Pregnancy food safety · 3 entries
Vegetables during pregnancy
Eat plenty, and eat a range. Vegetables carry the folate, fiber, iron and potassium that pregnancy asks more of. Wash them under running water just before you eat them, the ones you are going to peel included, and scrub anything firm like carrots or potatoes. This is about toxoplasma, which lives in soil and crosses the placenta, and a rinse deals with it. Cut away bruised parts. Cook sprouts rather than eating them raw — FDA advises against raw alfalfa, mung bean and clover sprouts, because bacteria grow inside the seed where washing cannot reach. Keep raw vegetables off any board you have used for raw meat. Frozen and canned vegetables count, and they are often just as nutritious as fresh.
Every vegetables entry, with a verdict
Sorted with the ones worth knowing about first. Avoid means skip it entirely; take care means it depends on how it was prepared.
Vegetable pate
AvoidIt’s not safe to eat refrigerated pate during pregnancy, even vegetable pate! Pate is a chilled, ready-to-eat spread, and listeria keeps growing even in the fridge. Listeriosis can cause mild, flu-like symptoms that can appear anything from several days to several months after exposure — or you may feel nothing at all. But listeria can reach the baby even when you barely feel sick yourself — which is why it gets heated. Canned and shelf-stable pate is fine, and heating any pate to 165°F (74°C) or until steaming makes it safe again.
Unwashed vegetables
AvoidVegetables are a great part of a pregnancy diet. However, it is necessary to wash them right before eating to avoid potential exposure to toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma may contaminate the soil where the vegetables were grown.
All types of vegetables
SafeVegetables are a pregnant woman’s best friend! They are full of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, they are fresh, juicy and tasty! Vegetables such as broccoli are rich with folate, the food form of folic acid, and so are dark green leafy vegetables — particularly important to a healthy diet. Wash and dry well just before eating raw, or wash before cooking. Cook frozen vegetables before eating. One exception: raw sprouts — alfalfa, bean, clover, radish. Washing can’t reach inside the seed, so eat them steaming hot.
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