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Food Prep Basics for Preconceptions and Pregnancy

November 6, 2016

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When women become pregnant, and even before pregnancy, they are susceptible to food-borne illnesses. The immune systems of pregnant women in particular are weakened from the rapid changes occurring in their bodies.

Food-borne illnesses are caused by eating food or drinking liquids that contain harmful contaminants or microorganisms such as bacteria, parasites and viruses. Typical symptoms of a food-borne illness include nausea, vomiting, fever, headaches, body aches and diarrhea. In some cases, mothers may not have symptoms of an illness but may still pass it to their babies.

Any illness that impacts a mother may also impact a developing baby. Because of this, women need to take extra care when it comes to food preparation. Following best food- preparation practices as early as possible, even before pregnancy, will help build healthy habits. The tips listed here can help limit exposure to food-borne illness before conception and during pregnancy.

Clean

Be sure to triple rinse all fruits and vegetables under running water. It’s important to keep cutting boards, dishes, utensils and countertops clean before and after food preparation. It’s also important to wash your hands before and after handling food. To limit exposure to microorganisms and contaminants, wash your hands before and after going the bathroom, changing diapers or handling pets. When cleaning hands or items used to prepare food, use warm water and soap.

Separate

Keeping foods separate is another way to limit exposure to food-borne illnesses. For example, raw meats, poultry and seafood should be stored away from ready-to-eat foods such as fruit and vegetables. When preparing meals, be mindful of surfaces that raw meat touches. Raw meats should be cut or sliced on a cutting board designated for meats, while fruit and vegetables should be cut on a separate cutting board. Similarly, never put cooked meat on a plate that previously held raw meat.

Cook

Before and during pregnancy is not the time to shrug off the importance of thoroughly cooking meat to the proper temperature. Food should be cooked thoroughly. If you don’t have a good-quality food thermometer, now is the time to buy one. All meats should be cooked to at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain meats need to be cooked to higher temperatures. Click here for a chart from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on cooking temperatures for meats.

Chill

Keep your refrigerator set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer at zero degrees Fahrenheit. Many newer refrigerators have built-in thermostats and temperature displays. If your unit does not have this feature, get an appliance thermometer and check the temperature periodically. Cooked or refrigerated foods that are left out for more than two hours should be discarded. Bacteria can start to grow on these types of foods after long periods of exposure to room temperatures.

Support for Prenatal Nutrition

Following these tips can limit exposure to food-borne illness for both mothers and babies. Food safety and good nutrition go hand-in-hand as best practices for prenatal care. However, good nutrition can be a struggle for many women, especially those who are unable to meet the recommended levels of vitamins and minerals from diet alone.

Prenate® Vitamin Family offers a line of prenatal vitamin supplements to help fill nutritional gaps. Designed with the needs of both mother and baby in mind, Prenate® has options for each step of pregnancy and the specific needs of moms-to-be. You can download our prenatal vitamin coupons and pay only $10 per fill.* Talk to your doctor to see if Prenate® is right for you.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA) per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and International Normalized Ratio (INR). Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients taking anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired predisposition to bleeding.

This site and its contents are an information resource only, and are neither intended to nor should be used in replacement of your doctor or other prescribing professional’s medical guidance, recommendations or advice. Neither this site nor its information should be used or relied upon for any diagnostic, medical, treatment, nutritional or other purpose. All aspects of pregnancy, including whether pregnancy is right for you, and the nourishment and care of your child, should be made with your doctor and other appropriate medical professional, and in consideration of your and your child’s particular medical history. Avion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Avion”) makes no representation, warranty or other undertaking that this site or its information are appropriate for you or your child’s specific needs or issues, and further expressly disclaims all damages, losses, injuries or liability whatsoever incurred or alleged to have been incurred in consequence of your reliance on the information on this site. Avion does not endorse any test, procedure, treatment, remedy, therapy, cure, nutritional regimen, method or other activity or undertaking that you and/or your doctor or other medical professional may elect or recommend. By visiting this site you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have read and understand the same. These terms and conditions, together with any information on this site, may be amended, restated or otherwise changed from time to time and at any time by Avion within the sole, absolute and uncontrolled exercise of its discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Avion has no duty or obligation to keep you informed of any amendments to, restatements of or other changes to these terms and conditions or this site, and that you are solely and exclusively responsible for apprising yourself of the same.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA) per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and International Normalized Ratio (INR). Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients taking anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired predisposition to bleeding.

This site and its contents are an information resource only, and are neither intended to nor should be used in replacement of your doctor or other prescribing professional’s medical guidance, recommendations or advice. Neither this site nor its information should be used or relied upon for any diagnostic, medical, treatment, nutritional or other purpose. All aspects of pregnancy, including whether pregnancy is right for you, and the nourishment and care of your child, should be made with your doctor and other appropriate medical professional, and in consideration of your and your child’s particular medical history. Avion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Avion”) makes no representation, warranty or other undertaking that this site or its information are appropriate for you or your child’s specific needs or issues, and further expressly disclaims all damages, losses, injuries or liability whatsoever incurred or alleged to have been incurred in consequence of your reliance on the information on this site. Avion does not endorse any test, procedure, treatment, remedy, therapy, cure, nutritional regimen, method or other activity or undertaking that you and/or your doctor or other medical professional may elect or recommend. By visiting this site you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have read and understand the same. These terms and conditions, together with any information on this site, may be amended, restated or otherwise changed from time to time and at any time by Avion within the sole, absolute and uncontrolled exercise of its discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Avion has no duty or obligation to keep you informed of any amendments to, restatements of or other changes to these terms and conditions or this site, and that you are solely and exclusively responsible for apprising yourself of the same.

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