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Food safety for Mom-to-be’s and babies:

By: Sarah Remmer, RD, CDE

As a first time mom-to-be, and a Registered Dietitian, nutrition and food safety is top of mind. What I’ve learned both from personal experience and working with many pregnant and breastfeeding clients over the years is that it is extremely important to be mindful of what you are putting inside of your body on a daily basis for proper weight gain as well as nutritional status—after all, you are building a little human inside of you! It is also important that you stay healthy throughout your pregnancy as baby, for the most part, is taking what he/she needs from you. If your nutrition isn’t up to par, you and your baby may suffer in the long run. Maintaining a balanced diet before, during and after pregnancy is crucial to the physical and neurological development of your little one. It is also very important to be aware of food safety during your pregnancy. What I mean by "food safety" is avoiding potential contaminants in your food that can harm you and your baby. Most of us eat these foods safely outside of pregnancy, but because your immune system is somewhat depressed during pregnancy you are at increased risk of developing food-borne illnesses and putting your baby at risk. Read on for some helpful tips on how to safely avoid these foods.

Pregnancy Food safety 101

Caffeine: Small amounts of caffeine appear to be fine for most people during pregnancy. In general, the recommendation for pregnant women is to consume no more than 300 mg of caffeine per day (a little over two small cups of coffee), however some sources recommend sticking to no more than 150 mg/day—this is equivalent to a small cup of coffee/day. It is important to remember that decaffeinated coffee, black tea, green tea, certain types of pop and chocolate all contain caffeine as well. Excessive caffeine consumption, especially in the 1st trimester, can put you at increased risk of having a miscarriage.

Alcohol: It is unknown how much alcohol it takes to harm a developing baby. When you drink alcohol during pregnancy, it quickly reaches your baby through your bloodstream. The effect of alcohol on the developing baby can vary depending on the health of the pregnant woman and also the amount, pattern and timing of drinking alcohol. We do know that binge drinking (drinking a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time) is especially bad for the developing baby. Some Doctors and Dietitians may suggest that a few sips of wine or other alcoholic beverage occasionally is not harmful, but because we don’t know how the fetus handles that small amount of alcohol, you may want to play it safe and avoid it all together.

Undercooked meats/fish: All meats, fish, poultry and eggs need to be thoroughly cooked during pregnancy. It is important to avoid these foods raw or undercooked. Avoid hotdogs and deli meats as well unless they are reheated until steaming hot. These food items may put you and your baby at increased risk of Listeriosis which is a food borne illness caused by Listeria Monocytogenes.

Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to contract this type of food poisoning than the general population. Another reason to stay away from processed meats is that we are not sure of the effects of nitrates and nitrites on a fetus. I usually suggest that clients avoid any deli-style meat or hotdog as well as smoked fishes or meats (they are not cooked well enough). Ingestion of undercooked or raw fresh meats such as pork, lamb or venison can also put you at increased risk of Toxoplasmosis which is caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Be extra careful to cook your meats well and avoid contamination through cutting boards and cooking utensils.

Unpasteurized dairy products: Avoid any unpasteurized cheeses, pates, milks and other unpasteurized dairy products as they put you and your baby at increased risk of Listeriosis. Make sure to read the ingredients list to make sure that the milk being used in these products is pasteurized. If for some reason there is no ingredients list, avoid it. Also, avoid unpasteurized juices such as unpasteurized apple cider.

Lead and other heavy metals: It is important to filter your tap water to remove potentially harmful chlorine by-products. It’s also important to filter your tap water because there are certain naturally occurring substances such as arsenic, cadmium, iron, manganese and uranium that can leach into water. Heavy metals such as copper and lead can also make their way into tap water from pipes and holding tanks in the distribution system or from plumbing in your home. Although the risk of lead poisoning in Canada is extremely low, exposure to lead during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth, decrease your baby’s birth weight, and interfere with his/her brain and central nervous system. The main source of lead is water fed through lead pipes or pipes with lead solder. To minimize your exposure to heavy metals in water, run your tap water for about two minutes in the morning or for at least 30 seconds before each use and/or use a water filter to filter tap water before drinking or cooking with it. You can also stick with purified bottled water during pregnancy if that’s easier.

Alternative sweeteners: It is generally considered safe to consume moderate amounts of certain types of artificial sweeteners during pregnancy. Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, yogurts and other sweet foods include aspartame (Nutrasweet), sucralose (Splenda) and acesulfame K (Sunett). In studies, these sweeteners have not shown to cause birth defects and are generally safe to use during pregnancy. There are however, artificial sweeteners that you should completely avoid during pregnancy; specifically saccharin and cyclamate (Sucryl, Sweet ’n Low, Sugar Twin, and Weight Watchers). There is a strong link between these two kinds of sweeteners and bladder cancer in animals. That’s why manufacturers are not allowed to include these in foods; instead they are sold in little packages that you add to foods or beverages. I never encourage any clients, especially my pregnant and breastfeeding clients to consume artificial sweeteners of any kind as they are usually replacing more nutritious foods and are not needed in the diet. Using a little bit of natural sugar is harmless to your baby and yourself—go for the real stuff! Also, this is not the time to be cutting calories or dieting.

Herbal supplements and teas: Although herbal products are natural, they are not necessarily safe during pregnancy. In fact, most herbal supplements are not considered safe during pregnancy. Many contain natural ingredients that can increase risk of miscarriage or preterm birth, harm your developing baby, and even negatively affect your health. There have been very few studies that have tested herbal products on pregnant women, so if you use herbal products, do so cautiously. Some herbal teas are not safe to drink when you’re pregnant. Some common herbs that are unsafe to consume during pregnancy are Black cohosh, Echinacea, Ginseng, Goldenseal, Licorice root, Senna and St.John’s Wort. Herbal supplements that are generally considered safe during pregnancy in moderation include Bilberry, Cranberry, Evening Primrose oil, Gingko Biloba, Green tea extract, Raspberry Leaf and Valerian root. Herbal teas that are generally considered safe if taken in moderation (2 to 3 cups per day) are: Linden flower, citrus peel, ginger, lemon balm, orange peel, rose hip. Avoid teas with Aloe, Coltsfoot, Juniper Berries, Pennyroyal, Buckthorn Bark, Comfrey, Labrador Tea, Sassafras, Duck Roots, Lobelia and Senna Leaves.

Organic foods? Many expectant moms wonder whether they should make the switch over to over to organic foods. There are definite benefits to choosing organic foods (both for environmental and health-wise), and organic foods are increasingly becoming more affordable and available. If you can afford to buy organic, I would encourage you to. Although organic foods aren’t necessarily more nutritious than conventional foods, they are grown and processed without the use of genetic engineering, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, growth regulators, antibiotics, preservatives, dyes or additives. I usually suggest that pregnant women buy hormone and antibiotic free meats and poultry (organic if possible) and to buy certain fruits and vegetables organic to avoid ingestion of pesticides (as we don’t know how pesticide residues effect the fetus).

The fruits and veggies that you want to make an effort to buy organic are termed the "dirty dozen" and are more contaminated with pesticide residues: Peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

The fruits and veggies that are the least contaminated with pesticide residues are termed "the clean 15":

Avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwifruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, and sweet potatoes

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