How to limit food poisoning in pregnancy

Unfortunately during pregnancy there can be more of a focus on what not to eat rather than what you should be eating. This can leave women reaching for the same safe foods and missing out on essential nutrients needed for their baby to grow optimally. We know that a woman’s immune system is compromised during pregnancy and makes many adaptions to allow baby to grow, which can mean that the body becomes more susceptible to infection. Food poisoning being one of these infections can cause serious pregnancy complications. Pregnant women are ten times more likely to get a listeria infection than any other person (1)

What is food poisoning?

An illness that occurs when someone eats or drinks harmful microorganisms or chemical contaminants found in foods or drinking water (1)

So, how can we limit our risk of developing food poisoning when pregnant:

  1. Avoid purchasing pre cut vegetables in the supermarket e.g. carrot/ cucumber sticks unless you intend to cook them before eating.

  2. Avoid eating any form of sprouts i.e. alfalfa, bean, radish, mung beans. They all require warm, humid conditions to grow which is the same conditions bacteria. (Salmonella, Listeria and E.coli) thrive in. Washing and cooking will not eliminate these as they have buried into the seed of the bean.

  3. Defrost your frozen meat in your refrigerator - NOT on the countertop and do not store it in the fridge for more than 2- 3 days (2).

  4. Wash your hands before handling raw meat.

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