Your Pregnancy Eat-out Guide

You may love samosas, but try to steer clear of these fried appetizers. Instead, start with dal, lentil soup packed with folate, iron and protein. Skip naan and have roti instead since it’s almost always made from whole-wheat flour. For your main dish, Michelle LaCroix Mallik, nutritionist at B Nutritious, suggests tandoori chicken, which is marinated in yogurt but not soaked in a creamy sauce like many alternatives. If you’re vegetarian, order chickpea masala.

As long as it's cooked medium well, red meat isn't off limits. Seared or undercooked meat may contain salmonella, toxoplasmosis and other bacteria like E. coli that can harm you and baby. “When pregnant, a woman’s body is temporarily immune-compromised,” says OB-GYN Dr. Michele Hakakha. When cooked right, the occasional steak can be a healthy source of iron and protein. Stick to leaner cuts like filet mignon, sirloin or top round.

Beware of sodium overload. “Salt is no friend to a pregnant woman,” says Hakakha. “Eating out at Chinese or Mexican restaurants routinely during pregnancy can lead to water retention, which isn’t bad for the baby, but can be extremely uncomfortable for you!” As for the main dish? Look for a chicken and vegetable entrée with brown, not white, rice. You may also want to add a side of steamed bok choy or broccoli.

A thin crust margherita or veggie pizza is a healthier choice than a thick-crusted one that's piled high with cured meats and cheese. Depending on the size of pie, one regular slice or two small slices is a good portion. Choosing your own toppings? Try bell peppers with spinach: you’ll get iron from the greens, which will be better absorbed thanks to the vitamin C in the peppers.

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Avoid uncooked fish due to bacteria like salmonella, shigella and toxoplasmosis. “One gets extremely sick from these germs, and baby can get infected, too, which can cause miscarriage or birth defects,” says Hakakha. Mallik suggests miso soup followed by edamame to provide protein, and a veggie or cooked fish roll. Have rolls with brown rice and ensure there's no raw fish eggs (roe or smelt) on top. Not feeling fishy? Pick soba noodles, which provide extra fiber.

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Though there are a lot of rules about eating seafood, fish is low in fat, high in protein and can be very good for your baby. Many safe varieties are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, important for baby’s brain development and eye health. Avoid high-mercury options: marlin, orange roughy, tilefish, swordfish, shark, king mackerel and Ahi and big eye tuna. Salmon, especially wild caught, is a good, low-mercury option. Just make sure it’s cooked thoroughly. Another healthy pick: cooked oysters, mussels and clams. They’re all great sources of omega-3s and zinc. Even when eating safe seafood, limit yourself to two 6-ounce servings per week.

Start with minestrone soup—it's filled with beans, which provide folate, iron and protein. Mallik also likes mussels and clams in marinara sauce for their healthy dose of omega-3s and zinc. Many Italian restaurants have a lot of good salad options featuring healthy beans or beets, but you should skip the Caesar salad—homemade dressing may be made with raw eggs, another no-no for pregnant women due to salmonella risk.

Again, red meat doesn’t have to be off-limits, but if you order a beef burger, make sure the meat is fully cooked. If your burger joint offers bison or turkey, opt for one of these leaner meats instead. A restaurant-made (not frozen) veggie bean burger is another good pick. Go for sweet potato fries, which have more vitamin A than traditional ones. Also good to note: Wedges are typically better for you than thinner shoestring fries because you get more of the potato.

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Watch out—Mexican menus are filled with high-fat, high-sodium meals. If you’re suffering from heartburn, be sure to stay away from any foods that are too spicy or too heavily fried, since they’ll only add fuel to the fire. Start with guacamole, a good source of brain-building omega-3s. Then order chicken or shrimp fajitas, which will be grilled—not fried. Ask for whole-wheat tortillas when available and skip the sour cream.

You may have heard you shouldn’t consume deli meats because they contain nitrates, a possible carcinogen. However, the levels in processed foods have decreased so much in recent years that it’s generally not considered a risk anymore. The bigger risk? Possible contamination such as listeria, which is the same bacteria found in unpasteurized cheeses. Hakakha recommends avoiding lunchmeats altogether unless they are heated until steaming to kill off any potential bacteria. So what to order? Choose rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken breast.