Although you should eat a wide variety of foods, when you're pregnant there are foods that you shouldn't eat, and precautions you should take:

A)  Avoid eating mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie and camembert, and blue-veined varieties, such as stilton or Danish blue, because of the risk of listeria infection. You can eat hard cheeses, such as cheddar and parmesan, and other cheeses made from pasteurised milk such as cottage cheese, mozzarella and cheese spreads.

B)  Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so that there's no trace of pink or blood. Take particular care with poultry, such as chicken and turkey, and foods made with minced meat, such as sausages and burgers. Wash all surfaces and utensils after preparing raw meat.

C)  Don’t eat liver or liver products, such as liver paté or liver sausage as they may contain a lot of vitamin A.

D)  Avoid eating all types of paté, including vegetable patés because they can contain listeria.

E)  Make sure that eggs are thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are solid, to prevent the risk of food poisoning caused by salmonella bacteria. Avoid foods containing raw and undercooked eggs, such as home-made mayonnaise, ice-cream, cheesecake or mousse.

F)  Avoid eating shark, marlin and swordfish, and limit the amount of tuna you eat because these types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which can damage your baby’s developing nervous system. Limit tuna to two steaks or four cans per week. This also applies if you're breastfeeding.

G)  Eat cooked rather than raw shellfish, as they can contain harmful viruses and bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

H)  Drink only pasteurised or UHT milk that's had the harmful germs destroyed.

I)  You should avoid high-dose multivitamin supplements, fish liver oil supplements or any supplements that contain vitamin A.

J)  Avoid eating peanuts and foods containing peanut if you or your baby’s father or any previous children have a history of hay fever, asthma, eczema or other allergies.

K)  High levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight, which can increase the risk of health problems in later life and can cause miscarriage. Caffeine is naturally found in lots of foods, such as coffee, tea and chocolate, and is added to some soft drink, energy drinks and even flu remedies.