food, including well-cooked local fish, fruit and vegetables washed at home, dhal, rice and pasteurised dairy, is encouraged in pregnancy. When a specific dish is in doubt, your midwife is the right person to ask.

Sources

Foods to avoid in pregnancy NHS, 2023The single source for every item on this page.

Last reviewed: 2026-07-16