Quick Reminder...
- During pregnancy, changes in hormones cause a woman’s immune system to become suppressed, so that it is harder to fight off infections.
- Pregnant women are at increased risk for some types of food borne illness.
- Some food borne illnesses can cause a woman to have a miscarriage, stillbirth or serious health problems for the baby after birth.
Foodborne disease, or food poisoning, can be caused by multiple sources, as we discussed in my earlier blog. Sadly, as a pregnant you're at a much greater risk of contracting food poisoning.so food safety should be a key priority. Keep reading for tips about how to practice food safety in an eco-friendly manner.
Wash Your Hands Clean
Washing your hands before you prepare and cook food is mostly common sense, but you should make sure you’re washing up correctly and as green as you can. For safety, wash before you start food preparation and in-between handling different food items. The key is to scrub with hot water and basic soap for a longer period.
Wash and dry your hands:
- before and after preparing food
- after going to the toilet
- after touching pets or farm animals
- after blowing or touching your nose, sneezing into your hand, or touching your hair or your mouth while preparing food
- after gardening
- after handling rubbish.
Go Organic & Fresh
When you’re pregnant, all the food you eat also goes to your baby, so, you don’t want harmful pesticides, chemicals in your diet. Sadly, most pregnant women are stuffed with chemicals that can cause all sorts of health problems, such as learning disabilities, autism, low birth weight and even breastfeeding problems after your baby arrives, plus much more. The best way to avoid artificial food colors, pesticides and eat fresh foods as much as possible.Organic foods are best during pregnancy because they cannot contain fake food colors, obnoxious chemical preservatives and they have lower pesticide levels.
Junk food
Junk food often sounds tasty during pregnancy, however, it's not healthy to give in to too many sugary, high fat and otherwise unhealthy pregnancy cravings. Junk food, such as candy, soda, fast food and so on often lacks important nutrients you need, and it isn't healthy for you or your growing baby.
Wash & Peel Food Correctly
All produce should be washed correctly before you prepare and eat it, even organic foods. After washing your own hands, rinse all fruits and veggies in clean running water (without soap or other chemical cleaners) to remove any visible dirt and grime. Always remove and discard, or compost, the outer layers of leafy green vegetables. Foods with rinds, such as oranges or melons should be washed before you cut them up. All tough skinned produce, like melons or cucumbers should be scrubbed with a clean produce brush. If you’re not buying organic, then you need to peel your fruits and veggies, as pesticide contaminates are more likely to reside in the peel. Also, after washing, cut away any damaged or bruised areas of produce. Make sure that food preparation area and sink where you’re washing is also kept clean.
Prepare Food Right & Cook Food to the Proper Temperature
The basics of prepping food correctly are wash, separate, cook and chill. We covered washing above, but separation is also very important. Use different cutting boards for different foods. For example, use one cutting board only for one product only. Even the best cutting boards, washed well, can harbor small particles, so you don’t want to mix it up. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm. If you usually cook with a microwave, be sure to cook foods to 165˚ or higher to get rid of bacteria. The last step is food storage, use eco-friendly food storage, such as glass, stainless steel or BPA-free plastic and always put perishable foods into the fridge or freezer within two hours, except for on hot days. On hot days food should be stored within one hour.
Keeping yourself healthy and well is always important, and even more so during pregnancy when your immunity levels are lowered and you are caring for yourself and your growing baby. So here are some pointers on what to look for…
- Eat freshly cooked food as soon as possible after cooking
- When purchasing chilled and frozen products, get them home as soon as possible
- use hot soapy water or a dishwasher to wash dishes; let dishes air dry rather than drying with a towel. If you have to use a tea towel make sure it is changed at least daily
- never put cooked food back onto the same plate it was on when raw food - always use a clean plate
- use separate sponges or cloths for the dishes: use different colours so you know which one is for which task
- use paper towels (instead of a cloth or sponge)
- avoid coughing or sneezing over food
- don’t allow pets near food
- cover food to protect it from flies and other insects
- cover food with a suitable lid or microwave-safe plastic wrap (but don’t let the wrap touch the food)
- Wash worktops with warm soapy water before and after preparing food
- Don’t eat any food that should be stored in the fridge if it’s been left out for more than two hours.
- Put any cold food that needs to be kept that way in the fridge straight away. If you are refrigerating hot food, wait for it to cool fully before storing it – if you put it in the fridge while it’s still hot it affects the internal temperature of the fridge, which in turn affects the other contents.
- Always cook food thoroughly until it reaches the appropriate temperature.
Pregnancy is one of the most remarkable experiences in any woman's life. During pregnancy your body is working extremely hard to grow a new life within you. With the added workload comes greater nutrition and food safety needs to support your body, and to give your baby the optimum start to life, during this time.
Take care of your unborn baby.
Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these blogs is to provide information about the tradition of ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention or cure of any disease. If you have any serious, acute or chronic health concern, please consult a trained doctor/health professional who can fully assess your needs and address them effectively. If you are seeking the medical advice of a trained Ayurvedic expert, call us or e mail.
Dr Unnati Chavda
(Promoting pregnancy wellness)
www.ayurvedapanchkarma.in
No comments:
Post a Comment