You have probably been reading about people getting sick from
eating peanut butter contaminated with salmonella. This is called a foodborne
illness and can be extremely serious for pregnant woman and young children.
This article is all about how to keep yourself and your family safe from
foodborne illness.
What is foodborne illness? It is a sickness that occurs when
people eat or drink harmful microorganisms (bacteria, parasites, viruses) or
chemical contaminants found in some foods or drinking water. Symptoms vary, but
in general include stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache, or body
aches. Sometimes you may not feel sick, but the illness can still be passes
from a pregnant woman to her unborn child without even knowing it.
Pregnant women are in the high-risk group for foodborne illness because:
- Pregnancy makes it hard for the mother’s immune system to fight
off harmful foodborne bacteria.
- This harmful bacteria can cross the placenta and infect the
baby.
- The fetus doesn’t have a developed enough immune system to
fight off harmful foodborne bacteria.
Hand washing
It sounds too simple but the Food and Drug Administration says
hand washing is one of the MOST important actions a parent can do to protect their
child from foodborne illness.
When to wash your hands:
- Before and after handling food.
- After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or handling pets.
4 Simple Tips for a Lifetime
Here are 4 simple steps you should follow to keep yourself and
your family healthy:
1. Clean
- Wash hands thoroughly with warm water and soap.
- Wash hands before and after handling food, and after using the
bathroom, changing diapers, or handling pets.
- Wash cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and countertops with hot
water and soap.
- Rinse raw fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.
2. Separate
- Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from ready-to-eat foods.
- If possible, use one cutting board for raw meat, poultry, and
seafood and another one for fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Place cooked food on a clean plate. If cooked food is placed on an
unwashed plate that held raw meat, poultry, or seafood, bacteria from the raw
food could contaminate the cooked food.
3. Cook
- Cook foods thoroughly. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature.
- Keep foods out of the DANGER ZONE. The DANGER ZONE is the
temperature range that bacteria grows!! This is usually between 40º and 140º.
- Follow the 2-hour Rule. Throw food away that is left at room
temperature for more than two hours.
4. Chill
- Your refrigerator should register at 40º or below. The freezer
should be at 0º.
- Refrigerate or freeze foods that can spoil.
- Use dairy, meat, poultry, seafood, produce as soon as possible.
Keep hot food HOT
And cold food COLD
3 Foodborne Risks for Pregnant
Woman
1. Listeria
What is it?
A harmful bacteria that can grow at refrigerator temperatures
where most other foodborne bacteria do not. It causes an illness called
listeriosis.
Where is it found?
Refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods and unpasteurized milk and milk
products.
How to prevent
illness:
- Follow the 4 simple steps.
- Do not eat hot dogs and luncheon meat-unless they’re reheated
until steaming hot.
- Do not eat soft cheese such as feta, brie, camembert,
"blue-veined cheese"-unless it’s labeled as made with pasteurized milk.
- Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood-unless it’s in a cooked
dish.
2. Methylmercury
What is it?
A metal that can be found in certain fish. At high levels, it can
be harmful to an unborn baby’s developing nervous system.
Where is it found?
Fish such as shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and swordfish.
How to prevent
illness:
Don’t eat shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and swordfish.
3. Toxoplasmosis
What is it?
A harmful parasite. It causes an illness called toxoplasmosis that
can be difficult to detect.
Where is it found?
Raw and undercooked meat, unwashed fruits and vegetables, soil,
dirty cat-litter boxes, and outdoor places were cat feces can be found.
How to prevent
illness:
- Follow the 4 Simple Steps.
- If possible, have someone else change the litter box. If you
have to clean it, wash your hands with soap and warm water afterwards.
- Don’t get a new cat while pregnant.
- Cook meat thoroughly.
Food Safety and Babies
A foodborne illness can be passed to an unborn baby without the mother even knowing she is sick.
Just like pregnant woman, young children and babies are at a
bigger risk for foodborne illness. This is because their immune systems are not
fully developed.
Here are some tips to keep your child healthy:
- Don’t feed the baby from the baby food jar and then put it back
in the refrigerator. WHY? because bacteria from the baby’s mouth contaminate the food.
Too many bacteria can make the baby sick.
- Throw out baby food jars if the "use by" date has
passed.
- Check to see that the safety button in the lid is down. If the
jar lid doesn’t "pop" when opened, or is not sealed completely, don’t
use it. Don’t put the bottle back in the refrigerator if the baby doesn’t finish
it. Why? because bacteria from the baby’s mouth can get into the
formula. These bacteria can grow even in the refrigerator. This can make your
baby sick. When running errands with your baby take powdered formula so you can
mix at the last minute or keep the baby bottle cold.
Follow the 2-hour
Rule.
Throw food away that is left at room temperature for more than two hours.