Desserts during pregnancy

Every desserts entry, with a verdict

Sorted with the ones worth knowing about first. Avoid means skip it entirely; take care means it depends on how it was prepared.

• Soft serve ice cream

  Avoid

  Avoid eating soft serve ice cream during pregnancy, as it may be contaminated with listeria if not stored properly (and no one can give you a guarantee that they have sterile conditions!)

• Meringues

  Take care

  Usually home-made or restaurant-served meringues contains raw eggs that can be contaminated with salmonella. So make sure that there are no raw eggs, otherwise avoid eating it. Meringues you can buy in a grocery store is usually not dangerous, but better check the ingredients before consuming.

• Tiramisu

  Take care

  Usually home-made or restaurant-served tiramisu contains raw eggs that can be contaminated with salmonella. So make sure that there are no raw eggs, otherwise avoid eating it. Tiramisu you can buy in a grocery store is usually not dangerous, but better check the ingredients before consuming.

• Cakes, slices, muffins with cream or custard

  Take care

  Avoid eating these. The only exception is if the cream is really fresh and cooked or just opened.

• Sugar

  Take care

  Be careful consuming sugar during pregnancy as it increases glucose and insulin levels, so eating excess sugar contributes to gestational diabetes, increases the risk of pre-eclampsia, and can do harm to your baby.

• Custard

  Take care

  Custard is tasty, but can be a dangerous product. It can spoil very fast and simply, so if it's a ready-made chilled (packaged) custard, eat during 1-2 days after opening. If you cooked it, eat it hot immediately after cooking.

• Mousse

  Take care

  Usually home-made or restaurant-served mousses contain raw eggs that can be contaminated with salmonella. So make sure that there are no raw eggs, otherwise avoid eating it. Mousse you can buy in a grocery store is usually not dangerous, but better check the ingredients before consuming.

• Baklava and halavah

  Safe

  Enjoy it, but don't overdo it!

• Honey

  Safe

  You can enjoy honey during pregnancy. In stores you can usually buy pasteurized honey, but you can also buy honey from farms as there are no studies on the safety of raw honey during pregnancy and there's no reason to believe it's unsafe. Unlike deli meat and some more products, unpasteurized honey doesn't carry the risk of listeriosis.

• Bubblegum

  Safe

  There are no studies showing that chewing bubblegum can be dangerous during pregnancy, so enjoy, and blow your bubbles bigger!

• Chocolate

  Safe

  Time for a happy dance: chocolate is not forbidden if you are pregnant! Moreover, a study from the University of Helsinki links women who eat chocolate when pregnant and happier more gregarious babies. The theory is that the serotonin, the happy hormone, is somehow passed on to the baby in the womb. This is not a proven fact for sure, but chocolate is okay to eat during pregnancy. Now you may think, great, it’s allowed, I will eat 10 bars a day. But chocolate is quite fattening and contains lots of sugar, it is not ok to overdo it with chocolate even if you are not pregnant. High levels of sugar in your blood can lead to health problems and extra weight make you more likely to have a caesarean, give birth to an overweight baby, or have complications in both pregnancy and birth.

• Plain cakes, slices, muffins

  Safe

  It's okay to eat these, enjoy!

• Jam

  Safe

  Tasty spread for your bread! Try to make jams yourself or choose the one that doesn't contain added chemicals and lots of sugar.

• Candies and sweets

  Safe

  Enjoy eating candies, but don't overdo it, as it can lead to excessive weight gain, problems with teeth, and can increase the chances of getting gestational diabetes.

• Pie

  Safe

  It's good to have a piece of pie with a cup of tea, right?

• Ice cream

  Safe

  Enjoy eating packaged ice-cream, be sure to check the expiration date before eating, it should be fresh! Don't overdo it, ice cream usually contains TONS of sugar. If you make it yourself, use pasteurized milk.

• Pudding

  Safe

  Oh pudding, so great, even during pregnancy. So go ahead!

• Pancakes

  Safe

  It's good to have some with a cup of tea, right?

Other categories

Back to the full food safety guide →