Expect The Best Pregnancy

Thoroughly Cooked Eggs Are Safe to Eat

Elizabeth Ward — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:49:55 +0000

When you’re pregnant, you should be cautious when it comes to food. With all the talk about the recent egg recall due to potential contamination with salmonella, you may be wondering if eggs are safe to eat. The answer is yes!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, thoroughly cooked eggs are safe eggs. Salmonella is killed with proper cooking.

How do you know your eggs are thoroughly cooked? The yolks and whites are firm. If you’re making dishes such as quiche, frittatas or French toast casseroles, measure the internal temperature of the dish with a kitchen thermometer. It should register 160˚ F, and you’re good to go!

As always, wash your hands before handling food, keep your refrigerator at 33˚ to 40˚F, toss food that’s been left out of the fridge or the freezer for more than two hours, and keep eggs, and other raw animal foods, separate from other foods.

Visit eggsafety.org for more information about the egg recall and the safe handling of eggs, now and moving forward.

Have you seen my other blog at USATODAY.com? It features tips for feeding your family healthy foods, and offers a weekly recipe that I prepare with my children as part of Cooking With My Kids. Check out Pork Medallions with Cherry Sauce. Yum!

Your Breastfeeding Diet

Elizabeth Ward — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:47:25 +0000

Should you drink when you’re breastfeeding? What nutrients do you need more of when nursing a child? ParentsAsk.com has the answers.
Find out about alcohol and breastfeeding and your breastfeeding diet here.

What’s for Dinner Tonight? Pork Medallions with Cherry Sauce

Elizabeth Ward — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:23:00 +0000

Ellie Krieger’s Pork Medallions with Cherry Sauce from her wonderful book, The Food You Crave, is delicious, and so easy to make. Check out the recipe at my USATODAY.com blog. Enjoy!

Diet Soda Increases Risk of Pre-term Birth

Elizabeth Ward — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:09:31 +0000

Got a Diet Coke habit? You may want to kick it to the curb, caffeine-free, or not.

A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) suggests that women who drink artificially-sweetened carbonated beverages on a daily basis run a greater risk for preterm delivery, and the higher the intake, the greater the risk. While the authors say that further studies are needed to confirm their findings, the study is certainly food for thought.

Pre-term birth occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy. An estimated one in eight babies in the US are born before their time. Pre-term birth is risky because of health risks to the baby and possibly, death. Read more about pre-term birth here.

There was no association between sugar-sweetened carbonated beverages and pre-term birth in the AJCN study. That doesn’t mean you should switch to regular carbonated drinks, however. They are full of sugar and not much else, and do little to promote your health or your baby’s well-being.

Ditch the diet soda and drink three glasses of low-fat milk every day instead. You’ll get the calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other nutrients that you and your baby need.

Have you seen my other blog at USATODAY.com? It features tips for feeding your family healthy foods, and offers a weekly recipe that I prepare with my children as part of Cooking With My Kids.

Get Your Body Back After Baby

Elizabeth Ward — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:31:15 +0000

Let’s face it: getting back into shape after your baby is born is hard work. You’re fighting fatigue, caring for a newborn, and adapting to a new schedule, and focusing on fitness is often last on the list of things to do. I know, I have been there three times.

The good news is that it’s possible to shape up after deliverly. Elisa Zied, MS, RD, author and mother of two, shares some great tips in her latest caloriecount.com blog about getting back into shape after baby. (Psst…she interviewed me for the piece!) Check it out here.

The Health Benefits of Herbs and Spices

Elizabeth Ward — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:20:41 +0000

Herbs and spices do more than season food. Check out the most recent findings on the health benefits of herbs and spices in my latest WebMD piece at www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/spices-and-herbs-health-benefits

Brown Bag Lunch Makeover

Elizabeth Ward — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:35:08 +0000

August’s edition of Family Circle Magazine features an article I wrote about making healthier brown bag lunches for kids. Check it out!

Have you seen my other blog at USATODAY.com? It features tips for feeding your family healthy foods, and offers a weekly recipe that I prepare with my children as part of Cooking With My Kids. This week’s recipe is Emma’s Chocolate Banana Smoothie . Delicious!

Caffeine and Pregnancy: Good News

Elizabeth Ward — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:04:44 +0000

If the thought of giving up your morning cup of Joe during pregnancy doesn’t appeal to you, there’s no need to worry. A cup of coffee a day - or it’s caffeine equivalent - probably won’t harm your baby, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

ACOG experts said this week that limiting caffeine intake to 200 milligrams a day does not significantly contribute to preterm birth or miscarriage.

The March of Dimes also recommends limiting caffeine intake to 200 milligrams a day, the equivalent of about 12 ounces of coffee.

Here are some other caffeine sources from the list of 65 beverages and foods containing caffeine in Expect the Best, Your Guide to Healthy Eating Before, During, & After Pregnancy.

Spike Shooter, 8.4 ounces: 300 milligrams
Starbucks Iced Brewed Coffee, 16 ounces: 190 milligrams
Monster Energy, 16 ounces: 160 milligrams
Foosh Energy Mints, 1 piece: 100 milligrams
Starbucks Tazo Green Tea Latte (Grande), 16 ounces: 80 milligrams
Jolt Cola, 12 ounces: 72 milligrams
Mountain Dew MDX, regular or diet, 12 ounces: 54 milligrams
Diet Coke, 12 ounces: 47 milligrams
Barq’s Root Beer, regular or diet, 12 ounces: 23 milligrams
Tea, black, brewed, 8 ounces: 47 milligrams
Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bar, 1.45 ounces: 18 milligrams

What NOT to Eat When You’re Pregnant

Elizabeth Ward — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 11:22:21 +0000

I like to be positive, and talk about what you should eat when you’re pregnant. To be honest, there are a lot of foods and beverages to avoid when you’re expecting a child. Here’s my latest article on the topic: http://www.webmd.com/baby/features/foods-to-avoid-when-youre-pregnant.

Healthy Snacks for Kids on The Today Show

Elizabeth Ward — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:40:12 +0000

Elizabeth Ward on the Today Show

Yesterday, I talked about healthy snacking for kids on the Today Show. Here’s my philosophy in a nutshell: Snacks should be mini meals, not meal wreckers.

Mom, forget about the Goldfish, pretzels, and crackers. Kids are snacking so much now - they get about 25% of their calories from between-meal noshing - that snacks should be packed with good nutrition.

You wouldn’t serve your child a pile of orange-colored crackers and a juice drink for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, would you? I knew you would say no!

When you feed your kids foods you’d serve at a healthy meal for snacks, you don’t need to worry about taking the edge of their appetite, and chances are, children will get the nutrients they need.

Check out the segment here. I had a lot of fun with Hoda and Mark!