With the holiday season upon us, there will be lots of baking and you may be tempted to take a little taste of the batter before you put it in the oven. Unfortunately this year, you will need to skip tasting the cookie batter and wait until the cookies come out of the oven.
The reason raw cookie dough can be harmful to you and your baby is because it contains eggs and even a tiny taste can pose a big risk for you and your baby. The Center for Disease control estimates that 1 in 20,000 eggs contains salmonella bacteria. Salmonella is a type of food poisoning and there are about 40,000 new cases of salmonellosis each year in the U.S. It can lead to health complications during pregnancy such as vomiting and dehydration, bacteremia which can lead to meningitis which is an infection that causes swelling in the spinal cord and brain, or reactive arthritis which causes swelling and pain in joints. Not only can you get sick but your baby is at risk too. You can pass salmonellosis on to your baby as well.
There is still as hope this holiday season to enjoy some delicious batter. The store bought dough is safe although it is often not yummy as the homemade kind. If you are still need to get your cookie dough tasting in this holiday season, here are some great recipes that are safe to eat during pregnancy!
So enjoy the delicious cookie dough and have a happy holiday season!
