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Eating and Food Safety Guidelines in Pregnancy

What to avoid
Foodborne illness
When you're pregnant, hormonal changes in your body lower your immune system which can make it harder to fight off illness and infections. Preventing foodborne illness and protecting yourself from other food risks during pregnancy is extremely important.

Safety tips to prevent foodborne illness:

• Keep cold food cold and in the fridge (below 5 Celsius) and hot food steaming hot (above 60 Celsius) before serving. This will stop the growth of food poisoning bacteria.
• Separate raw and cooked food and don't use the same utensils, especially cutting boards and knives, for both.
• Defrost frozen food in the fridge or microwave. Never on the bench or in the sink.
• Keep utensils and your kitchen clean.
• Cook food thoroughly. Cook poultry and minced meats until well done, right through to the centre. No pink should be left visible and all juices should be clear.
• And remember, the best way to prevent the spread of bacteria is to always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before and after handling food.

Listeria
Listeria is a type of bacteria found in some foods which causes a serious infection called listeriosis. It can take up to six weeks for the symptoms to occur and if transmitted to your unborn baby can lead to miscarriage, infection of your newborn and stillbirth. The best way to avoid this is through hygienic preparation, storing and handling of food.

Ideally, you should eat only freshly cooked food and well-washed, (freshly prepared) fruit and vegetables. Leftovers can be eaten if they are refrigerated promptly and kept no longer than a day.

These mostly chilled, ready to eat food should be avoided altogether:

• Soft and semi-soft cheese
• Cold cooked chicken
• Cold processed meats
• Prepared salads
• Raw seafood
• Soft serve ice-cream
• Unpasteurised dairy products
• Pat

Salmonella
Salmonella can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, fever and headache. Pregnant women are not at an increased risk of contracting salmonellosis, but in rare cases it may trigger miscarriage.

So it's advisable to avoid foods that contain raw egg and always cook meat, chicken and eggs thoroughly.

In addition, the NSW Food Authority recommend that pregnant women do not eat any type of sprout (including alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, onion sprouts, sunflower sprouts, clover sprouts, radish sprouts, snowpea sprouts, mung beans and soybeans) either raw or uncooked.

Other food risks

Toxoplasmosis
Toxoplasmosis while uncommon in pregnant women can occur if you eat undercooked meats, or unwashed fruit and vegetables (particularly from gardens with household cats).

Most commonly, however, infection is caused by touching cat and dog faeces when cleaning the kitty litter tray or contaminated soil in the garden. It is particularly important to avoid toxoplasmosis during pregnancy because it can lead to brain damage or blindness in your unborn child.

Tips for avoiding toxoplasmosis:

• Don't eat undercooked or raw meat
• Don't drink unpasteurised goat's milk
• Don't handle cat litter
• When gardening wear gloves
• Always wash your hands after touching animals

Mercury in fish
Fish are rich in protein and minerals, low in saturated fat, and contain Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are important for the development of the central nervous system in babies, before and after they are born.

Although it's really important to eat fish during pregnancy and breastfeeding, you need to be careful about which fish you choose. That's because some fish may contain mercury levels that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. The following table will help you safely include fish as an important part of a balanced diet.

Pregnant & breastfeeding women & women planning pregnancy
1 serve equals 150g

Children (up to 6 years)
1 serve equals 75g
2-3 serves per week of any fish and seafood not listed below
OR
1 serve per fortnight of Shark (Flake) or Billfish (Broadbill, Swordfish and Marlin) and no other fish that fortnight
OR
1 serve per week of Orange Roughy (Deep Sea Perch) or Catfish and no other fish that week

Alcohol
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or your baby could be born with foetal alcohol syndrome (slow growth before and after birth, and mental disabilities). As it is not known whether there is a safe level of drinking during pregnancy the National Health and Medical Research Council advises women that it is best not to drink during pregnancy.

Caffeine
Small amounts of caffeine are safe during pregnancy but excessive volumes may increase the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. Caffeine is in coffee, tea, chocolate and cola (and some other soft drinks). NSW Health recommends that pregnant women limit themselves to 200mg of caffeine daily.

That is 2 cups of ground coffee or 2 1/2 cups instant coffee, 4 cups mediumstrength tea, 4 cups cocoa/hot chocolate or 6 cups of cola.

Smoking
Smoking is dangerous for your baby. Smoking increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight, respiratory problems and SIDS. There is no safe level of smoking. For help to quit smoking call the Quitline on 131848.