Pregnancy weight loss - should I be concerned? It may not be something you think about normally until after the baby arrives but weight loss during pregnancy is something to be concerned about because it can be a risk to you and your baby.

Pregnant women should expect to gain in the region of 25 - 30 lbs during their pregnancy. Even if you were overweight before your pregnancy you should still gain weight but a little less and if you were underweight you should gain a little more.

Of course if you have any concerns about your weight during pregnancy you should consult with your doctor or your family's health care provider.

There are a number of things that can cause pregnancy weight loss one of which is eating the wrong foods and becoming ill. Certain foods increase your risk of becoming ill and can cause pregnancy weight loss.

So which are the foods to avoid during pregnancy?

Foods to avoid during pregnancy that can cause serious illness include raw meats, deli meat, certain seafood and some dairy products.

Meats And Proteins To Avoid

Raw meat or even undercooked meats can be a great growing ground for bacteria and other harmful agents. Any meat eaten during pregnancy should be completely cooked.

Along those same lines, deli meats can be a source of listeria and should be avoided. Listeria is bacteria which causes an infection called listeriosis.

Listeriosis is a relatively rare infection but pregnant women are at a higher risk of contracting it. Listeriosis in a pregnant woman can lead to early delivery, infection of, and worst case death of the baby.

Symptoms may be flu-like and include "fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhoea and upset stomach". Symptoms typically last 7 - 10 days. It is also possible to have the infection without any symptoms at all.

Seafood To Avoid

Raw fish and raw shellfish should definitely be on your list of foods to avoid during pregnancy.

Raw fish can contain bacteria and parasites such as tapeworms which if they grow large enough can rob your body of nutrients essential for your baby and can also lead to pregnancy weight loss.

However, properly cooked fish that is low in mercury and high in omega 3 is good to include in your diet for a healthy pregnancy.

Fish high in Omega3 and low in mercury include

* Mackerel;

* Atlantic Salmon;

* Canned Salmon & canned tuna in oil;

* Herrings and

* Sardines.

Dairy Foods To Avoid

Although dairy foods in general are good for a healthy diet, some dairy foods are not safe to eat when pregnant. Pregnant women should not consume unpasteurised milk or soft cheeses like Brie and Feta as they may contain harmful bacteria.

Women who are pregnant should not eat raw or soft boiled eggs, this includes foods that use raw eggs as ingredients where the food itself is not cooked unless pasteurised eggs have been used in the process.

Raw eggs can contain salmonella bacteria. Specific foods to avoid during pregnancy include homemade mayonnaise, homemade ice cream and Hollandaise sauce.

Pregnancy weight loss as a result of becoming ill from foods containing bacteria can be serious. Food poisoning and diarrhoea can cause pregnancy weight loss and bacterial infections can cause your developing baby to get sick.

Make sure you have a healthy weight gain rather than a pregnancy weight loss by knowing which foods to eat and which foods to avoid during pregnancy.

Apart from food, over exercising can cause pregnancy weight loss so if you have your doctor's approval for exercise during pregnancy make sure you don't over do it.

Be safe, be healthy and enjoy your pregnancy.