Should i eat liver when pregnant

Home Pregnancy Nutrition Food and drink safety. Sarah Schenker Dietitian. Liver contains very high levels of retinol, which is a type of vitamin A. If you have too much of the retinol form of vitamin A, high levels can build up in your body and may be harmful to your unborn baby.

You do, however, need some vitamin A to keep your skin, eyes and immune system healthy. You can get this safely by having a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes butter, spreads, eggs, cheese and oily fish. These foods are still a good source of vitamin A but contain much lower amounts of retinol than liver. Enter your due date or child's birthday dd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 mm Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec yyyy Trying to conceive?

We use your health information to make our site even more helpful. By clicking the button, you agree to our policies and to get emails from us. Join BabyCentre. Why is liver such a contended topic? The high concentration of vitamin A in liver and liver products is what leads to caution during pregnancy, as too much vitamin A can be toxic to both mom and baby.

Overall, while not all national health organizations agree, eating liver during pregnancy is unlikely to harm your baby so long as it is enjoyed in a moderate amount with food safety in mind — more on this below!

Just as meats have a variety of fat content, protein, and other nutrients, the amount of vitamin A in liver also varies based on the animal of origin. The list below breaks down the pregnancy safety for a variety of different types of animal liver.

Chicken livers are often served as a pate, which is not safe during pregnancy. Read why pate is best avoided in our article here. For more on this, see our pate and pregnancy article. Another caution is the vitamin A content, and acceptable serving sizes are only around a few tablespoons.

Beef liver is one of the highest vitamin A containing foods, with 3 oz contributing over 3 times the daily limit. While not off the table, keep the serving to only a few tablespoons. Beef liver is the main component in the Eastern European and Wisconsin staple, liver and onions.

So long as the liver is cooked thoroughly it is safe to enjoy- but maybe go heavy on the onions to keep the liver portion small. Pork liver is another type most commonly served hot. Similar to beef liver, keeping the portion size in mind and ensuring a thoroughly cooked dish are the keys to safety.

We cover more on cooking liver later in this article, below. Liver sausage, also called Braunschweiger or liverwurst, is deli meat that is not only soft and spreadable but served cold — a big pregnancy red-flag. Heating to steaming hot is the only way to make liverwurst, or any other type of sausage safe during pregnancy.

Like with all liver products, a conservative portion is best. If you want to know how best to heat liverwurst, you can read our guide to deli meat when pregnant , which also includes safe heating methods and temperatures.

Be careful with fruits, vegetables and salads as they can have soil on them, which can make you unwell. Make sure to thoroughly wash all fruits, vegetables and salad ingredients.

Only avoid eating peanuts if you're advised to by a healthcare professional or if you have a nut allergy. Do not take high-dose multivitamin supplements, or any supplements with vitamin A in them. Sign up for Start4Life's weekly emails for expert advice, videos and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Page last reviewed: 16 April Next review due: 16 April Home Pregnancy Keeping well in pregnancy Back to Keeping well in pregnancy. Foods to avoid in pregnancy. Game meats may contain lead shot. What you can eat raw, partially cooked and fully cooked British Lion eggs eggs with a lion stamp on them foods with raw egg in them, such as mousse and mayonnaise, if they're from British Lion eggs eggs that are not British Lion, as long as the whites and yolks are cooked thoroughly until solid What to avoid raw or partially cooked eggs that are not British Lion duck, goose or quail eggs, unless cooked thoroughly until the whites and yolks are solid Why Try to eat British Lion eggs eggs with a lion stamp on them because they are less likely to have salmonella in them.

What you can eat cooked fish and seafood smoked fish such as smoked salmon and trout raw or lightly cooked fish in sushi, if the fish has been frozen first cooked shellfish, such as mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams cold pre-cooked prawns What to limit you should eat no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring you should eat no more than 2 tuna steaks about g cooked or g raw or 4 medium-size cans of tuna about g when drained per week Tuna does not count as an oily fish You can have 2 tuna steaks, or 4 medium-size cans of fish, as well as 2 portions of oily fish.

Caffeine You can have caffeine, but no more than mg per day. There is: mg in a mug of instant coffee mg in a mug of filter coffee 75mg in a mug of tea green tea can have the same amount of caffeine as regular tea 40mg in a can of cola 80mg in a ml can of energy drink less than 25mg in a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate less than 10mg in a 50g bar of plain milk chocolate Alcohol Drinking alcohol in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby.

This keeps risks to your baby to a minimum. Herbal teas You should drink no more than 4 cups of herbal tea a day.