Is it Safe for Pregnant Women to Eat Raw Vegetables?

Vegetables must be included in the diet every day. In addition to being cooked first, vegetables can also be enjoyed raw, such as salad. Although healthy, is it safe for pregnant women to eat raw vegetables? You can ask Gynae Singapore.

Vegetables contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are important for the health of the mother while supporting fetal growth. That is why pregnant women should not be lacking in vegetable intake while pregnant. There are many ways to process vegetables. You can enjoy it by sautéing it, boiling it, making soup, or baking it. In addition to making the texture of vegetables more tender, cooking vegetables can also change the content of certain compounds in it so that it becomes more easily digested by the body.

But what about raw vegetables? Can pregnant women eat raw vegetables? Some types of food in the form of vegetables or salads serve a variety of mixed vegetables that are not cooked beforehand or raw. In addition to keeping the texture of the vegetable crispy, leaving it raw can actually maintain the content of certain nutrients in the vegetable so it is not damaged. So, eating raw vegetables allows pregnant women to get more nutrition. It’s just that pregnant women still have to be careful.

According to the food and drug regulatory agency in the United States (FDA), raw fruits and vegetables allow certain bacteria to be alive and not disappear, especially if not washed clean. A 2014 study also reported that fetuses contaminated with bacteria were at risk of infection and death. Although this study did not directly observe the effects of bacteria entering the body from raw vegetables, the effect that occurred could be a warning that bacterial infections are very dangerous for pregnant women.

So that pregnant women can eat raw vegetables and fruits safely, there are several things that must be considered, including:

Wash raw fruits and vegetables with running water, not soak in a container.
Make sure the outer skin of the fruit, vegetables, or tubers, peeled and removed.
Don’t use cleaning products (soap) to wash vegetables. Simply rub the surface of the vegetables and fruit with running water.
You can use a special brush to remove dirt that is still attached to the surface of fruits and vegetables.
Dispose of parts of vegetables and fruit that have been damaged or rotted.