Many first-time mothers usually get conflicting advice about several pregnancy-related issues, including what is and isn’t safe to eat. During pregnancy, it is important to have a healthy diet to ensure the health of your baby. It isn't safe to eat undercooked or raw meat during pregnancy, because it may make you ill and seem indeed hurt your child. You'll become contaminated with the Toxoplasma parasite if you eat meat that's raw or rare bloody within the center. This will lead to toxoplasmosis, which causes a flu-like ailment that creates a few weeks after you’ve ended up contaminated. Toxoplasmosis could be a reasonably mellow ailment for you, but it can hurt your child and cause serious health issues. In a little number of cases, it can indeed lead to unsuccessful labor or loss of a child at birth.

Undercooked meat carries a risk of food poisoning caused by salmonella microbes. Once you are pregnant, your resistance framework changes so that its fundamental reason is to ensure you create an infant. This makes you more susceptible to food poisoning than you were before your pregnancy.

These poisons can cause genuine sicknesses, and they can influence your baby’s advancement. You ought to maintain a strategic distance from or restrain devouring certain nourishments and refreshments while you’re pregnant. Talk about your slim down together with your specialist and let them know about any questions, concerns, or indications you've got.

If you’re pregnant, major food contamination risks include:

• Toxoplasma gondii, which is a parasite found in undercooked meat, unwashed vegetables, and dirty cat litter boxes
• Listeria monocytogenes, which is a bacterium that can contaminate ready-to-eat foods and unpasteurized dairy and can grow in your refrigerator
• mercury, which is a heavy metal found in certain types of fish

Here are some tips to follow to minimize the risk of getting toxoplasmosis:

• Rinse all fruits and vegetables before eating, since the parasite is often present in the soil.
• Wash all cutting boards and knives with hot water and soap after using them.
• Clean all meats.
• Wash your hands after touching unwashed vegetables, cat litter, soil, sand, or raw meat.
• Thoroughly cook all meats.
• Separate meats from other foods when you store and prepare them

During pregnancy, you can eat the same things that you normally ate when you were not pregnant. But during the first few months of your pregnancy, your baby can be hurt by toxins (poisons) or bacteria (germs). Practicing safe food handling can reduce risks for you and your developing baby. These methods can eliminate potentially harmful bacteria and help prevent infection.

Therefore, you need to be aware of these food dangers and learn how to choose and prepare your food safely. See your doctor promptly if you have got any side effects that may be due to food poisoning caused by eating rare or raw meats.

PDO I Kimberly Tanador, RND

References:

Toxoplasmosis during pregnancy

By Chess Tomas

https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1461/toxoplasmosis-in-pregnancy

Toxoplasmosis: General FAQs

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis/gen_info/faqs.html

Mother To Baby Fact Sheet

https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/eating-raw-undercooked-or-cold-meats-and-seafood/pdf/