What to Eat in the First Trimester (and What to Avoid)

This is the specific list I actually followed in the first trimester - not a generic "eat healthy" list, the real one.

Cut out completely

• Caffeine. All of it, not "less of it." Cutting down gradually can trigger withdrawal headaches, and caffeine is linked to obstructing fetal growth and low birth weight - better to cut it out cleanly.
• Sprouts. Real risk of salmonella or other bacterial contamination. Not worth it.
• Packaged fruit or salad. Same contamination logic - freshly prepared only.
• Unpasteurized milk or meat. Listeria risk is genuinely higher in pregnancy.

Cut way down

• Maida (refined flour). Skipped it entirely.
• MSG. It shows up unannounced in a lot of takeout, not just one type of food. If a craving wins, ask the kitchen to leave it out rather than skipping the question.
• Sugary drinks. Not banned, just minimized.

What actually helped

Small, frequent meals - a balance of carbs and protein keeps blood sugar steady, and an empty stomach triggers nausea just as reliably as a full one. Beetroot and pomegranate were regulars, for the blood-volume increase this trimester demands. Apricot came up specifically for nervous system and brain development in these early weeks - one of the few foods with a direct developmental reason to eat it now rather than later.