SAFE AND UNSAFE FOODS DURING PREGNANCY

What you can and can't eat when pregnant does seem confusing to start with but if you follow a few simple rules it should become clear.

• Cheese - soft and semi-soft cheese should be avoided unless it is fully cooked and served hot. This includes ricotta, fetta, camembert, brie and blue cheeses.

• Eggs - you only need to avoid raw or undercooked eggs.

• All salad dressings that you buy in supermarkets, such as mayonnaise, will have been made using pasteurised egg and are therefore quite safe. Cook eggs until the yolk and white are not runny any more. Be careful about eating "home-made" products such as chocolate mousse and fresh mayonnaise in delis which may contain raw egg.

• Other dairy products - unpasteurised milk and dairy products made with unpasteurised milk are best avoided as they are more likely to carry bacteria that could give you food poisoning.

• Paté - all paté should be avoided, whether made from meat, fish or vegetables.

• Meat and meat products - it's fine to eat meat, but make sure it is cooked thoroughly and there are no pink or red bits and that the juices run clear, especially if it's cooked on a barbecue, or as part of a ready meal. Cured meat products, such as Prosciutto and salami, also carry a risk and are best avoided.

• Chicken – avoid chicken that is cooked and served cold, such as in a salad or sandwich bar. If you buy a take-away cooked chicken make sure it is steaming hot and store leftovers in the fridge to eat within one day.

• Seafood – Avoid all raw fish as used in sushi, and all smoked seafood and fish. You should avoid prawns that are ready-to-eat and chilled. Buy fresh prawns instead and cook them until piping hot.

• Fish - is good for you and your baby but it can contain mercury. Have two or three portions of fish a week, especially oily fish such as mackeral, sardines, Atlantic salmon and Silver Warehou. If you eat Shark (Flake), Swordfish, Broadbill or Marlin you should eat only one serve and no other fish in that fortnight. If you eat (Orange Roughy) Deep Sea Perch or Catfish you should eat only one serve and no other fish in that week. You can safely eat two or three serves of canned or fresh tuna and salmon each week.

• Icecream – avoid soft serve icecream and check to make sure that homemade or gelati icecream has not been made with raw eggs.

• Salad and bean sprouts – pre-prepared and packaged salads should be thoroughly washed before eating. All kinds of bean sprouts carry a risk of salmonella including snow pea sprouts, mung beans, alfalfa sprouts and sunflower sprouts.

• Finally, when you're handling or preparing food, make sure you follow strict food hygiene guidelines - such as washing your hands, keeping utensils and surfaces clean, using separate utensils for raw meat from those being used for ready-to-eat food, and following cooking and storage instructions carefully.