“Risky” Pregnancy Foods Debunked
This post is primarily based on the work of @lilynicholsrdn , R.D. in her book 'Real Food for Pregnancy.'
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Most prenatal nutrition advice warns against animal foods like raw cheese, raw milk, runny eggs, certain fish, not well-done meat and deli meat. Unfortunately, these hold a lot of nutritional value and if avoided completely, can make it hard to meet nutritional needs.
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But if we’re truly avoiding these foods for fear of food poisoning, raw plant foods pose just as much of a risk. In fact, plant foods are the cause of 46% — almost half — of food poisoning cases. And they’re the 2nd most frequent causes of food poisoning hospitalizations.
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Let’s debunk a few of the most common “foods to avoid” during pregnancy:
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Raw Milk:
〰️Illness rates are 0.00044%
〰️You’re 35,000X more likely to contract illness from other foods than from raw milk
〰️Raw milk farmers routinely outperform commercial dairy producers who lean on pasteurization to kill bad bacteria
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Runny Eggs:
〰️There’s 1 case of salmonella in 1 in 12,000-30,000 eggs
〰️You’re 7X LESS likely to get it if your eggs are pasture-raised or from an organic farm
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Raw Cheese:
〰️Over a 3-yr analysis, cheese from pasteurized milk, not raw milk, was to blame for all but one outbreak linked to dairy (due to mishandling)
〰️Both raw and pasteurized soft unaged cheeses can be carriers for listeria, but it's 1 in 5 million servings
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Raw Fish:
〰️Sushi-grade fish is usually flash-frozen to kill pathogens
〰️Japanese culture, a Canadian Medical Journal and the British National Health Service all condone raw fish consumption during pregnancy
〰️Wild-caught matters
〰️This does not apply to shellfish*
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Deli Meat:
〰️There’s 1 listeria case in 83,000 servings
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Of course, QUALITY matters and it’s important to use common sense, as foodborne illness can cause serious pregnancy complications.
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Whether it’s animal or plant-based, make sure the food you’re eating is from a source you TRUST, has been stored and handled properly and is eaten within the proper timeframe.
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Hopefully this gives you some food for thought, and a bit more freedom after you’ve done your own due diligence!
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Not medical advice
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Fallon, S. Cowan, T.S. (2013, 2015). The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care. Washington, D.C.: NewTrends Publishing.
Nichols, L. (2018). Real Food for Pregnancy. United States.
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