The reason why pregnant women are told to avoid soft serve is due to the risk of contracting an infection called listeriosis.
The official advice on eating McFlurries in pregnancy
All McDonald's dairy products are pasteurised, so it should be fine for you to tuck into a McFlurry.
McDonald's ice cream does not contain egg (the milk in the ice cream is pasteurised).
No. It's best to avoid soft-serve ice cream when you're pregnant because listeria bacteria have been found in it.
It's not just soft-serve ice cream, milkshakes or McFlurries (see above) that are made in machines that may be susceptible to listeria.
Like shakes, McDonald's ice cream sundaes and McFlurries are made with pasteurised milk products.
The symptoms can take a few days or up to six weeks to appear, which can make diagnosing an infection difficult. The good news is that listeriosis in pregnant women is very rare in Australia and New Zealand.
Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults. An estimated 1/6 of all Listeria cases occur in pregnant women.
Listeriosis can cause mild, flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, and diarrhea or upset stomach. You also may have a stiff neck, headache, confusion, or loss of balance. Symptoms may appear as late as 2 months after you have eaten something with Listeria. Many pregnant women do not have any symptoms.
The official advice on McDonald's milkshakes in pregnancy
All McDonald's dairy products are pasteurised, so it should be fine for you to guzzle a Macca's milkshake.
Yes. The Food Standards Agency recommends that pregnant women shouldn't take more than 200mg of caffeine a day.
ALL CHICKEN PRODUCTS CONTAIN MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR INFANTS BELOW 12 MONTHS AND PREGNANT WOMEN.
Can You Freeze a McFlurry? Although you can freeze McFlurry, doing so will ruin its texture. You'll no longer have smooth, creamy ice cream. Instead, it will be brittle and crystalised.
During pregnancy, Listeria infection occurs more frequently in the third trimester (66%), and in most cases, the maternal sickness is usually mild with non-specific symptoms (fever, flu-like syndrome, plus abdominal and back pain) or even asymptomatic.
Listeria infection can spread from mom to baby through the placenta, but it's not a sure thing. So even if you get listeriosis, baby might not. The antibiotics used to treat listeriosis during pregnancy can prevent infection of the fetus.
Subway sandwiches are safe for pregnant women to eat if they're heated until hot, rather than just warm. This means either microwaved for a few seconds or having the sandwich toasted – sometimes a little more than normal.
2018. On 2 March 2018, the Australian National Focal Point (NFP) notified WHO of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infection (listeriosis) associated with the consumption of rockmelons (cantaloupe) from a single grower.
Symptoms of listeriosis may show up 2-30 days after exposure. Symptoms of listeria in pregnant women include mild flu-like symptoms, headaches, muscle aches, fever, nausea, and vomiting. If the infection spreads to the nervous system it can cause a stiff neck, disorientation, or convulsions.
Since 2004, Listeria infection monitoring across 10 regions of the USA shows that 17% of 760 Listeria infection cases were related to pregnancies, with a 29% incidence rate for fetal loss and neonatal fatalities.
Don't eat soft-serve ice cream. It is stored at a temperature that allows listeria to grow.
Yes, You Can You Eat Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream While Pregnant!
We are happy to remind parents-to-be everywhere that all of the milk, cream, and eggs used in our flavors are pasteurized during the production process. Pasteurized eggs are also used in all of our chunks and swirls, such as cookie dough or brownie batter.
There's a small chance that unpasteurised or soft ripened dairy products may contain Listeria bacteria. This can cause an infection called listeriosis. Listeriosis can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell. Soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside have more moisture.