What type of foods would be good to eat during pregnancy at a bbq and what foods
should be avoided?
If you are choosing among picnic and BBQ dishes, keep in mind to avoid the foods
associated with contamination by the listeria bacteria. Pregnant women and babies
are at risk of becoming infected. Foods that may harbor this bacteria are ready-to-eat
packaged deli-style meats and poultry; refrigerated meat spreads and smoked seafood;
hot dogs; fermented and dry sausage; deli salads and spreads; pates; soft cheeses
such as Brie, blue-veined, feta, Camembert, Roquefort, or Mexican-style cheeses;
unpasteruized milk, cider, or juice. Raw fish, raw eggs, raw sprouts, raw or undercooked
meats, raw cookie dough, batters, Caesar dressing, hollandaise sauce, homemade ice
cream made with raw eggs, and chocolate mousse may also be contaminated with parasites
or bacteria dangerous to you and your baby.
If you are bringing meat or fish to grill, marinate it in the fridge, keep raw meat
platters separate from cooked meat or other serving platters, and avoid charring
foods. Well done meat cooked at high temperatures forms carcinogens such as PAHs
(polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and HCAs (heterocyclicamines) on the surface
or within the meat. One way to protect against this reaction is to half bake meats
in the oven and then transfer immediately to the grill, cooking over a lower heat,
and cutting off fatty, burned or charred portions before serving. Another technique
to avoid charred meats is to cook them in foil pouches over low heat on the grill,
which traps in moisture and flavor without burning.