By Margaret Furtado, M.S., R.D.
Every year in the U.S., an estimated 65 million to 76 million people fall prey to food-borne illnesses, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 to 9,000 deaths. Because pregnancy challenges the immune system, both mother and fetus are at even greater risk for such infections.
Here are 6 of the most common diet-related risks for pregnant women:
1. Listeria
Listeria is the bacteria responsible for listeriosis, a rare infection that may cause miscarriage. It has a hospitalization rate of 88 percent, with a fatality rate as high as 30 percent. Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to contract Listeria than are non-pregnant individuals. In addition, since Listeria can cross the placenta, newborns are at high risk as well, with life-threatening infection or blood poisoning possible.
Foods to avoid:
* Deli meats. If you can't avoid these meats altogether, make sure you reheat the meat until it's steaming before eating it.
* Smoked seafood. Refrigerated, smoked seafood, such as lox. (Exceptions: Canned or shelf-safe smoked seafood is typically safe to eat. Also, nova style or kippered lox, or jerky-style lox are OK if they are an ingredient in a well-cooked dish, such as a casserole.)
* Soft cheeses. Imported soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, feta, gorgonzola, and Mexican-style cheeses (including queso blanco and queso fresco), unless they clearly state that they are made from pasteurized milk. Soft non-imported cheeses made with pasteurized milk are considered safe to eat.
* Unpasteurized milk
* Refrigerated pâté or meat spreads
* Store-bought hummus
2. Mercury
Mercury is a poisonous heavy metal that, with chronic exposure, can damage the central nervous system and other organ systems like the liver and gastrointestinal tract. In rivers and oceans, bacteria convert mercury to methyl mercury, which then ultimately contaminates fish. According to The National Academy of Sciences, 60,000 infants are born each year with excessive mercury exposure, placing them at risk for irreversible brain damage. The type and degree of symptoms depend on the particular toxin and the dose, as well as the method and duration of the exposure. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a joint consumer advisory report on mercury for pregnant and lactating women, women of childbearing age, and young children.
Foods to avoid:
* Do not eat fish known to contain high levels of mercury. Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish have the highest levels of mercury.
* Consume in moderation. The FDA/EPA report recommends limiting consumption of these fish to no more than 12 ounces per week: fresh or canned salmon; fresh or canned chunk light tuna; and pollock. Catfish, although lower in mercury than the other fish named in the previous bullet, should be consumed in moderation.
* Fish from local waters such as albacore tuna and tuna steaks, should be limited to 6 ounces per week. (Avoid, for example, buying fish from California if you live in the Northeast, and always ask your fishmonger where a fish is from.)
* Raw shellfish. Many varieties have high mercury levels; however, even those with low mercury levels (especially raw oysters, clams, and mussels) may increase your risk for seafood-borne illness due to dangerous microbes. Cooking helps to prevent some infections, but not the algae-related kinds linked to red tides.
3. Toxoplasma
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease that can infect most warm-blooded animals, including the household cat (it's found particularly in the feces of the cat). That's why pregnant women are typically advised to avoid cleaning the litter box. Although many women may have had toxoplasmosis without symptoms, toxoplasmosis can harm a fetus and possibly pose risks for miscarriage, as well as for eye or brain injuries, including mental retardation. Sustained high or low temperatures are necessary to kill Toxoplasma gondii in meat.
Foods to avoid:
* Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef and poultry
* Unwashed commercial fruits and vegetables
* Ill-cooked meats (but OK if previously frozen)
* Dried meats and meat from wild game
Things to do
* Carefully wash your hands and all surfaces and utensils after preparing raw meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, and vegetables
* If you have a cat(s) at home, be sure to wipe all tables and surfaces clean prior to eating, to help ensure no fecal residue is present. (I know, not a pleasant thought, especially since I have two cats!)
4. Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause food-borne illness with symptoms that can include fever, nausea, vomiting, and meningitis. This bug can also cause typhoid fever. Thorough cooking and processing effectively kill the Salmonella bacteria.
Foods to avoid
* Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef, poultry, or meat products
Raw or undercooked eggs or egg products
* Unpasteurized milk or other unpasteurized dairy products
* Any homemade foods made with raw eggs: Caesar salad dressing, mayonnaise, ice cream, custards, eggnog, Hollandaise sauces ...
* Raw sprouts
5. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
PCBs, poisonous substances previously used in electrical transformers and capacitors, were banned in the 1970s due to their high toxicity. Unfortunately, PCBs break down very slowly in the environment, so they can still pose a threat today. PCBs are absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract, and tend to accumulate in lipid-rich tissues, such as adipose (fat) tissue and breast milk. The absorption of PCBs from breast milk is alarmingly high-90 to100 percent of PCBs in breast milk find their way into the infant. One 16-year longitudinal study looking at the effects of eating PCB-rich fish by pregnant women revealed lower birth weights, smaller head circumferences, and lower IQs in the children born of those pregnancies, as well as delays in neuromuscular maturity when the children of the contaminated moms were studied 11 years later.
Foods to avoid:
* Any fish taken from contaminated lakes and rivers that may have been exposed to high levels of PCBs
* Fishing in or eating fish from local lakes and streams (e.g., bluefish, striped bass, salmon, trout, and walleye). Contact your local health department or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine which fish caught from the local waters in your area are safe to eat. (Fish from your local grocery store is usually safe.)
6. E.coli
This is yet another possible risk for pregnant women, but avoiding all of the foods listed above should minimize the risk for this bacterial infection.
In general
In addition to taking the above precautions, women who are pregnant or who wish to become pregnant are generally advised to avoid caffeine and alcohol; the former, even in small amounts, may increase the risk for miscarriage, and the latter, especially in higher amounts, can increase the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome or other developmental disorders.
A healthy, balanced diet, free of the items listed above, should help you steer away from possible nutrition-related problems during your pregnancy.
Cheers to a healthy pregnancy and healthy and happy mom and baby!
Every year in the U.S., an estimated 65 million to 76 million people fall prey to food-borne illnesses, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 to 9,000 deaths. Because pregnancy challenges the immune system, both mother and fetus are at even greater risk for such infections.
Here are 6 of the most common diet-related risks for pregnant women:
1. Listeria
Listeria is the bacteria responsible for listeriosis, a rare infection that may cause miscarriage. It has a hospitalization rate of 88 percent, with a fatality rate as high as 30 percent. Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to contract Listeria than are non-pregnant individuals. In addition, since Listeria can cross the placenta, newborns are at high risk as well, with life-threatening infection or blood poisoning possible.
Foods to avoid:
* Deli meats. If you can't avoid these meats altogether, make sure you reheat the meat until it's steaming before eating it.
* Smoked seafood. Refrigerated, smoked seafood, such as lox. (Exceptions: Canned or shelf-safe smoked seafood is typically safe to eat. Also, nova style or kippered lox, or jerky-style lox are OK if they are an ingredient in a well-cooked dish, such as a casserole.)
* Soft cheeses. Imported soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, feta, gorgonzola, and Mexican-style cheeses (including queso blanco and queso fresco), unless they clearly state that they are made from pasteurized milk. Soft non-imported cheeses made with pasteurized milk are considered safe to eat.
* Unpasteurized milk
* Refrigerated pâté or meat spreads
* Store-bought hummus
2. Mercury
Mercury is a poisonous heavy metal that, with chronic exposure, can damage the central nervous system and other organ systems like the liver and gastrointestinal tract. In rivers and oceans, bacteria convert mercury to methyl mercury, which then ultimately contaminates fish. According to The National Academy of Sciences, 60,000 infants are born each year with excessive mercury exposure, placing them at risk for irreversible brain damage. The type and degree of symptoms depend on the particular toxin and the dose, as well as the method and duration of the exposure. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a joint consumer advisory report on mercury for pregnant and lactating women, women of childbearing age, and young children.
Foods to avoid:
* Do not eat fish known to contain high levels of mercury. Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish have the highest levels of mercury.
* Consume in moderation. The FDA/EPA report recommends limiting consumption of these fish to no more than 12 ounces per week: fresh or canned salmon; fresh or canned chunk light tuna; and pollock. Catfish, although lower in mercury than the other fish named in the previous bullet, should be consumed in moderation.
* Fish from local waters such as albacore tuna and tuna steaks, should be limited to 6 ounces per week. (Avoid, for example, buying fish from California if you live in the Northeast, and always ask your fishmonger where a fish is from.)
* Raw shellfish. Many varieties have high mercury levels; however, even those with low mercury levels (especially raw oysters, clams, and mussels) may increase your risk for seafood-borne illness due to dangerous microbes. Cooking helps to prevent some infections, but not the algae-related kinds linked to red tides.
3. Toxoplasma
Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease that can infect most warm-blooded animals, including the household cat (it's found particularly in the feces of the cat). That's why pregnant women are typically advised to avoid cleaning the litter box. Although many women may have had toxoplasmosis without symptoms, toxoplasmosis can harm a fetus and possibly pose risks for miscarriage, as well as for eye or brain injuries, including mental retardation. Sustained high or low temperatures are necessary to kill Toxoplasma gondii in meat.
Foods to avoid:
* Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef and poultry
* Unwashed commercial fruits and vegetables
* Ill-cooked meats (but OK if previously frozen)
* Dried meats and meat from wild game
Things to do
* Carefully wash your hands and all surfaces and utensils after preparing raw meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, and vegetables
* If you have a cat(s) at home, be sure to wipe all tables and surfaces clean prior to eating, to help ensure no fecal residue is present. (I know, not a pleasant thought, especially since I have two cats!)
4. Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause food-borne illness with symptoms that can include fever, nausea, vomiting, and meningitis. This bug can also cause typhoid fever. Thorough cooking and processing effectively kill the Salmonella bacteria.
Foods to avoid
* Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef, poultry, or meat products
Raw or undercooked eggs or egg products
* Unpasteurized milk or other unpasteurized dairy products
* Any homemade foods made with raw eggs: Caesar salad dressing, mayonnaise, ice cream, custards, eggnog, Hollandaise sauces ...
* Raw sprouts
5. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
PCBs, poisonous substances previously used in electrical transformers and capacitors, were banned in the 1970s due to their high toxicity. Unfortunately, PCBs break down very slowly in the environment, so they can still pose a threat today. PCBs are absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract, and tend to accumulate in lipid-rich tissues, such as adipose (fat) tissue and breast milk. The absorption of PCBs from breast milk is alarmingly high-90 to100 percent of PCBs in breast milk find their way into the infant. One 16-year longitudinal study looking at the effects of eating PCB-rich fish by pregnant women revealed lower birth weights, smaller head circumferences, and lower IQs in the children born of those pregnancies, as well as delays in neuromuscular maturity when the children of the contaminated moms were studied 11 years later.
Foods to avoid:
* Any fish taken from contaminated lakes and rivers that may have been exposed to high levels of PCBs
* Fishing in or eating fish from local lakes and streams (e.g., bluefish, striped bass, salmon, trout, and walleye). Contact your local health department or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine which fish caught from the local waters in your area are safe to eat. (Fish from your local grocery store is usually safe.)
6. E.coli
This is yet another possible risk for pregnant women, but avoiding all of the foods listed above should minimize the risk for this bacterial infection.
In general
In addition to taking the above precautions, women who are pregnant or who wish to become pregnant are generally advised to avoid caffeine and alcohol; the former, even in small amounts, may increase the risk for miscarriage, and the latter, especially in higher amounts, can increase the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome or other developmental disorders.
A healthy, balanced diet, free of the items listed above, should help you steer away from possible nutrition-related problems during your pregnancy.
Cheers to a healthy pregnancy and healthy and happy mom and baby!