Is It Safe to Eat Tiramisu During Pregnancy?

Eating dessert after dinner has become our culture. How else can we digest that heavy food without that delicious sweet dessert?

Among the many desserts one might crave after dinner, tiramisu is one of the most popular. Tiramisu is an Italian dessert that means “pick me up.” The main ingredient which gives this dessert its sweet taste is cocoa and espresso, cheese and wine, and ladyfinger biscuits.

However, is it safe to eat tiramisu during pregnancy? If you’ve been into what you can eat during pregnancy or can not, you probably have concluded by hearing the main ingredients of this dessert, like cheese and wine.

In this article on Hipregnancy, we look at whether it is safe to eat tiramisu when pregnant, and then we’ll get into the potential side effects it may bear on your body. Finally, we’ll see how you can make a tiramisu eatable during pregnancy.

Also read: too much sugar during pregnancy

Can pregnant women eat tiramisu?

Most mothers-to-be know that when pregnant, foodborne illnesses are an important issue. These changes in the immune system make it harder for pregnant women to fight bacteria and infections.

In conventional terms of definition, Tiramisu is not safe to eat during pregnancy. This food is banned because of two main reasons: it is made from raw egg yolks, wine, coffee, and some cheese.

Although cheese has many forms, and many of them are safe during pregnancy; however, eating raw eggs and wine (alcohol) is not. NHS has a category for eggs that specifically states that:

“Raw or partially cooked hen eggs that are not British Lion” and “raw or partially cooked duck, goose or quail eggs” are off-limits for pregnant women.

In another category called ‘other foods and drinks,’ there is a specific mention that drinking alcohol harms the baby and can “lead to long-term harm to your baby.”

Also, caffeine intake during pregnancy must not exceed 200mg per day. Espresso and coffee, as the main ingredients of tiramisu, may exceed the defined limit; this means you should limit your other caffeine intake sources and be mindful of them.

So based on the criteria mentioned above, eating tiramisu during pregnancy is not considered a safe choice because of using raw egg yolks, wine, and caffeine. Below we’ll get into the specifics of its potential side effects on your body.

Also Read: can you eat over easy eggs while pregnant

Potential Side Effects of Eating Tiramisu during Pregnancy

Earlier, we saw that tiramisu is known for its raw eggs and wine ingredients, which are seriously avoided foods during pregnancy. Therefore, we concluded that eating tiramisu during pregnancy is unsafe. (Check what not to eat pregnant)

Although caffeine and cheese can adversely affect pregnant women, they are not as serious as raw eggs and wine. In what follows, we’ll explore the most important side effects of eating tiramisu during pregnancy:

1)Raw Eggs

Raw eggs can carry many organisms that hurt the fetus and the mother. The most common disease-causing organism is called Salmonella. This organism can cause food poisoning during pregnancy.

Food poisoning, especially if it is from Salmonella, can cause serious problems like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and even preterm labor and miscarriage. It is paramount to eat fully cook eggs and use pasteurized ones whenever possible.

2)Wine and Alcohol

There isn’t any good or safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy. The group of problems alcohol can cause has a syndrome of its own: fetal alcohol syndrome. Symptoms of this syndrome in babies include:

• Poor growth before and after birth
• Poor muscle tone and problems with movement and balance
• Problems with thinking and speech
• Problems in Behavior and attention
• Heart defects
• Learning problems
• Changes in the shape of the face

As you can see, drinking alcohol is a big NO when deciding to eat tiramisu when pregnant. However, if you crave tiramisu during pregnancy, there are some ways and recipes you can use to enjoy this delicious dessert when pregnant. Recommend you also read the article wine during pregnancy.

Also Read: Is It Safe to Eat Dark Chocolate During Pregnancy?

How to Eat Tiramisu During Pregnancy If It Is Forbidden?

The first option to try eating tiramisu during pregnancy is to choose recopies that eliminate the potential risks of raw unpasteurized eggs and alcohol. You can also choose recipes that minimize the amount of coffee in tiramisu.

A simple search on Google for ‘tiramisu recipe without raw eggs’ or ‘without alcohol’ will give you plenty of options and recipes to try out. The second easier option to eat tiramisu when pregnant is to use store-bought tiramisu:

Safe Brands to Eat Tiramisu When Pregnant

Store-bought tiramisu is another option you could try to eat tiramisu while pregnant. When you shop with these brands, you don’t have to worry about unpasteurized milk or raw eggs:

• Melegatti Tiramisu Panettone
• Cole’s tiramisu
• Marketside tiramisu cake (Read more about this in the article can we eat cake during pregnancy?)
• Wholefoods Mini Tiramisu Cup
• Kroger Tiramisu layer cake

Final Thoughts to Eat Tiramisu When Pregnant

Eating desserts after meals have become one of the habits of our age. Tiramisu is one of the most popular Italian recipes, containing raw eggs, caffeine, and alcohol.

Because of its ingredients, this dessert is usually among the forbidden foods during pregnancy, and as you see, you should avoid it for multiple reasons. But we’ve covered some other ways to enjoy tiramisu during pregnancy.

We always advise our readers to consult with their healthcare professional before making any adjustments in the diet, but in this case, no need to consult!

Your doctor probably won’t say it is ok to consume alcohol, or raw egg yolks or significant amounts of caffeine while pregnant.

FAQs