Eggs in pregnancy, yes or no? Here’s what’s important to know

Can eggs be eaten while pregnant? Yes, but it's good to memorize some basic recommendations.

Eggs during pregnancy can be consumed because they bring a large number of nutrients to the body. Yet, to avoid risks, it is advisable to take some precautions, both for the choice of the product and for the cooking methods.

Eggs in pregnancy: allowed or forbidden?

Among the many food doubts that accompany pregnant women, especially if it is the first child, there is the one about eggs : are they allowed or forbidden? Absolutely yes, you can eat them but you need to have some precautions. They are allowed because there are so many benefits that they bring to the body through its nutrients: calcium , iron , phosphorus, zinc , proteins, carbohydrates , fats, vitamins A , B1 , E , D and K2. Despite everything, just as it happens when you are not pregnant, it is good never to exceed the number of four eggs a week.

If possible, choose a fresh product, perhaps zero km and from free-range hens . When it's not possible to buy them from the farmer, make sure they don't come from cage farms and check the expiration date. Do you have a doubt? Shake the egg: if you feel a movement inside it, it means it is not fresh.

Alternatively, put it in a glass of water with salt . If it floats, it's old. In any case, just open it and look at it to understand if you can still eat it or if it should be thrown away. When it has gone bad, it gives off an unpleasant smell that makes you sick.

Moving on to cooking , hard-boiled eggs during pregnancy are excellent, as well as fried or poached. Obviously, if you want to keep them light it is preferable to cook them soft-boiled and poached. A recommendation, however, is obligatory: opt for these methods of cooking only when you are certain that the egg is fresh and of guaranteed origin. If you don't have these certainties, opt for hard-boiled eggs.

Raw eggs in pregnancy: best avoided

Having ascertained that fried eggs during pregnancy can be eaten, just as they can also be eaten in all other cooking methods, we must focus on raw eggs. Even if very fresh, it is preferable not to consume them. First of all, it doesn't digest well, then raw white meat contains avidin, a substance that hinders the absorption of vitamin H (biotin). With cooking it is destroyed and, above all, any germs that can cause various problems are also killed.

Raw or undercooked eggs, as well as preparations containing them such as mayonnaise or tiramisu, expose you to the risk of contracting salmonella . Furthermore, without cooking them, the compilobacterium is not eliminated. It should be emphasized that salmonella and compilobacterium affect the mother and not the fetus. No risk, however, on the side of toxoplasmosis.

The latter, in fact, is linked to the excrement of cats that contaminate the soil where fruit and vegetables grow or where animals are fed. To avoid problems, go ahead with pasteurized egg during pregnancy.