Egg nog during pregnancy

It is safe to drink egg nog during pregnancy  only if you know its been made with pasteurized egg  and without alcohol. Home-made egg nog is made with eggs that are raw, unpasteurized or both. These  are not safe for pregnant women because they can carry disease causing organisms such as Salmonella bacteria. Commercially made ones sold in stores are made with pasteurized eggs and is safer.

Salmonella can cause food poisoning and can be fatal in rare cases. Getting sick  from Salmonella during pregnancy  can  cause vomiting, high fever, diarrhea and dehydration  which can result in miscarriage or preterm labor.

When you make home-made egg nog, you should heat the egg and milk to at least 160 degree F to kill Salmonella. You can also use pasteurized milk. However with someone else’s egg nog, it will  be  hard to tell what its made of.

You have to be careful at parties. Egg nog  is usually spiked with liquor and it is not a  good idea to drink alcohol during pregnancy.

You can consider soy nog as an alternative to egg nog. This doesnt contain eggs or any diary products. It is lower in calories and fat.