If you are in the fortunate position of being pregnant you may have heard many stories about which foods are suitable to eat and which foods are not. Here we look at some of the health hazards caused by various different types of foods and provide advice on how to handle them.
Unpasteurized milk has not been heated to the required temperature to kill certain bacteria and therefore should be avoided in pregnant women. Products made with unpasteurized milk including pate made from meat, fish, vegetables and soft blue vein cheeses should be avoided at this time. Soft white whipped ice cream along with pre-cooked poultry and prepared salads should be avoided given the risk of contracting listeria.
Another reason why unpasteurized milk should be avoided is because animals that carry the listeria bacteria are likely to affect the milk they produce along with the meat which is produced from the animal. The harmful bacteria is ordinarily eradicated during the pasteurization process and therefore in the absence of pasteurization any products containing unpasteurized milk should be avoided. Toxoplasmosis is a disease which occurs in both animals and humans and can be extremely dangerous if contracted during your pregnancy given it can lead to miscarriage or significant fiddle abnormalities. This disease has spread to humans by consuming insufficiently cooked or raw meat and in some circumstances through coming into contact with cat faeces.
Given toxoplasmosis is a disease which ordinarily does not provide you with any symptoms, you may have the condition without being aware of it. A blood test can be undertaken to test whether or not you have an immunity to the disease and if confirmed, you therefore cannot pass on this infection to your unborn child.
Should you discover that you are not immune to the disease you should consider taking some additional precautions during your pregnancy. Avoid consuming any meats which have not been cooked through properly and ensure you clean your hands, kitchen utensils, and kitchen surfaces after preparing uncooked meats. Always wash fruit and vegetables to eliminate any traces of soil and stay away from unpasteurized goat’s milk and any goat milk products.
Be particularly cautious when gardening and always wear rubber gloves remembering that cat feces carry the toxoplasmosis disease therefore ensure you do not come into contact with it in your garden.