Is eating ice cream safe when you’re pregnant?One of the best parts of being pregnant is the fact that no one’s judging you as you thoroughly enjoy your dinner (and some ice cream.) Lately, there’s been some talk out there about the safety of pregnant women eating ice cream. Is ice cream safe to eat during pregnancy?

There are some types of ice cream to be concerned about, such as soft serve and custards. If you love custard, make sure that if there are no raw eggs in the preparation. That’s because raw eggs might carry salmonella. Cooked egg custard, though, is just fine and completely delicious. While soft serve ice cream usually doesn’t have raw eggs in it, think about the store preparing the ice cream. If they don’t have strict cleaning standards, listeria may grow in the apparatus that dispenses ice cream.

Listeria can have a destructive impact on your developing baby. Salmonella has a similar risk, for your baby as well as for you. It’s a nasty bacteria that can cause dehydration, severe gastric upset, and even death in pregnant women. It may also lead to birth defects and miscarriage. So you can see why listeria and salmonella are no joke!

Gratefully, those complications are pretty rare and easy to avoid. Just get your ice cream from the grocery store. Store-bought ice cream won’t put you at risk for anything serious.

The bottom line is this: your ice cream needs to be made or served in a facility that’s safe and clean. Ask the store employees if there are any raw eggs in their ice cream to be sure. This will help you avoid the risk of nasty salmonella.