New advice from FSANZ, hummus is now off limits during pregnancy
ATTENTION all women currently pregnant or planning on pregnancy in the near future!
According to a recent update from Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), hummus is now off limits during pregnancy (yes I’m heartbroken!!).
Hummus is a beautiful Middle Eastern dip, that is packed full of nutrients (plant-based protein, fibre, manganese, and folate to name a few). But based on new advice, it’s now on the ‘foods to avoid’ list during pregnancy.
FSANZ states that tahini, a key ingredient in hummus, may be at risk of containing salmonella. So is best avoided during pregnancy.
Any other dips or dressings containing tahini should also be avoided (like baba ganoush and tahini salad dressings).
Why should certain foods be avoided during pregnancy
A natural drop in immunity levels during pregnancy make you and your baby more susceptible to harmful bacteria in food like listeria, salmonella, E. coli, and campylobacter.
Even if you’re not affected, any infection from these bacteria can still be passed onto your unborn baby.
The risk of infection from bacteria like listeria is very low. There is around 150 people hospitalised with listeriosis in Australia each year.
If infected, however, listeriosis can be very harmful during pregnancy and may result in miscarriage, still birth, blood poisoning, and meningitis (inflammation of brain and spinal cord).
A few other foods to avoid that you may not be aware of
A few other foods to AVOID during pregnancy that you may not be aware of include:
- Frozen berries, unless cooked just before eating
- Fresh juices made at a café or shop
- Rockmelon
- Seed sprouts like alfalfa, mung beans, adzuki
- Soft cheeses like brie, camembert, blue, ricotta, mozzarella, feta, and haloumi (even if pasteurised)
- Cakes with added cream or custard, unless cream and custard is newly opened
- Soft serve ice-creams
Foods to avoid are only part of the picture
Keep in mind that the foods you need to avoid are only part of the picture. It’s easy to get so focused on what not to eat, that you forget to focus on what you should be eating.
Pregnancy Nutrition School covers which foods and fluids you need to avoid during pregnancy, but most importantly will guide and support you on which foods your body needs to support a healthy pregnancy too.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed about which foods to eat (or not to eat) during pregnancy, book in for your FREE Discovery Call for Pregnancy Nutrition School today!
