Can you eat chitterlings while pregnant

Q: I heard that it's better to avoid eating pork while you are pregnant. Is this true?

A: Pork is served in cooked form, smoked or cured form, is a usual ingredient in sausages, and happens to be the most widely eaten meat in the world. It makes for 38% of the total meat production globally.

Pork may be high in thiamin and there is no clear recommendation eating pork during pregnancy — either for or against it. As long as it's well cooked, it's safe.

If you eat pork during pregnancy, you have to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked right up to the core so that all parasites are killed.

During pregnancy you become more susceptible to food-bourne illness and you may find that your digestive system can no longer handle some foods that you used to consume before getting pregnant. Pork could be one of them. Undercooked pork is a potential health hazard for the expectant mother and the fetus as bacteria could lead to salmonella infection.

Pork is also high in cholesterol and saturated fats, unless you trim the fat. As such, it can cause gallstones and obesity. Gaining too much weight during pregnancy brings with it a train of related diseases like premature birth, preeclampsia and high blood pressure.

The pig also carries helminthes like round worm, hookworm and pinworm. It may also contain the most dangerous species of the tapeworm namely Taenia Solium. When you consume untreated and undercooked pork these worms can be transferred to your intestines. Consumption of pink pork also puts you at the risk of contracting a parasitic disease called Trichinosis which is caused by pork that is infested with the larvae of the Trichinella Spiralis.

If you eat pork during pregnancy, you have to ensure that the meat is thoroughly cooked right up to the core so that all parasites are killed. Since the risks associated with pork are high, you may just want to give up pork for those nine months.

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Overall Tips for Foods to avoid During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy and breastfeeding will likely make you take a closer look at the foods you eat. Your nutritional needs aren’t the only consideration any longer—you also have to eat for your little one. There are a number of specific foods to avoid while pregnant, but a good rule of thumb is to avoid foods with “extras” in them when pregnant or breastfeeding.br This can be anything that contains added sugars and fats—like desserts, candy, soft drinks, and other sweetened beverages. Fried foods, fatty meats, and certain cheeses should also be avoided if possible.

Instead, opt for healthy choices to ensure you and baby are getting all of the nutrients you both need.

Foods To Avoid When Pregnant

Foods with Chemicals

These chemicals found in food and drinks should be avoided when pregnant:1,2

• Alcohol. There is no known safe amount of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy. This includes hard liquor, wine, and beer. Alcohol consumption can cause a host of developmental problems and may lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
• Caffeine. Caffeine isn’t just found in coffee and tea—soda, chocolate, and some over-the-counter medicines can also include this chemical, so make sure you check labels. Up to a 12-ounce cup of coffee’s worth of caffeine may be safe each day, but since there are a few sources of caffeine in a typical diet, instead aim for less than 200 milligrams daily.
• Mercury. Shark, mackerel, swordfish, tilefish, and some fish used in sushi are notoriously high in mercury, which has been linked to developmental delays and brain damage when consumed while pregnant.

1.https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy-981
2.https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/foods-to-avoid-or-limit-during-pregnancy.aspx

Foods with Contamination Risks

Foods that are more likely to contain bacteria are important foods to avoid when pregnant, as they can potentially cause food-borne illnesses. Foods that may contain bacteria to avoid when pregnant include:

• Raw eggs. Avoid the urge to eat that raw cookie dough—raw eggs come with the risk of salmonella exposure.
• Raw fish, meat, and poultry. These foods may be contaminated with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella and should be avoided raw or undercooked.
• Raw shellfish. Oysters, clams, mussels that are undercooked or raw can cause algae-related food-borne illness.
• Hot dogs, lunch meats, smoked seafood, pate, and cold deli meats. These items can carry listeria, which can cross the placenta and cause miscarriage.
• Unpasteurized fruit juice and cider. Skip the juice and opt for the fruit instead, especially if the fruit juice is unpasteurized. Unpasteurized fruit juice is prone to bacterial contaminants.
• Unpasteurized milk and milk products. Milks and cheeses that are unpasteurized may carry listeria.
• Unpasteurized soft cheeses like feta, Brie and Roquefort. These can stay on the menu if the package clearly states they’ve been made with pasteurized milk.
• Untreated drinking water. Your tap water is likely safe to drink if it’s been treated, but untreated water can contain several dangerous contaminants.
• Unwashed fruits and vegetables. Thoroughly clean your fruits and veggies to ensure you don’t come into contact with toxoplasmosis, a rare and serious blood infection caused by a parasite found in cat feces.

Foods to Add to Your Diet When Pregnant

There are also plenty of foods that are beneficial to add to your diet during pregnancy. These foods are rich in important nutrients that you and your baby both need during pregnancy and beyond:

• Milk, hard cheese, yogurt
• Vegetables, especially dark green or leafy greens, and raw colorful ones
• Avocados
• Fruits
• Potatoes, brown rice, pasta
• Legumes
• Soybeans
• Whole grains, wheat germ
• Fortified cereals
• Lean meat
• Salmon with bones, sardines, and herring

Foods to Avoid when Breastfeeding

If you choose to breastfeed your little one, you’ll have to continue considering their nutritional needs as well as yours when you eat. Since there are so many foods that are off the menu while pregnant, many people believe the same is true while breastfeeding. However, there is no specific list of foods to avoid when breastfeeding. Instead, continue the healthful diet you kept while pregnant, and allow yourself to slowly start enjoying anything you may have missed while avoiding certain foods during your pregnancy.

Of course, chemicals that were avoided during pregnancy remain off-limits while breastfeeding your baby. This also extends to certain nutritional supplements and foods that may contain environmental pollutants.

Foods to eat When Breastfeeding

While there aren’t foods to avoid when breastfeeding, there are certainly foods worth adding to your diet to ensure your body has the calories and nutrients you need for producing breastmilk. Breastfeeding moms need an additional 330 to 400 calories daily—aim for these additional calories by choosing from these nutrient-dense foods high in the needed additional protein; vitamins A, B12, C, D, and E; selenium; and zinc:

• Fish and seafood low in mercury and other pollutants
• Meat and poultry, including organ meats
• Fruits and vegetables
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes
• Healthy fats from foods and cooking oils
• Starches that are also full of fiber

To learn more about how to structure your diet for the health of yourself and your little one and other food-related topics, explore our Guideline to Eating Seafood During Pregnancy, get help for first-trimester food aversions, and more in our Pregnancy Nutrition library.

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