Foods and kitchen bacteria that might not give you any trouble normally can be very dangerous for you and your unborn child when you are pregnant. Now more than ever you need to practice good food preparation habits when you are cooking, or when someone is cooking for you.
General food hygiene
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Wash vegetables carefully to remove the earth from them and lower the risk of toxoplasmosis and peel and top vegetables such as carrots before eating them
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Be scrupulous about cleanliness in the kitchen, particularly of food preparation surfaces and the cloths or sponges you wipe them with
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Don't thaw frozen foods at room temperature, either thaw in the fridge or in a bowl of cold water that's changed frequently
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Don't leave prepared foods standing out even when cooked, transfer them to the fridge
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Choose the freshest and best stored produce and other foods that you can find in the shops, particularly with meat and fish
- If you are picking veg from your own garden, wear gloves or be particularly careful about cleaning your hands and the veg of any soil residue afterwards
For more about general and pregnancy eating safety, visit www.food.gov.uk.
