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Pregnancy and new motherhood is no time to risk getting sick from handling food. [read on]
Did you know…
- During pregnancy, changes in hormones cause a woman's immune system to become suppressed, so that it is harder to fight off infections.
- The 6.5 million women who are pregnant each year in the U.S. are at increased risk for some types of food-borne illness.
- Some food-borne illnesses can cause a woman to have a miscarriage, stillbirth or serious health problems for the baby after birth.
- Pathogens are organisms (bacteria, virus, parasite) that can cause illness in humans.
Use the following guide to help choose safe foods during pregnancy, while avoiding foods from unsafe sources.
| Instead of… | Choose |
| Cold hot dogs, deli meats and luncheon meats |
Hot dogs, luncheon meats and deli meats reheated to steaming hot |
| Undercooked meat and poultry |
Fully cooked meat and poultry |
| Raw or undercooked seafood |
Fully cooked seafood |
| Refrigerated smoked fish and precooked seafood such as shrimp, crab and deli seafood salads |
Tuna, salmon and crab meat in cans or pouches |
| Refrigerated pâtés and meat spreads |
Canned pâtés and meat spreads |
| Raw sprouts |
Fresh vegetables (well-cleaned) and cooked sprouts |
| Soft cheeses made from raw milk such as Feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, queso fresco, queso blanco and Panela |
Hard cheeses, processed cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk |
| Raw or undercooked eggs |
Eggs that are cooked until the white and yolk are firm |
| Raw milk and milk products |
Pasteurized milk and milk products |
| Unpasteurized juice (May be called "fresh squeezed" or "chilled") |
Frozen concentrate, canned juices and refrigerated juices that are labeled as pasteurized |
For more information (and a really great article that gives specific information on food-borne illness during pregnancy), visit: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/Pubs/foodnut/09372.html.
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