Top 10 Types of Foods that Can Pose Risks to Fetal Development

1. Purslane

Purslane, also known as: Pigweed, Green purslane, Thai purslane. Scientific name: Portulaca oleracea L. Belongs to the Purslane family. Purslane is known as a naturally growing vegetable with succulent stems, many branches, pale red color, and 10-30cm long. Oval-shaped leaves, no stalk. Spherical capsule fruit containing many shiny black seeds. Purslane grows wild in damp places. Flowers begin to appear in late spring and last until mid-autumn. Purslane, with its cooling properties, contains many nutrients: A, B1, B2, C, PP, some minerals such as: Potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids,... Antioxidants such as: Flavonoids, phytoestrogens, along with other organic acids such as: Citric acid or malic acid. Another special feature is that it contains melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness for the body. It treats digestive diseases, intestinal worms, and pimples. After childbirth, it is very good for treating diseases such as: uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, postpartum bleeding...

However, in the first 3 months of pregnancy, you should not eat purslane, especially if you have had an abortion. Because the toxins in purslane will accumulate in your body. At that time, the fiber in purslane also becomes harmful to your body. Purslane has a very high cooling property, detoxifies, and expels worms, so it stimulates the uterus strongly. When consumed, the uterus contracts easily leading to miscarriage, premature birth, and endangering the health of pregnant women.

2. Fried Foods

Eating fried foods can lead to sudden weight gain and several chronic health conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer... Fried foods pose some risks to developing fetuses. Foods fried at high temperatures produce a toxin called acrylamide. This is extremely harmful to health. For fetuses, acrylamide affects the blood-brain barrier, which is responsible for preventing harmful substances, bacteria, or viruses from entering the nervous system. This can result in low birth weight, smaller head circumference, compromised nervous system development, delayed growth...

In addition, fried foods cooked at high temperatures produce the toxic compound acrylamide, which is synthesized from acrylic acid. Acrylic acid is derived from acrolein or allyl alcohol, both highly carcinogenic substances often found in fats, oils, and fried foods. French fries contain a high salt content, which affects cardiovascular health. In 100g of French fries, there are about 210mg of salt, while pregnant women should consume only 1g of salt per day. Consuming too many French fries during pregnancy can negatively impact cardiovascular health, leading to conditions such as high blood pressure, chest pain, heart failure, stroke, coronary artery disease, and other diseases.

According to the WHO, acrylamide is a cause of breast cancer and kidney cell cancer. It is commonly found in fried products, whereas it does not produce toxins at boiling temperatures. Impact on fetal development: When pregnant women consume too many fried foods, they may experience symptoms such as digestive enzyme system impairment, headaches, dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, and slow heart rate. These symptoms significantly increase the risk of miscarriage. Moreover, fried foods contain acidic phenols that can be harmful to the fetal brain, impairing fetal brain development and increasing the risk of Down syndrome.

Avoiding raw or undercooked foods such as sushi, raw eggs, or raw meat and seafood is crucial during pregnancy. These foods may be contaminated with parasites from unclean sources or bacteria. Consuming raw or undercooked meat can transmit parasites to the body. Apart from parasitic infections, eating raw meat also poses risks of acute infections and poisoning, commonly seen as salmonellosis, cholera, etc. Many people enjoy eating raw eggs, sunny-side-up eggs, or soft-boiled eggs, but this is not a wise choice. During protein synthesis, raw eggs can be contaminated with salmonella (1/30,000 eggs). Although the toxicity rate of salmonella in eggs is not high, it can still cause digestive disorders and discomfort for the consumer.

These foods contain bacteria, disease-causing viruses, and intestinal parasites, which can lead to digestive diseases and food poisoning, adversely affecting health. Therefore, pregnant women should stay away from raw foods, as there is no further debate about it. Because these food sources are not thoroughly cooked and may lack food safety assurance. The consequence is a host of digestive problems for expectant mothers. Furthermore, consuming raw foods during pregnancy carries risks such as: raw or undercooked foods are likely to contain many harmful substances and can lead to infections. It may even transmit infections to the fetus, resulting in a myriad of health issues for both the mother and the unborn child, even death.

There is a type of bacteria that pregnant women often encounter, called Listeria. This bacteria is difficult to detect when transmitted from mother to fetus through the placenta. Therefore, even though there are no symptoms, there is still a risk of preterm birth, miscarriage, stillbirth,... Raw meat dishes or undercooked meats also contain many types of bacteria and disease-causing agents. They can cause delayed physical and intellectual development in the fetus after birth and even fetal demise. Another common raw food is raw eggs, which can also cause bacterial infection in pregnant women. Raw eggs contain Salmonella bacteria, which can cause a range of symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and fever. This bacteria can even cause contractions in the uterus, leading to preterm birth, stillbirth. Therefore, any food that pregnant women want to ingest should be thoroughly cooked.

Foods made with sugar always tempt us, especially pregnant women. Craving sweets during pregnancy is a common occurrence. However, if pregnant women consume too many sweets, it is not good for both the mother and the baby. Sweets are essential ingredients for the body, but they can also be a potential hazard if your body has too much sugar. Sweets are beneficial in treating low blood pressure in pregnant women. However, overindulging can lead to regrettable outcomes. Consuming excessive sweets or carbohydrates during pregnancy can affect the baby's development. At the same time, excess sugar in the blood due to gestational diabetes or type 2 diabetes not controlled can have adverse effects on the baby.

Excess sugar will pass through the placenta and increase blood sugar in the baby's blood. As a result, the baby will have to produce more insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels in the body. Therefore, the childbirth process may also have more complications. You may need to have a cesarean section or even deliver prematurely. Sweet foods can make pregnant women feel hotter. Especially in the hot summer, it increases metabolic activity, stimulates the activity of subcutaneous glands, and can lead to an increased risk of acne on hot sunny days. Consuming too many sweets will increase calorie intake but provide fewer nutrients than needed during pregnancy. In addition, consuming too many sweets will make the body tired. Foods high in sugar will only provide empty energy for the body. They contain a lot of sucrose that can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, making you tired and drowsy.

Bitter melon has a sweet taste, cool properties, high protein, fat, sugar, potassium, iron, manganese, copper, beta-carotene, vitamin C, B1, B2. With such high vegetable protein quality, bitter melon is recommended as a substitute for animal protein to limit metabolic disorders causing osteoporosis and kidney stones. For pregnant women, this is a food to avoid. Because bitter melon also hides dangers to be avoided. Although there is still no scientific conclusion proving that eating bitter melon will cause miscarriage in pregnant women. But the potential risks when pregnant women eat bitter melon do exist. Bitter melon contains a large amount of papaverine - a substance that stimulates smooth uterine muscle contraction, very harmful to the body of pregnant women. According to folklore, women after childbirth, miscarriage, abortion often drink bitter melon water to treat retained fetal membranes. Eating bitter melon will interfere with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Glucocorticoids, the result of metabolic exchange processes from bitter melon leaves, can interfere with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in both bitter melon itself and in other accompanying foods.

In addition, eating too much bitter melon will cause pregnant women to lose sleep. Besides the risk of miscarriage from drinking fresh bitter melon water, using bitter melon in this way also causes pregnant women to lose sleep, have poor appetite, and have difficulty breathing. Experts recommend that pregnant women can still occasionally eat bitter melon, but it must be boiled, cooked thoroughly to avoid unwanted effects. It should be noted for pregnant women during the first three months especially should not eat bitter melon. Because eating bitter melon during this time will cause miscarriage in pregnant women. When eaten too much, it will lead to uterine contractions, pushing the fetus out, it must be said that this is a food that induces abortion without any medical intervention. Therefore, pregnant women should not eat too much of this 'cleaning' vegetable, avoiding unfortunate incidents. After giving birth or after menstruation, you should eat these types of vegetables to clean your menstruation and fetal membranes.

Depending on the type of animal organs, the nutritional content varies. Most internal organs are rich in nutrients and even more than lean meat. Animal meat is rich in vitamin B12, folate, minerals such as iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc, and fat-soluble vitamins. Moreover, internal organs are also a protein source to supplement the 9 essential amino acids that your body needs to function efficiently. Internal organs are the inner parts of animals such as liver, kidneys, heart, stomach, lungs, trachea... Due to the higher saturated fat and cholesterol content compared to meat, if consumed in excess will increase harmful blood fat levels for cardiovascular diseases, hypertension...

Unclean animal organs of unknown origin carry many risks of virus, bacteria, parasites,... and are easily infectious. There are healthy-looking pigs still infected with streptococcus (asymptomatic carrier), in the meat and especially in the internal organs containing a large amount of bacteria. When consuming dishes made from these internal organs without proper processing, streptococcus will invade the body and cause disease. Poor processing hygiene can also cross-contaminate other foods, causing diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid fever,... Internal organs are a source of vitamin A for the body, especially the liver. During pregnancy, vitamin A plays a vital role in the growth and development of the fetus.

However, health news, the National Institute of Health recommends consuming a maximum of 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day. Supplementation beyond this limit may increase the risk of severe birth defects including heart defects, spinal cord defects, nerve tube defects, or cause abnormalities in the eyes, ears, nose, digestive and renal issues. A study reported that pregnant women who consume more than 10,000 IU of vitamin A per day from foods have an over 80% higher risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects compared to those consuming 5,000 IU or less. Excess vitamin A from internal organs absorbed into the body is entirely detrimental to pregnant women, and may even cause fetal deformities, especially organs from pigs, cows like liver may adversely affect fetal development. Unclean animal organs of unknown origin carry many risks of virus, bacteria, parasites,... and are easily infectious to humans.

Unripe fruits contain a lot of enzymes, prostaglandins, and oxytocin. These are substances found in unripe fruits that stimulate early childbirth. Moreover, avoid eating too many hot-natured fruits such as: Jackfruit, Lychee, Durian, Plum, Longan... as they can cause internal heat and skin rash. Also, refrain from consuming excessive pineapple juice in the first 3 months. Because this fruit can cause uterine contractions leading to miscarriage.

It's not random that pineapples are on the forbidden list for pregnant women in the first 3 months. Pineapples are sweet, fragrant fruits, but they can cause uterine contractions leading to miscarriage, diarrhea, or allergies for pregnant women. The reason is that fresh pineapples contain bromelain, which softens the uterus and creates an abortifacient. However, after the first 3 months of pregnancy, pregnant women can consume a moderate amount of pineapple, suitable for their body's needs. Or many studies show that unripe or green papayas contain a lot of enzymes and latex, which can cause uterine contractions resulting in miscarriage.

Caffeine is found in many familiar beverages. When pregnant, mothers may find it hard to give up the enjoyable moments that could lead to undesirable effects. Specifically, excessive caffeine intake can cause symptoms like nausea, palpitations, poisoning, etc. According to experts, if this occurs frequently, it can affect the normal development of the baby's heart, brain, and liver. Therefore, babies born to mothers addicted to beer, alcohol, caffeine are at risk of congenital defects.

Similarly, alcohol, tea are also not recommended for pregnant women. Besides caffeine, tea contains a lot of theophylline, which has the ability to stimulate fetal movement, directly affecting the health and development of the fetus. Alcohol, beer are stimulants, can be addictive, and have negative effects on health, especially for pregnant women. According to studies, drinking alcohol, beer causes the most serious damage in the first 3 months of pregnancy. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, drinking alcohol, beer at any time during pregnancy can be harmful to the fetus. Whether it's a beer, a glass of wine, a mixed drink, or even a glass of wine, they all contain alcohol and it's not good for the fetus. If women are trying to get pregnant, they should not drink alcohol, beer, or any other alcoholic beverages.

Bitter Melon is known as a very healthy food and also a medicinal herb. Bitter melon contains folate, vitamin C, and some trace elements such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, all of which are essential for pregnant women. However, overconsumption of bitter melon can be very dangerous for pregnant women. The bitterness of bitter melon increases stomach and uterine contractions, increasing the risk of miscarriage or premature birth. Especially for women with tilted uterus, scars, or multiple abortions, eating bitter melon is even more dangerous. In addition, pregnant mothers who eat a lot of bitter melon also encounter some issues such as affecting digestion because bitter melon has a cooling effect, eating too much can cause abdominal coldness, bloating. Especially for mothers with digestive diseases, weak digestive systems are prone to diarrhea, dysentery, and gastrointestinal diseases.

Pregnant women may experience dizziness, headaches, sweating, panic, or even fainting. Because bitter melon contains p-insulin (a substance that has the same blood sugar lowering effect as insulin). However, precisely because of this, when used excessively, bitter melon can cause sudden drops in blood sugar. Bitter melon contains substances such as Quinine, morodicine, and bitter melon seeds contain a substance called vicine, which can cause poisoning in some people. Therefore, pregnant women who want to eat bitter melon need to consider carefully if they do not want to affect the fetus in the womb.

Smoke products must undergo a process of using wood, charcoal to ripen. These ingredients when heated will create toxins clinging to the food. Eating too much can lead to cancer in healthy individuals and pregnant women can give birth to babies with birth defects. Pregnancy is a long journey and to ensure the best health for the fetus, pregnant women can minimize the consumption of foods that cause fetal abnormalities as disclosed above.

If pregnant and mothers want to ensure that they will give birth to healthy children, they can undergo non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) before birth. This is a prenatal screening using a sample of maternal venous blood, performed from the 10th week of pregnancy and has high accuracy with common congenital syndromes. The test can be up to 99.96% accurate for Down syndrome. The test is now available and performed directly at Gentis, Asia's leading laboratory.