Dietitian Shares 5 Tips to Reduce Food Poisoning during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of joy and anticipation, but it also comes with unique challenges and concerns, particularly regarding food safety. Food poisoning can pose serious risks to both the mother and the developing baby as pregnant women are 13 times more likely to get listeriosis than other people. Here are five essential tips from a dietitian to help reduce the risk of food poisoning during pregnancy. 

1. Avoid High-Risk Food

It is important to avoid undercooked foods such as sushi, raw eggs and undercooked meats. These are foods that would be at higher risk of being listeriosis contaminated. This bacteria can be destroyed by cooking at temperatures higher than 65 celsius. 

It would also be important to only consume drinks that are pasteurized These are drinks that are heat treated to remove pathogenic bacteria. Thus, always check for the word pasteurized in the ingredient list when you are buying milk, cheese, yogurt, mayonnaise and  even fruit juices. 

Other foods that are considered high risk foods as they are often easily contaminated are deli meats and hot dogs. Best to ensure that they are thoroughly reheated before consumption.

Salad may sound like a great and nutritious idea. However, it is a high risk food especially those pre-made salad bowls at the store as it is uncertain how long these pre-made salads were placed on display since it was first prepared. Thus, salads are always best consumed at home where you can prepare cleanly and consume fresh. 

2. Practice Good Food Hygiene

This may seem obvious, but it is important to wash hands often with soap before and after handling food in the kitchen. It is essential to separate cutting boards, knives and plates when handling raw and cooked foods to avoid cross-contamination. Scrubbing down your sinks and wiping your countertops before placing any types of food will be helpful too. 

3. Cook Foods to Safe Temperatures

It would also be  good to cook all your meat thoroughly. Avoid having medium well or medium rare steaks during this time is best. Cook poultry until internal temperature reaches 74 celsius and ground meats to 71 celsius. 

As Asians, none of us like wasting our leftovers. Thus, reheat leftovers to at least 74 celsius of internal temperature to kill any potential bacteria. Microwave it at high heat until it is pipping hot. 

4. Store Foods Safely

This is not talked about often enough but food safety also covers storing foods safely. For example, many of us would tend to store our eggs at the refrigerator door. However, this may not be the best place to store them as the temperature changes the most when the doors open and close. Instead, it is best to place eggs on one of the shelves in the refrigerator where the temperature is more consistent, thus keeping the eggs fresh for longer. Besides that, it is also best to keep raw foods at the bottom and cooked foods at the top, in order to avoid raw food’s juices from dripping onto the cooked foods. 

Generally, it is best to store cooked foods into the refrigerator within two hours of cooking or purchasing. In such hot weather in Singapore, maybe within 1 hour is best. 

Do you know what the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer should be? It should be less than 5 celcius in the refrigerator and less than -18 Celcius in the freezer. This is to minimize bacteria growth. 

5. Be Cautious with Fresh Produce

As much as fruits and vegetables are essential to achieve a balanced diet, always rinse your fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating, cutting or cooking. Use a brush to scrub firmer produce like potato, carrot or melon.

If you’re out, be careful with pre-cut fruits and vegetables. It would be best to avoid taking them as the food may be sitting on the shelves for more than 4 hours. Pre-cut fruits and vegetables are best consumed as soon as possible after food preparation. 

Conclusion

These tips are designed to help expectant mothers enjoy a healthy diet while minimizing the risk of foodborne illness. By following these guidelines, you can safeguard your health and that of your baby during this special time. It can be good to practice similar food safety standards when preparing food for confinement periods too.