• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Eat Right Mama

A healthy slice of eating advice for moms & moms-to-be.

  • Home
  • Pregnant
    • Vitamin & Mineral Supplements
      • Tips for Shopping for and Taking Your Prenatal
      • Do You REALLY Need a Prenatal Vitamin? Five Reasons Why You Might
      • Vitamin D and Pregnancy
      • Which Individual Nutrient Supplements Might You Need during Pregnancy?
      • Iron Deficiency Anemia during Pregnancy
    • 5 Easy Ways to Curb Pregnancy Weight Gain
    • Pregnant? What if You’re Not Gaining Enough?
    • Food Safety
      • 4 Step Food Safety Guide To Keep You Safe During Pregnancy
      • Food Safety Tips for Pregnancy
      • Should You Eat Fish While Pregnant?
    • Morning Sickness
      • Making Morning Sickness More Manageable Online Course–Grab Yours Now!
      • Morning Sickness Recipes to Beat the Queasies!
      • Must Try Morning Sickness Survival Tips for Moms-To-Be
    • Healthy Eating during Pregnancy
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Strawberries While Pregnant
      • How to Fight Sugar Cravings during Pregnancy
      • 5 Tips to Shop Smart when Pregnant
      • Are You Getting Enough Calcium While Pregnant?
      • “Baby Brain” is Real–Try These Tips to Help Your Brain Work Better During Pregnancy
      • Seafood Sources of DHA for Pregnancy
      • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanut Butter (Even When You’re Pregnant)
      • Glycemic Index 101
      • Pregnant or Trying to Be? Here’s What You Need to Know about Zika
      • 8 Great Almond Recipes–Plus Why You Should Eat Them When You’re Pregnant!
      • Healthy Seafood Recipes…for Pregnancy & Beyond!
      • How to Cap the Caffeine during Pregnancy
      • Caffeine Content: a Mom Need-to-Know
      • Alcohol-Free Drinks for National Margarita Day!
      • Moms-to-Be: Another Reason to Can the Diet Soda?
    • Healthy Living during Pregnancy
      • Realistic Advice from Dietitians About Your Pregnancy
      • Eat To Sleep
      • Should You Drink Coffee While Pregnant?
      • Positive Attitude During Pregnancy Could Affect your Child’s Risk of Overweight
      • Zika: Still a Worry for Pregnant Women
      • Pregnant? Here’s Help to Be Smoke-Free
      • Pregnant? Steer Clear of Environmental Chemicals
      • Realistic Advice from Dietitians About Your Pregnancy
      • The Power of Being Unplugged: Do You Need a Digital Diet?
      • Pregnancy Apps You Need Right Now!
    • Happy Mother’s Day
  • Breastfeeding
    • Breastfeeding Roundup: A Must Read for Moms
    • What is a Healthy Breastfeeding Diet?
    • Can You Lose Weight While Breastfeeding?
  • Trying to Conceive
    • Eating Your Way to Increased Fertility With Veggies
    • Smoking and Fertility: What You Need to Know
    • Zika: Still a Worry for Pregnant Women
    • Exercise… Too much or Too little When Trying to Conceive?
    • Welcome to The Fertility Project!
    • Happy National Chocolate Day: Chocolate for Fertility
    • A Healthy Lifestyle is Job One When Trying to Conceive!
    • How Weight Affects Fertility: What You Need to Know
    • Eating for Fertility
    • Insulin Resistance, PCOS, and Fertility
    • Why Healthy Gums are Important for Fertility
    • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome & Diet: What You Need to Know
    • The Road to Pregnancy with PCOS
    • Male Fertility in the News: Reliable Reads
    • Dad’s Diet Important for Fertility says Dave Grotto, RDN
    • Trying to Conceive? 14 Foods to Fuel Your Fertility!
    • Avocado–Slice One Today!
    • Is Your Body Ready for a Baby? Take Our Pre-Pregnancy Quiz!
    • Pregnant or Trying to Be? Here’s What You Need to Know about Zika
    • How to Cap the Caffeine during Pregnancy
    • Program Your Baby For Good Health…Starting before Pregnancy
    • Glycemic Index 101
  • Healthy Kids
    • Just Say No to Juice for Babies says American Academy of Pediatrics
    • How You Feed Your Baby: The First Step in Preventing Obesity Later in Life
    • 13 Good for the Gut Recipes You Need to Try This Summer!
    • 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love!
  • Healthy Eating/ Recipes
    • It’s Soup Season! Try this Easy Creamy Veggie Soup
    • Ho Ho Hold the Carbs!
    • Say “Cheese” for this Late Summer Appetizer
    • Make Crepes your New Family Tradition
    • Pizza on the Grill—-When It’s Too Hot to Cook!
    • Fueling Your Immune System during the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Is Your Diet a Fixer Upper?
    • Peanuts for Everyone! 25 Ways Eat Some Today
    • 5 Sandwich Fillings that Avoid Processed Meats
    • Meal Prep for Quick Family Meals
    • Steelhead Trout with Jicama Slaw–Great Leftover!
    • Quick Avocado Breakfast Tostada
    • 13 Good for the Gut Recipes You Need to Try This Summer!
    • Surprising Nutrition Advice from a Registered Dietitian
    • Go Green with a Registered Dietitian: It’s National Nutrition Month!
    • 12 Healthy Nut Recipes You Can’t Resist!
    • 8 Great Almond Recipes–Plus Why You Should Eat Them When You’re Pregnant!
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanut Butter (Even When You’re Pregnant)
    • Let Us Eat Chocolate!
    • Five Things You Can Do TODAY to Cut Your Heart Disease Risk!
    • Avocado–Slice One Today!
    • Channel Your Cravings into Something Healthy!
    • Healthiest Restaurant Main Dish Salads
    • Vegetarian Shopping– The A to Z Guide
    • Main Dish Salads For Supper–Deconstructed!
    • Eat More Veggies–Shopping, Storing, Cooking
    • Veggies: 13 Ways to Eat More
    • Building a Better Sandwich
    • Back to School Lunch: Tips to Avoid Tossing or Trading
    • Think Outside the Sandwich for Lunch
    • Blueberries for Breakfast!
    • Caffeine Content: a Mom Need-to-Know
    • Alcohol-Free Drinks for National Margarita Day!
    • Got Allergies? Try these foods!
    • Glycemic Index 101
    • Trying to Lose Weight? Try These Tips
    • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
  • Healthy Living
    • Pregnant During Covid-19? Tips to Stay Healthy
    • Is Your Diet a Fixer Upper?
    • Eat To Sleep
    • Why You Should Try Pasture-Raised Pork
    • 5 Heart Health Myths for Women
    • Happy Healthy Heart Month!
    • Choline for Everyone: The Important Nutrient You’ve Never Heard Of
    • New Year, New You in 5 Easy Steps!
    • Food Safety Mistakes to Avoid!
    • Just Say No to Juice for Babies says American Academy of Pediatrics
    • Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?
    • 4 Skin Moisturizers You Can Eat!
    • 3 Ways to Clean Up Your Beauty Routine
    • 3 Healthy Apps Your Kids Will Love!
    • Hurricane Harvey–Safe Cooking from the Pantry
    • March is National Nutrition Month!
    • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
    • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
  • Healthy Travel
    • Healthiest Restaurant Main Dish Salads
    • Top Twelve Healthy Travel Tips
  • Parenting Advice
    • 10 Must-Have Baby Products for New Mamas
    • Positive Attitude During Pregnancy Could Affect your Child’s Risk of Overweight
    • Best Parenting Books for New Parents
    • Back to School Lunch: Tips to Avoid Tossing or Trading
    • The Power of Being Unplugged: Do You Need a Digital Diet?
  • About Bridget
  • Bridget Swinney MS, RDN: Work with Me!
  • Contact
  • SHOP!
Home » Food Safety Tips for Pregnancy

Food Safety Tips for Pregnancy

September 16, 2016 by Bridget 6 Comments

Like it? Share it! Thanks:)
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Google Plus Plus
Send To Devices Send

 Pregnant? You Should be Concerned about Food Safety

Food safety during pregnancy is super important. Read more at www.eatrightmama.com.

Food-borne illness outbreaks are big news on prime-time TV, and odds are that you’ve had a case of food poisoning yourself. During pregnancy, you’re more susceptible to food-borne illness—and it can hurt your baby too. But, with some food safety knowledge and safer food handling, you can keep yourself and your baby healthy.

Food poisoning refers to more than just eating “bad” food. Most food-borne illness is spread through poor hand hygiene, keeping food at room temperature too long or not cooking it to a hot-enough temperature. Many illnesses are passed from hand-to-hand contact (especially in crowded places like cruise ships) and hand-to-food contact. For example, bacteria can be spread from infected food-handlers or workers who don’t wash their hands properly.

#Pregnant? Make sure it's clean where you swim, or you could get sick. More food safety advice here. bit.ly/2cj4W0v

Water you come in contact with while swimming could put you at risk for illness if the water has a high level of bacteria.

Also, some illness is spread through contaminated water that you might come into contact with. For example, at your local swimming pool, lake, the beach or through contaminated drinking water. No surprise: produce or seafood that comes into contact with water containing sewage can also cause serious illness. However, this is more of a problem in under- or undeveloped countries.

Illness-causing bacteria, viruses and even parasites—can be killed by cooking to a proper internal temperature. That includes common pathogens like Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, Clostridium, Staph, Strep, Toxoplasma, Hepatitis A, Rotovirus and Norovirus. Some bacteria are hard to kill—and one bacteria—Listeria—can survive refrigeration. Let’s talk about two really bad “bugs” to get while pregnant.#Pregnant? Get important #FoodSafety advice here. bit.ly/2cj4W0v Click To Tweet

 

Kick these bad bugs to the curb with food safety tips!

Listeria Monocytogenes

Listeria is a stubborn little bacteria that can grow and thrive in your fridge. You can get sick from any uncooked food you eat that’s been contaminated with bacteria. It’s even more likely to happen with Listeria. Listeriosis causes flu-like symptoms but if listeria is passed on to a fetus, it can cause you to have a miscarriage, premature birth, or give birth to a stillborn baby. Prevent Listeriosis by following these food safety tips from the CDC:

Meats and Deli FoodsHot dogs are a no-no unless heated to steaming. But honestly they are not a great choice during pregnancy. See more at www.eatrightmama.com

  • Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, other deli meats (e.g., bologna), or fermented or dry sausages unless they are heated to an internal temperature of 165°F / 75°C or until steaming-hot just before serving.
  • Avoid getting fluid from hot dog and lunch meat packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
  • Do not eat refrigerated meat or vegetable pâté or meat spreads from a deli or meat counter or from the refrigerated section of a store, unless heated to steaming. Foods that do not need refrigeration, like canned or shelf-stable pâté and meat spreads, are safe to eat. Refrigerate after opening.

Milk and Cheeses

  • Don’t eat raw (unpasteurized) milk and foods that are made with it.
  • Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, regardless of whether it’s made from cow, goat or sheep milk, are more likely to harbor Listeria.
  • Only eat cheese with PASTEURIZED MILK in the ingredient list.
  • Read why it’s important to avoid raw milk here.

Smoked Seafood

Smoked salmon and lox are best avoided during #pregnancy. More #foodsafety advice here. bit.ly/2cj4W0v

Smoked salmon like this is a no-no during pregnancy unless heated to steaming!

  • Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole, or unless it is a canned or shelf-stable product.
  • Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, and mackerel, is most often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.” These fish are typically found in the refrigerator section or sold at seafood and deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens and should be avoided, unless heated to steaming.
  • Canned and shelf-stable packets of tuna, salmon, and other fish products are safe to eat.

Fruits &  Veggies with a Hard Skin like Melon

Fruits and veggies linked to many food-borne illness outbreaks. Read more at www.eatrightmama.com.

There have been big food-borne illness outbreaks linked to melon. Wash well!

  • Wash hands before and after handling whole melons like cantaloupe.
  • Scrub the surface of melons with a produce brush under running water. Sanitize brush after use.
  • Refrigerate melon that is not eaten right away; keep it no more than 7 days.

International Food Safety Advice to Prevent Food-Borne Illness

Canadian women get similar eating advice regarding how to best avoid Listeria. Advice from other countries is slightly different: In Australia, pregnant women are advised to avoid soft white cheeses, like brie and feta, pâté, oysters, pre-packed salads and soft serve ice cream.. In the UK, women are told to avoid mold-ripened soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, chèvre (goats’ cheese) and others with a similar rind; soft blue-veined cheeses, such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and Roquefort, unless heated to steaming, and all types of pâté, including vegetable pâté.. In France, the advice is similar, with the addition of avoiding rillettes, foie gras, the crust of cheese, unpasteurized cheese, tarama (a fish roe salad) and raw germinated seeds.

#pregnant? Kick these bad bugs to the curb with this #foodsafety advice.bit.ly/2cj4W0v Click To Tweet

Toxoplasma Gondii

Toxoplasma gondii is a parasite carried by cats and can also contaminate food. Toxoplasmosis may cause mild flu-like symptoms in pregnant women, but if the parasite is passed on to a fetus, it can cause preterm birth and stillbirth and can be the cause of learning, visual and hearing disabilities later in childhood. Toxoplasmosis can result from eating undercooked meat and poultry or unwashed fruits and vegetables, from cleaning a cat litter box, or from handling contaminated soil.

Wearing gloves when gardening and changing cat boxes can keep you away from #toxoplasmosis! Important if you're #pregnant! Read more here: bit.ly/2cj4W0v

Make sure to wear gloves when gardening and emptying cat boxes.

You can reduce severity of the disease with antibiotics, but prevention is best:

  • Avoid cleaning cat litter boxes if possible (or wear gloves.)
  • Don’t let cats on eating or food preparation areas. (Good luck with that one!)
  • Wash fruits and vegetables well, and cook meat and poultry thoroughly.
  • Wear gloves when gardening, handling soil, sand or cat litter.
  • If you have a sand box for children to play in, keep it covered to keep cats out.
  • Wash your hands after handling animals, especially cats.

For more information on Toxoplasmosis, see the March of Dimes.

More pregnancy food safety advice at FoodSafety.gov.

Special eating tips for the holidays from the CDC.

More Food Safety Advice from EatRightMama.com:

4 Step Food Safety Guide

Food Safety Mistakes to Avoid

✕

Choose Healthier Fast Food!

Need grab-n-go with a side of healthy? Grab our fast food guide to help you navigate the drive-thru!

Healthier fast food choices are a click away! Check your email for your free download!

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
Like it? Share it! Thanks:)
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Pinterest Pin it
Share on TwitterTweet
Share on Google Plus Plus
Send To Devices Send

Related

Filed Under: Food Safety, Pregnancy Tagged With: food borne illness, food safety, food safety during pregnancy, listeria, pregnancy, toxoplasmosis

Previous Post: « Pesticides: A Risk Factor for ADHD?
Next Post: Welcome to The Fertility Project! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. shalawat nabi says

    October 12, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    thank you very much for post, this is very helpfull

    Reply
  2. Jodi Robinson says

    May 25, 2018 at 7:19 pm

    Great post! Every momma should know :).

    Reply
  3. Rebecca Adrianna Livingstone says

    May 28, 2018 at 3:18 pm

    Love this infographic! Great job there Bridget!

    Reply
  4. Whitney E, R.D. says

    May 29, 2018 at 9:31 am

    This is a wonderful post! You are filled with great information and very knowledgeable. Every pregnant woman needs to see this 🙂

    Reply
  5. Lindsey Pine says

    May 29, 2018 at 9:51 am

    Thank you for posting this! It’s super helpful!

    Reply
  6. Abbey Sharp says

    May 31, 2018 at 7:31 am

    Love that info graphic! Such important information, thanks for sharing!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hey there–I’m really glad you stopped by!

I'm Bridget...and I'm a mom on a mission to help you and your family eat healthier. I'm also a registered dietitian and author of three books on family nutrition.

Check Out My YouTube Intro!

Read More about Bridget…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Posts

  • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
  • Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids
  • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Sunflower Seeds
  • March is National Nutrition Month!
  • 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Peanuts When You’re Pregnant

Latest reader feedback!

  • Bridget on Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
  • Ashley Petrie on Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably
  • Earth Day 2022:  17 Ways to Eat More Sustainably | Eat Right Mama on Earth Day–Enlightening Ideas for Kids

Categories

Check out my latest book!

Archives

pregnancy

alcohol-free holiday drinks avocado breastfeeding Bridget Swinney Bridget Swinney RD calcium-rich CDC cheap home workouts cheese chocolate Chrissy Carroll RD cocoa crustless quiche recipes DHA eating for fertility eggs Elizabeth Ward RD Emily Kyle RD exercise family time fertility fruits healthy chocolate recipes healthy eating holiday eating tips Jessica Levinson RD Jessi Haggerty RD morning sickness nutrition nuts overweight peanut butter pregnancy pregnancy nutrition prenatal nutrition prenatal vitamin salmon screen-free activities seafood Trying to Conceive Twelve days of Christmas vegetables veggies ways to stay on track over the weekend whole grains

Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress