Food safety during pregnancy
Food Safety During
Pregnancy
Your diet when you are pregnant is crucial to your baby's
development. It is important to make sure that you are getting
enough vitamins and minerals to help your baby grow strong and
healthy. As well, pregnancy can cause your immune system to become
weaker, making you more susceptible to food borne illnesses, so it
is particularly important to take care with food preparation and
storage, and to avoid foods which carry a high risk of infection.
Food borne illnesses can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity
and birth defects, but are easy to avoid if you take care with what
you eat.
To make it easier for you to work out which foods are safe to
eat, and which are best avoided, download our printable
guide to safe eating during pregnancy and put it up on your
fridge for quick reference.
The most common food-born illnesses to affect pregnant women
are:
Listeria
Listeria infection can be contracted by eating contaminated
foods, or from contact with soil, plants, animal or human faeces.
Symptoms of listeriosis include fever, headache, aches and pains
and vomiting. However, it is possible to have listeriosis and not
have any symptoms. The symptoms of listeriosis may take days or
even weeks to appear.
Listeriosis can cause still birth, miscarriage, prematurity or
severe illness in newborn babies. Listeria bacteria thrive in cold
climates such as the refrigerator, and are not killed by freezing,
so certain foods should be avoided. These include:
- Soft cheeses such as Camembert, Brie, Feta, Ricotta,
Mozzarella and Cottage Cheese
- Deli meats and cold cuts such as ham, luncheon sausage,
pate, cold chicken
- Pre-prepared salads such as coleslaws and deli salads,
and salads that have been left at room temperature for a period of
time
- Parsley
The Listeria bug can be killed by cooking, so these foods are
safe if heated to piping hot.
Campylobacter
Campylobacter is usually caused by undercooked or contaminated
chicken, from unpasteurised milk and contact with infected animal
manure. Campylobacter is the most common food-borne illness to
affect pregnant women, and can cause miscarriage or premature
labour. Symptoms include vomiting, fever, diarrhoea and
stomach cramps.
Taking care with food preparation, and ensuring that all foods,
particularly meats, are cooked thoroughly will help to protect you
from Campylobacter. You should also avoid drinking unpasteurised
cows milk whilst pregnant.
Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasma is widely found in animals, particularly cats and
kittens. Many people carry the Toxoplasma bacteria will show no
symptoms, but symptoms can include fever, headache, enlarged glands
and a general feeling of being unwell. Toxoplasmosis can
cause miscarriage in early pregnancy, and may cause blindness or
poor vision, hearing loss and other brain damage in newborns.
To avoid contracting toxoplasmosis you should wash your hands
thoroughly after contact with kittens, avoid changing kitty litter
or coming into contact with cat faeces, and ensure that you wash
your fruit and vegetables thoroughly as they may have been grown in
contaminated soil.
Salmonella
Salmonella is another relatively common food-borne illness and
can cause stillbirth if contracted during pregnancy. Symptoms
include headaches, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Salmonella poisoning is often caused by undercooked eggs and
chicken.
To avoid salmonella, ensure that your chicken is cooked
thoroughly, avoid precooked chickens such as those from supermarket
delicatessens, and ensure eggs are cooked until the yolk is
firm.
How you store and prepare your food when pregnant is also
important. The Auckland District Health Board advises that the best
rules to follow when preparing and storing food are:
CLEAN: All utensils used in food preparation,
all surfaces used for food preparation including bench tops and
chopping boards. It is especially important to wash all
utensils/surfaces used to handle raw meat in very hot, soapy water,
to kill any bacteria that may be present.
COVER: All foods, to avoid contamination from
other food sources when in the refrigerator, and to avoid flies and
other insects when left on the bench.
COOK: All foods thoroughly. Meat should
be cooked until the juices run clear. It is not safe for pregnant
women to eat 'rare' steak, or any other meat that is still pink in
the middle. Cook eggs thoroughly too.
CHILL: All foods as soon as possible if
they are not to be eaten straight away. Store raw meat on lower
shelves in the fridge in case the juices drip, and store cooked
foods on the upper shelves. If you have a long trip home from
the supermarket, consider using a cooler bag or ice pack to keep
food cool on the way.
And, IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT!
When eating out, it can be difficult to know what foods are
safe. Generally, restaurant food that is cooked to order is safe,
as it is served immediately after being cooked. Avoid places where
food is stored in warmers or Bain Marie for long periods, for
example in food courts, or that does not display a current Ministry
of Health qualification on the wall.
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