Pregnancy can be very overwhelming and confusing to the new to-be-moms. Pregnancy, along with its perks and a velvety dream of the future, brings some flustering sides. Even when many questions arise in the mind of a newly pregnant woman, food is one of the basics.
It is very frustrating to analyze and pick a good food that is safe and healthy for both mother and the baby while pregnant. Sometimes, the food you have been eating since childhood turns out to be not so safe for the baby, and thus you need to change your eating habits. Today, we talk about one of the food staples in our kitchen, which is also a very important part of your daily nutrition, eggs during pregnancy.
Is it safe to eat raw eggs during pregnancy?
Even though eggs are a very essential part of your daily diet, it is recommended that you do not eat raw eggs during pregnancy. The main logic behind this is that raw eggs sometimes carry salmonella bacteria which may not directly harm your health but definitely harm your baby’s. Also, the egg’s shell is porous, which, when wet, can be used easily by bacteria to enter inside the egg through the shell.
Raw eggs can be edible in one condition: if the eggs are pasteurized. When the eggs are pasteurized, they kill the salmonella bacteria and keep them good to eat. It is also not so hard to find pasteurized eggs as they can be conveniently found in supermarkets. You must be careful about eggs when buying for raw consumption while pregnant.
How should eggs be consumed during pregnancy?
As we already know, eating raw eggs is not a good idea when pregnant. But well-cooked eggs are perfectly fine for a pregnant lady to indulge in. Remember, the eggs should be cooked very well, so much as the whites and the yolk are solidified while cooking. The runny and soft-boiled eggs may also be contagious as the salmonella bacteria may not be killed.
Better yet, the hard-boiled eggs and two-side fried eggs are best for consumption by a pregnant lady. Omelets are also fine as long as the egg is perfectly cooked. There should be no raw pockets of eggs in the omelet if you are cooking it for a pregnant woman. If you love eating eggs every day and do not want to miss them during your pregnancy, the basic idea is to cook it properly and avoid eating raw and unpasteurized eggs.
Side Effects of Eating Raw Eggs
Several recipes feature raw eggs like eggnog, raw cookie dough, and Caesar salad, among others. Raw eggs are one of the best sources of protein too. However, eating raw eggs during pregnancy might harm pregnant women, and we advise them to keep themselves away from its consumption.
In the recent four years, 17 outbreaks and 500 illnesses have been recorded in women who consumed raw eggs during pregnancy.
You can eat soft-boiled eggs if you want to as an alternative, as it’ll make you feel better and stronger. Here are some of the most common side effects of eating raw eggs during pregnancy:
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Sickness
- Bad taste in the mouth, etc.
Health Benefits of Eating Eggs During Pregnancy
If you have already decided that you would rather not eat eggs altogether rather than go through all the hardships to find safe eggs and cook eggs safely, here is why you may want to change your mind again, back to liking eggs.
Eggs are the nutritious staple products that have made a permanent spot on your plates. An essential part of anyone’s nutritive diet, eggs also benefit women during pregnancy. Some of the advantages of eggs that must be acknowledged are pointed out below:
- Eggs are rich in vitamin choline, which is the key factor in the memory functions of your growing baby. This vitamin is specifically found in the yolk of eggs, and each egg contains around 125mg of choline.
- As the inadequacy of choline during pregnancy has shown lowered or defective memory capacity in infants, eating eggs regularly to suffice choline in your body is recommended.
- Choline has also helped lessen the stress on the baby while you are pregnant. Eating eggs may also help reduce metabolic and stress-related diseases in the growing baby.
- Eggs contain other nutrients like high-quality protein (found in whites of eggs), iron, and folate. These nutrients are very important for a pregnant woman as they make both the to-be-mom and the baby healthy.
- The vitamin choline found in eggs has also been proven to protect against Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) in pregnant ladies. This vitamin works alongside folic acid for this purpose and makes the babies grow healthy inside their mother’s womb.
- Only two eggs a day can satiate your choline requirements, and you can also add more if you want to.
- Eggs help to raise HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein), also known as the good cholesterol, in anyone’s body.
- Antioxidants like Lutein and Zeaxanthin majorly benefit the eye health of mom-to-be and the child to be born.
- Eating eggs can satiate your hunger easily and helps maintain your cravings for food during pregnancy.
- Eggs are inexpensive and easily available, so do not be afraid to add eggs to your plate at any point of the day.
While eggs are the best option to intake choline, you should also eat cauliflowers, peanuts, and lean beef, as these items are also rich in vitamins.
Enjoy cracking eggs!
Dr. Mashiach has completed his MD at the Sackler School of Medicine, TAU; specialization in gynecology at the Lis Maternity and Women’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center; fellowship in Endoscopy at the Polyclinique de I’Hotel-Dieu, Universite d’Auvergne, Clermont, France.
He is a Senior Physician, Director of the Department of Gynecology, which provides routine and preventative care services to its patients and a full range of gynecological surgical procedures for adequately managing its patients with benign gynecologic disorders.
He offers advanced care in all gynecological subspecialties such as Urogynecology, Colposcopy, Fetal Loss Clinic, and Post Menopausal Clinic.
