Is Juicing Safe When You're Pregnant? What's the Scoop?

Pregnancy 

Is Juicing Safe When You're Pregnant? What's the Scoop?

By Bell Gia Nutrition and Fitness Expert

Banana Spinach Smoothie 

To juice or not to juice -- that is the question asked by many a mom-to-be when at their obstetrician's office during their first trimester check-up.  

Can I start juicing? Can I continue to make my own smoothies or extracted juice at home? Can I buy fresh or bottled vegetable and/or fruit juice at my local raw-juice bar, farmers' market, co-op, or grocery store?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Safety for Moms-to-Be: Safe Eats - Fruits, Veggies & Juices, raw and unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juice can become contaminated with harmful bacteria that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, fever, headache, & body pain and should be avoided by pregnant women, young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. 

Vegetable and fruit juices that have not been pasteurized can contain harmful pathogens like Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in unwashed fruits and vegetables. Smoothies and freshly made store-bought juice, that has not been pasteurized, can also become contaminated with harmful illness-causing bacteria from coming into contact with dirty bacterial-containing juice-extracting equipment that was not washed thoroughly enough or from some of the fruit or veg that might have been stored with or along side of fruit or vegetables that did in fact carry on their outer rinds, skin, or peel the illness-causing bacteria. Commercial kitchen counters and surfaces that were not properly sanitized can also pass along sickening food-borne microorganisms to the produce going into the making of a smoothie or fresh juice when it is placed on the contaminated kitchen surface or countertop waiting to be fed into the juicer for juice extraction.  

Answer to the million-dollar question: IF unpasteurized juice is to be consumed by a pregnant mom-to-be, it is best to make the unpasteurized juice at home in order to err on the side of caution and hopefully avoid contracting harmful bacteria. This doesn't mean that a mom-to-be doesn't have to be particularly cautious when making her own juice however. Precautions still must be taken in order to prevent harmful bacteria contamination from ruining a nutrient-dense vegetable juice. 

To help prevent harmful bacteria often found on the outside of fruits and vegetables from getting into your juice, an expectant mother should always thoroughly wash raw fruits or vegetables under running water (without using any soap, detergent, or bleach solutions) and as an added precaution use a produce scrubbing brush to remove any surface dirt. It is also a good idea to attempt to cut away any and all damaged or bruised areas that are apparent to the naked eye. Bacteria can thrive and grow in crushed or banged-up spots of produce. To be safe rather than sorry, a woman possessing a maternal condition (preggo) should peel the fruit or vegetable's outside rind, skin, or peel off for good measure. 

Final Ruling: Thumbs up for trying to get your daily allowance of vitamins and minerals found in whole fruit and veggies. Eating a healthy, well-rounded diet is a great way of staying healthy, not gaining too much baby weight, and staying properly nourished as you manufacture another human being that will one day thank you for caring so much about your state of nutrition. 

References and Resources: 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Safety for Moms-to-Be: Safe Eats - Fruits, Veggies & Juices
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Nutrition During Pregnancy