Eating Eggs During Pregnancy - All You Need To Know

During pregnancy, it is quite essential to ensure that the expecting mommy has a well-balanced diet that includes food items supplying key nutrients, which are absolutely necessary for the healthy progressing of pregnancy. One such food item is – egg. Eggs are an excellent source of essential nutrients and trace elements, which make it a super-food. Eating eggs every day can have some advantages during pregnancy, but there may also be risks associated with it. This article explains all you need to know about eating eggs during pregnancy.

What Are The Benefits Of Eating Egg During Pregnancy?

Here are some major benefits of eating egg during pregnancy.

1. Rich in protein: Eggs are a rich source of protein. Protein is very important for the healthy development of the baby in the womb as every cell of the baby is made up of proteins
2. Helps with brain development of the fetus: Eggs contain choline and Omega-3 fatty acids. These are important to ensure baby’s overall growth and brain development. This also prevents neural tube defects in the fetus
3. Meets the calorie requirement: Pregnant women require 200 and 300 extra calories per day. Eggs contain around 70 calories. Therefore, including egg in the diet helps to meet the calorie requirement during pregnancy

How Many Eggs Should You Eat During Pregnancy?

The blood cholesterol levels play an important role in determining including the egg on your diet and its quantity. If your cholesterol level is normal, there is no harm in eating an egg every day. But, if your blood cholesterol level is high, or if you are experiencing ill effects of overweight, it is better to avoid egg until you get guidance from your doctor on egg consumption. As it is the egg yolk that is loaded with cholesterol, sometimes doctor prefer you to have egg white.

However, it is advisable to take three to four eggs per week when you are carrying, provided your blood cholesterol level is normal.

Is It Absolutely Safe To Eat During Pregnancy?

Safety of consuming eggs during pregnancy depends upon several factors from selecting the egg to how it is cooked. During pregnancy, the immunity of the woman will be suppressed and the digestive system will be weak. This may pave the way to various issues. Let us see how.

It Is Unsafe To Eat Raw Egg During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, before consuming eggs make sure it is fully cooked. Any recipes that require half cooked egg or raw egg should be completely avoided. The eggs are more often found to be infected by disease-causing organisms like salmonella bacteria. Raw or under cooked eggs carrying Salmonella bacteria, can cause food poisoning. Even though Salmonella poisoning doesn’t harm the baby in the womb directly, it can elevate the uneasiness of the mother by causing,

1. High fever
2. Chills
3. Prolonged vomiting and loose motion (both can give rise to dehydration)
4. Nausea
5. Headache
6. Abdominal pain
7. Unnecessary uterine contraction
8. Blood in stool

It Is Unsafe To Eat Properly Cooked Egg After Two Hours

Even if the eggs are properly cooked, during pregnancy, it’s not 100 % safe if you not have it without delay. This is because if not stored or refrigerate properly, eggs make room for the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes that cause a disease called listeriosis. Due to the weakened immunity, in pregnant woman listeriosis can give arise to several potentially life-threatening conditions for the mother, like

1. Blood infections
2. Meningitis

Listeria can also cause

1. Miscarriage
2. Still birth
3. Premature delivery

Therefore, you should take care of all steps, from selecting the eggs to storing and cooking the eggs to eliminate the chances of salmonella and listeriosis.

What Should The Pregnant Woman Take Into Consideration While Eating Eggs?

1. Cook any dish made with egg to 1600 F. This is relevant when you reheat dishes as well
2. Never eat items like mousse, mayonnaise etc. that use raw egg
3. Never eat egg when you go out unless you are sure about the quality of the egg they use or the safety of their preparation
4. If you go for dine out dig the egg salad only if you are sure it is kept in the buffet table less than 2 hours
5. Don’t eat any egg items from roadside eatery shops
6. If there is unusual smell or if the egg white is watery instead of gel-like, never consume it

How Can I Make Sure The Egg Is Properly Cooked?

During pregnancy, make sure the egg is cooked well.

1. Boil the egg until both egg white and yolk become solid. If the egg is medium sized, it should be boiled for about seven minutes
2. Fry both side if you are a fried egg fan

How To Select Good Eggs For Cooking During Pregnancy?

Eggs have 28 days of shelf life, however during pregnancy, the fresher the egg, the better.

Two-step test to check the freshness of the egg.

1. Hold the egg close to your ear and wobble it. If you hear a splattering sound, the chances are more the egg is old. If the egg is fresh, it will not make much sound while shaking
2. Put the egg in a bowl of water. If it floats, chances are more the egg is old. If the egg drops to the bottom of the bowl, the egg is fresh

Note:But if the egg floats, it doesn’t mean it is rotten either. You can shake it to see if there is splattering sound. Anyway, never boil the egg if you have a doubt. Instead, crack it open to see the smell and texture are fine.

Did you like the blog on should you eat eggs when pregnant or not? Please share your views and feedback in the comments section below.