Foods to avoid when trying to conceive

Your conception diet – what’s on or off the menu?

Foods to avoid when trying for a baby are the same as those you should avoid or limit when you're pregnant¹. So finding alternatives now will stand you in good stead.

The main difference between a conception and pregnancy diet is that your partner’s nutritional intake counts at this stage too. So, you might both want to make adjustments to your eating habits.

Food and drink to avoid when trying to conceive

While trying to conceive, a healthy, pregnancy-safe diet is recommended. Alcohol, foods that could contain listeria, and others containing contaminants like mercury are best avoided from now onwards. This is because they can have an effect on your fertility and your developing baby.

Alcohol

In a study of couples planning their first pregnancy, a link was found between a woman’s alcohol intake and decreased fertility. This even applied to those who had five or less drinks a week².

Because of this, the Food Standards Agency advises avoiding alcohol completely while trying to get pregnant. However, if you choose to drink, you should limit your alcohol intake to one or two units, once or twice per week³.

Foods that might contain listeria

Some foods carry the listeria bacteria, which can cause listeriosis. This has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, so you're advised to avoid the following foods:

• Soft, ripened cheeses like brie, camembert and some goats’ cheese
• Blue veined cheeses like Danish Blue and Stilton
• All unpasteurised dairy products
• All types of pâté, including vegetable

Foods that might contain contaminants

Some types of fish contain high levels of mercury which can damage your unborn baby’s developing nervous system5. For this reason you should:

• Avoid shark, marlin, and swordfish
• Limit tuna to no more than four medium-sized tins or two fresh tuna steaks a week
• Limit oily fish (mackerel, sardines, salmon, trout and fresh [not tinned] tuna), sea bream, sea bass, turbot, halibut, rock salmon and brown crabmeat to two portions per week

Sources of vitamin A

It is recommended that you avoid supplements containing vitamin A (or retinol, the animal form of vitamin A) and food sources such as liver, liver pâté, liver sausage and haggis⁶.

Caffeine – how much is safe?

A coffee or an energy drink might provide a pick-me-up, but caffeine consumption has been linked to an increased risk of miscarriage and having a low birth weight baby. While the risk is small, you're advised to limit your caffeine intake to 200mg a day⁵.

A guide to caffeine content: (approximate mg per serving)

• One mug of instant coffee = 100mg
• One mug of filter coffee = 140mg
• One mug of tea = 75mg
• One can of cola or half a can of energy drink = 40mg
• One 50g bar of dark chocolate = 50mg
• One 50g bar of milk chocolate = 25mg

Switching to decaff tea and coffee can cut down your caffeine intake. But be aware that they still contain small amounts of caffeine.

Focus on dads-to-be

When trying to conceive, the general advice for prospective dads is to eat a varied diet and maintain a healthy body weight.

In addition to this, they are advised to limit their alcohol intake to less than fourteen units a week spread evenly over three days or more. This is because excessive consumption – more than three–four units a day (or 1.5–2 pints of beer or lager) – can reduce sperm quality⁸.

Last reviewed: 4th July 2016