11 Beverages You Should Drink While Pregnant And 11 Beverages You Should Avoid

There are so many things to remember during pregnancy. It can be complicated trying to keep track of how much exercise you're supposed to be getting, staying on top of your numerous doctor appointments, figuring out which kinds of medications and supplements you should or shouldn't be taking, deciding what to eat each day, and even learning what to drink — or, perhaps more importantly, what not to drink — over the course of nine months.

For every piece of guidance you've received about something seemingly as simple as drinking fruit juice to a glass of milk, you've likely had an array of contradicting opinions. Your close friends and family have probably already offered up tons of unsolicited — though likely well-meaning — advice about what worked for them during their respective pregnancies. It can get super confusing knowing who to trust and, while we advise you to consult your doctor before making any changes, science has shown us what is — and isn't — safe to drink during pregnancy. Here's everything you should know.

There is one caveat to this whole upping your water intake business. Depending on the age of your home or apartment, your tap water may be passing through lead pipes. Consuming lead-laden water is not good for anyone, but pregnant women need to be even more cautious.

In an article for WebMD, Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietician and nutrition consultant, highlighted some of the risks. High levels of lead can cause low birth weight, preterm delivery, and developmental delays. You might think turning to bottled water to be your safest bet, but Ward explained that's not always true. Instead, having your tap water tested is advisable. But try not to worry if the test comes back showing trace amounts of lead.

Although ideally it would be great to remove all of the lead pipes in your home, water filtration systems have proven to be both effective at removing lead and — good news! — they're cost-effective. The Environmental Working Group advises purchasing a carbon-based filter that attaches directly to your faucet as "many pitcher filters are not certified to remove lead and do not work as well for this purpose."

You shouldn't have to search too hard to find orange juice that's been pasteurized. More than likely, any of the orange juice you find at the supermarket will have gone through the pasteurization process. This means that the juice was heated to a high temperature to kill any lurking bacteria and then cooled, making it safe to drink. Still, it's important to locate the word "pasteurized" on the label before purchasing.

You should also be wary of any juices — including orange — or ciders labeled "fresh-squeezed." While these beverages taste great, "fresh-squeezed" indicates that the beverage is unpasteurized. This means it can potentially be contaminated with dangerous bacteria such as E. coli, Elizabeth Ward, a registered dietician and nutrition consultant, explained in an article for WebMD.

Your safest bet is to only purchase pasteurized juice and cider. It's also wise to check with your friends, family members, and even the restaurants that you visit to make sure all are serving pasteurized juices too. Otherwise, you may just want to avoid fresh-squeezed juice and cider altogether.

Not all sports drinks are created equal. "Sports drinks often contain carbohydrates in the form of sugar, as well as electrolytes and minerals and sometimes protein, vitamins, or caffeine," wrote Michigan Medicine. Amos Grünebaum, an obstetrician and gynecologist specializing in high-risk pregnancies revealed that sugar is actually pretty safe during pregnancy. "Sugar can be consumed during pregnancy in moderation if you don't have Type I, Type II or gestational diabetes," he revealed in an article for BabyMed.

In good health, it's okay to consume sugar during pregnancy, but you may still want to consider monitoring how much you're drinking sugary beverages. That is, make sure you're not solely relying on sports drinks, or drinks with even higher amounts of sugar, to meet your fluid intake goal. Registered dietician Natalie B. Allen agrees that sugary beverages are not generally harmful to the baby, but she also pointed out that they're not all that nutritious either. Occasionally indulging in a sugary beverage is probably A-okay, but it's best to maintain balance and overdoing it throughout your pregnancy.

Although raw milk is seeing a bit of a movement, the United States Food and Drug Administration advises everyone to avoid consuming it. But what exactly is raw milk anyway? According to the FDA, raw milk is "milk from cows, sheep, and goats — or any other animal — that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria." This means it can carry "dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, and others that cause foodborne illness, often called 'food poisoning.'"

Though the bacteria found in raw milk isn't good for anyone, it can be especially dangerous for pregnant women. Listeria bacteria can cause an infection called listeriosis and, according to genetic counselor Sara Riordan, pregnant women are "particularly susceptible." Listeriosis can "be devastating and even deadly for unborn babies," Riordan explained.

While the government has banned the sale of raw milk in the United States, raw milk is legal in other parts of the world. You'll want to watch out for this while traveling abroad and, if someone does happen to offer you raw milk in the states, steer clear. It's not worth the risk.

For some, it can be hard to picture going nine months without a cup of coffee or strong, black tea. Though, you don't actually have to give up caffeine in its entirety. According to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), moderate levels of caffeine — anywhere from 150 to 300 milligrams (about two 8-ounce cups of coffee) per day — have not been linked to any negative effects on pregnancy. However, it's important to remember that it's not just coffee and tea that contain caffeine. Chocolate, soda, and even some types of medicine contain the stimulant. It can be easy to go well over 300 milligrams without even realizing.

Of course, you may choose to play it safe and do without caffeine altogether. In fact, the APA says that "avoiding caffeine as much as possible is your safest course of action." This is partly because an unborn baby is incapable of metabolizing caffeine the way an adult can. "Even a small amount of caffeine can cause changes in your baby's sleep pattern or normal movement pattern in the later stages of pregnancy," the APA cautioned.

While it may be your favorite way to partake in the holiday cheer, unpasteurized eggnog — especially of the homemade variety — should be avoided during pregnancy. You may not have paid much attention to the name before you were pregnant, but eggnog is, well, exactly what it sounds like. Egg yolks, whole milk, heavy cream, and sugar are the main ingredients of this sweet wintertime refreshment. Some recipes even call for whipped egg whites.

Due to the raw eggs, foodsafety.gov advises against unpasteurized and homemade varieties of the nog. Raw eggs can, as we all know, contain salmonella. Although literally no one would enjoy having salmonella, pregnant women should be especially cautious. In some instances, salmonella can lead to sepsis, a sometimes fatal blood infection. Rarely, salmonella can also cause miscarriages or preterm birth. 

However, you can definitely make safe-to-consume eggnog by cooking it to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Or, if you're more of a store-bought eggnog fan, you can buy one labeled "pasteurized" to avoid any risk of salmonella.

"I drank alcohol when I was pregnant and my baby turned out just fine." You may have heard this story, or a story like this, time and time again throughout your pregnancy. It's hard to know what to believe when it comes to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. So, what's the truth?

The American Academy of Pediatrics is clear. According to a 2015 report, "no amount of alcohol intake should be considered safe; there is no safe trimester to drink alcohol; all forms of alcohol, such as beer, wine, and liquor, pose similar risk; and binge drinking poses dose-related risk to the developing fetus." As of this writing, there is absolutely no level of drinking during pregnancy that has been deemed safe. While it may sound relaxing to unwind with a glass of rosé here or there, the risks —  from developmental disorders to birth defects — are "completely preventable" if you avoid any and all alcohol consumption during your pregnancy. Let's agree to pop the bubbly after baby is born.

Kombucha is a bubbly and fermented tea drink that many people love to sip. It also happens to be considered a wellness beverage as it has myriad of health benefits. However, it is recommended that pregnant women avoid drinking it. There's a few reasons for this.

While kombucha is not labeled as an alcoholic beverage, it does actually contain minimal amounts of alcohol — up to 0.5 percent — according to Healthline. Although that may not sound like much at all, any amount of alcohol could be harmful to a developing fetus, the American Pregnancy Association states. Additionally, kombucha is made with caffeinated tea and, as Healthline noted, "Caffeine is a stimulant and can freely cross the placenta and enter a baby's bloodstream." Lastly, most types of kombucha are unpasteurized, which means certain types of bacteria that are harmful to pregnant women, like listeria, could be lurking in the bottle.

Is there anything wrong with having a Diet Coke during your pregnancy? While registered dietitian Melinda Johnson revealed in an article for BabyCenter that the "occasional soft drink is not likely to do you any harm," pregnant women should not drink either regular or diet soda with any regularity.

If you're wondering if it's because of the caffeine, that's only part of the problem — and one that can be solved by opting for a caffeine-free soda. The unavoidable issue with the beverage, however, is the sweetener. A study by the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba in Canada that was published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2016 suggested that consuming artificial sweeteners while pregnant could lead to infant obesity. Johnson also pointed to a comprehensive study showing that women who drank either artificially sweetened beverages (like diet soda) or beverages with sugar (like regular soda) each day had an increased risk of going into preterm labor and delivery.

Wheatgrass is full of vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, antioxidants — the list goes on and on. It's no wonder pregnant women would consider adding some wheatgrass juice or wheatgrass shots to their diet. However, this arguably healthy beverage can also present some dangers.

"Wheatgrass is usually grown in soil or water and consumed raw, which means it could be contaminated with bacteria or mold," Brent A. Bauer, director of the Department of Internal Medicine's Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program for Mayo Clinic, wrote for the organization. "If you're pregnant or breast-feeding, don't use wheatgrass." 

Research has also demonstrated a possible connection between consuming wheatgrass and miscarriages, sports nutritionist and dietitian Deepshikha Agarwal explained to The Health Site. Agarwal also noted the potential for causing "an impairment in the baby." So, while the drink may have numerous benefits, it's safest to wait to add it to your diet until after your baby is born.

Fatigue is a very real — and very common — issue during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. Finding ways to stay awake can be challenging and may have you considering popping open a can of Red Bull. Experts, however, would beg you to reconsider.

Emily Mitchell, a dietitian at the Center for Fetal Medicine in Los Angeles, Calif., told Verywell Family, "Energy drinks are not recommended during pregnancy as they may contain high levels of caffeine, and other ingredients not recommended for pregnant women." She continued, saying, "Energy drinks are also not regulated by the FDA as they fall into the category of food supplements. Supplements are not regulated and may contain ingredients that are not listed in the label."

Although an energy drink may seem like an easy solution for your tiredness, it's far safer and even more effective to eat foods that are naturally energizing, like peanut butter and avocado, and to take up exercising regularly. And by all means, sleep! It's good for both you and your baby, experts told Shape.