Food Additives to Avoid for a Healthy Pregnancy
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Food Additives to Avoid During Pregnancy

Food Additives to Avoid During Pregnancy
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Updated on November 12, 2025
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Nutrition during pregnancy is crucial to healthy fetal development. As such, experts routinely recommend that pregnant people avoid certain fish, undercooked meats, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, and large amounts of caffeine.

 The American Academy of Pediatrics also highlights the potential adverse effects of certain food additives on children’s health and recommends pregnant people avoid foods that contain them.

Be Mindful of Sugar Substitutes

Most low-calorie sweeteners that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved or recognized as safe are considered okay to consume in moderation during pregnancy.

 With that said, their effects on young children and pregnant people are still being studied.

While aspartame is generally regarded as safe for pregnant people by the FDA, experts say to avoid aspartame in foods if you have a history of the genetic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU).

 This genetic disease can create a buildup of phenylalanine because of your body’s inability to break it down. In large amounts it can cause fetal brain defects because the body can’t break down the phenylalanine found in aspartame.
Saccharin (Sweet’N Low) is less commonly used today than in the past, but it can cross the placental barrier and remain in fetal tissue. While more research is needed to determine the effects of saccharin in pregnancy, most experts recommend prioritizing whole, nutrient-dense foods and limiting your consumption of processed and ultraprocessed foods that are more likely to contain this food additive.

Cyclamate is an artificial sweetener that’s currently banned in the United States. There’s insufficient data regarding the safety of its use during pregnancy, so it should also be avoided if you encounter it outside of the United States while traveling during pregnancy.

If you’re pregnant or trying to conceive and regularly consume artificial sweeteners, talk with your healthcare provider about your preferred sweetener and how much you consume.

Consider Monitoring Your Food Dye Intake

There are currently seven certified color additives approved by the FDA for use in foods.

 In April 2025, the FDA announced a plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply.

Color additives are linked to a number of pediatric health problems, including behavioral changes in children both with and without disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as children without behavioral disorders. Additionally, research highlights a potential association between food dye consumption and children’s predisposition to pathological conditions like cancer, allergies, and gastrointestinal and respiratory health issues.

Research is limited on whether these adverse health effects of artificial food dye consumption are a concern for embryos or fetuses during pregnancy as well. With that said, the easiest way to stave off potential risk is to limit your consumption of processed and ultraprocessed foods that contain these food additives and rely more heavily on whole, nutrient-dense food choices. Convenience foods may also inadvertently increase your exposure to plastic-based chemicals like bisphenols (BPA) and phthalates, heavy metals, and preservatives, so being mindful of your consumption can help reduce how much of these substances you ingest.

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Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND, IFNCP, RYT-200

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Monique Richard is an award-winning registered and licensed dietitian-nutritionist (RDN, LDN) and nationally recognized nutrition expert who brings a deeply integrative, person-centered lens to nutrition and lifestyle medicine. She is the owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, a private practice providing personalized nutrition counseling, media communications, and consulting.

Monique holds a master of science (MS) in clinical nutrition with a minor in psychology, is an Integrative and functional nutrition certified practitioner (IFNCP), and a registered yoga teacher (RYT), offering a uniquely holistic approach to health and healing.

Monique serves as faculty at the University of Western States (UWS), where she teaches a class on success and sustainability in private practice to doctoral students in UWS’s doctor of clinical nutrition (DCN) program. She has worked in outpatient primary care settings serving individuals and families across the lifespan and health spectrum and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and media contributor. She is a former national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and completed a fellowship with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation developing a first-ever advanced training program in integrative and functional nutrition.

Her passion for food security, sustainability, sharing food stories, and preserving cultural heritage have led to professional contributions that have included international teaching, public health outreach, and academic presentations in Haiti, Egypt, China, India, Italy, and Israel. She has held numerous leadership roles in a variety of professional, nonprofit and public health organizations.

Serving as a past president of the International Affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (IAAND), Monique continues to lead and advocate across clinical, academic, and media spaces, striving to make evidence-based, practice-informed nutrition accessible, engaging, and actionable for all.

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Stacey Phillips, MS, RDN, is a clinical dietitian and nutrition writer with expertise in renal nutrition and chronic kidney disease management. She has more than 16 years of clinical experience at Mercy Health Saint Mary’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she has consulted patients across all stages of chronic kidney disease.

Phillips is a coauthor of the Clinical Guide to Nutrition Care in Kidney Disease, now in its third edition, which serves as both a professional reference and study resource for board certification in renal nutrition. She has published articles and patient education materials in professional journals and actively contributes to continuing education programs for nutrition professionals.

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Resources
  1. Nutrition During Pregnancy: Foods to Include and Foods to Avoid. Cleveland Clinic. November 7, 2023.
  2. Trasande L et al. Food Additives and Child Health. Pediatrics. August 2018.
  3. Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. February 27, 2025.
  4. Using Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy. Nemours KidsHealth. January 2023.
  5. Leth-Møller M et al. Transplacental Transport of Artificial Sweeteners. Nutrients. April 25, 2023.
  6. Mole SJ. Artificial Sweetener Cyclamate Is Introduced. EBSCO. 2023.
  7. Color Additives in Foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. July 6, 2023.
  8. HHS, FDA to Phase Out Petroleum-Based Synthetic Dyes in Nation’s Food Supply. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. April 22, 2025.
  9. Birino de Oliveira Z et al. Synthetic Colors in Food: A Warning for Children’s Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. May 27, 2024.