More about fruits and vegetables

While we’re on the subject of fruits and vegetables, remember to properly clean and/or prepare your fresh fruits and vegetables. The outer surface of raw fruits and vegetables can harbor harmful bacteria, such as listeria. Be sure to wash your produce thoroughly. Heat will kill the bacteria, but refrigeration will not. So enjoy your fruits and vegetables, just make sure they are clean. If you’re concerned about pesticide and fertilizer residue on the fruits and vegetables, you may want to purchase certified organic produce.

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Veggie Snaps – Central Ohio Farmers’ Market Incentive Program

Most pregnant women are aware of the value of eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Women and infants need the vitamins and minerals the fruits and vegetables provide and a diet high in fiber can prevent uncomfortable constipation during pregnancy.  However, many women complain about the high cost of buying fruits and vegetables at the supermarkets or farmers’ markets. Central Ohio has an incentive program where individuals enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can double their dollars when buying fruits and vegetables at participating markets. Follow this link to find more information about Veggies Snaps as well as which markets are in the program:  https://veggiesnaps.wordpress.com/

If you aren’t living in the Central Ohio area, check to see if your farmers’ markets have a similar program.

Allergies, Asthma and Pregnancy

Allergy season is upon us and many women wonder if it’s safe to take medications to treat their allergy and asthma symptoms while they are pregnant. Doctors believe it is important to keep allergies and asthma under control and treatment is safe with the correct medication. If you are pregnant and suffer from allergies or asthma, you should visit your physician to see which treatment plan is best for you.

Go to the staying healthy while you are pregnant page to read more regarding safe treatments for allergy and asthma while you are pregnant.

One Life, One Voice, One Community

A Free event in Cleveland addressing infant mortality:

One Life One Voice One Community Flyer

Listeria and Pregnancy

Listeria has been in the news lately due to an outbreak related to contaminated ice cream. Most listeria infections are due to eating contaminated foods. Listeriosis can be passed to the unborn baby through the placenta resulting in premature births, stillbirth, miscarriage or serious health problems for the newborn. A pregnant woman infected by listeria may not experience symptoms.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provide the following advice for pregnant women:

• Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
• Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
• Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, and Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, or Mexican-style cheeses such asqueso blanco,queso fresco, andPanela, unless they have labels that clearly state they are made from pasteurized milk.
  • It is safe to eat hard cheeses, semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella, pasteurized processed cheese slices and spreads, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.
• Do not eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads.
  • It is safe to eat canned or shelf-stable pâté and meat spreads.
• Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood unless it is an ingredient in a cooked dish such as a casserole. Examples of refrigerated smoked seafood include salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, and mackerel which are most often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.” This fish is found in the refrigerated section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores anddelicatessens.
  • It is safe to eat canned fish such as salmon and tuna or shelf-stable smoked seafood.
• Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.
• Use all refrigerated perishable items that are precooked or ready-to-eat as soon as possible.
• Clean your refrigerator regularly.
• Use a refrigerator thermometer to make sure that the refrigerator always stays at 40 °F or below.

The links take you to information on contaminated products as well as food safety:

http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/home

New Resource!

Check out this web site for pregnant women: http://www.cradlecincinnati.org/.   It guides you towards resources for pregnant women in the Cincinnati area as well as general pregnancy information. You can also find a link to this site on the resources for pregnant women and children page.

Home Based Maternal Counseling

Catholic Social Services provides comprehensive in-home maternal counseling in Franklin County, Ohio. Licensed social workers provide counseling to any income eligible individual living in Franklin County who is pregnant, parenting or a caretaker for a child 12 months or younger. For more information on these services, go to the resources for pregnant women and children page or call counseling intake coordinator, Lucy, at 614-857-1218.

Alcohol and Pregnancy

Doctors say there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. If you would like to read about the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant, go to the staying healthy while you are pregnant page for more information about alcohol and pregnancy.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases Can Hurt Your Baby

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are diseases passed from one partner to another during sex. When you get prenatal care, you will be tested for STDs (another important reason to get prenatal care). If you have any infections, you and your partner will be treated. If these diseases are left untreated, they can seriously harm your infant. Go to the getting healthy before you get pregnant page to read more information on STDs and their impact on your pregnancy and baby.

A Call for Resources

One of the most popular pages of this blog is the page about resources for pregnant women and children. If you are aware of any resources for pregnant women in your city or state, please submit the information to the link on the right side of the front page which states submit links, information and events. We can share this information with our viewers.