Listeria Central

FEATURE ARTICLE

Food Safety During Pregnancy

by Patricia A. Kendall

Did you know that during pregnancy you are MORE at risk for getting a foodborne illness?

Foodborne illnesses come from foods you eat. Symptoms can be mild or severe and may include:

Diarrhea
Headache
Nausea/vomiting
Fever
Stomach ache
Chills

Foodborne illnesses can have harmful effects on you and your unborn baby. If you get sick from Listeria, Toxoplasma or Salmonella, it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or serious health problems for the newborn baby.

A mother may not show signs of a foodborne illness, but the infection can still be passed to her baby. If you think you might have a foodborne illness, see your doctor right away!

Skip risky foods and learn what to choose. Use a food thermometer to make sure food is well cooked.

Keep Your Baby Safe During Pregnancy
Instead of:	Choose:
Cold hot dogs, deli meats and luncheon meats	Cold hot dogs, deli meats and luncheon meats reheated to steaminghot
Under-cooked meat and poultry	Fully cooked meat and poultry
Raw or under-cooked seafood	Fully cooked seafood
Raw or under-cooked seafood	Fully cooked seafood
Refrigerated smoked fish or pre- cooked seafood such as shrimp, crab and deli seafood salads	Tuna, salmon or crabmeat in cans or pouches
Refrigerated pâtés and meat spreads	Canned pâtés or meat spreads
Raw sprouts	Fresh vegetables (well-cleaned) or 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, or soft cheeses made from pasteurized milk
Raw or under-cooked eggs	Eggs that are cooked until the white and yolk are firm but the infection can still be
Raw milk or milk products	Pasteurized milk or milk products
Unpasteurized juice (May be labeled “fresh squeezed” or “chilled”)	Frozen concentrate or canned juices OR refrigerated juices that are labeled as pasteurized

Last Updated ( Sunday, 27 May 2007 )