Healthy Eating for Pregnant Moms Eating nutritious foods is important during pregnancy. But some foods can carry harmful bacteria and parasites that can make you and your baby sick. It is easy to take steps to protect yourself from food poisoning while nourishing yourself and your baby.
Listeria can grow even in refrigerated foods.
Listeriosis causes mild to severe flu-like symptoms in pregnant women, who can pass the illness to their unborn child. Infection of the fetus can result in miscarriage, premature birth, blood poisoning and birth defects. Listeriosis can be treated with antibiotics. T. gondii , a parasite carried by cats, can also contaminate food. Most often, toxoplasmosis results from eating undercooked meat and poultry or unwashed fruits and vegetables, from cleaning a litter box, or from handling contaminated soil.