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Can You Eat Easter Eggs If You're Pregnant?

by Lindsay E. Mack

When you're expecting, holiday celebrations tend to get scaled back a little. Maybe you skipped out on the Christmas eggnog,or even champagne for New Year's Eve. But some treats are harder to pass by than others. For instance, can you eat Easter eggs if you're pregnant? Those springtime goodies are difficult to ignore.

To kick things off, consider the typical Easter egg. It's a hard-boiled egg decorated with dye. What could go wrong? Well, there are a few factors to keep in mind before you chow down. As noted in the website for Good Housekeeping, Easter eggs are generally safe to consume if you used food-grade dyes and refrigerated them soon after the dyeing process. Eggs that have been hanging out for an egg hunt, especially outdoors, are probably not the safest snack for anybody, let alone a pregnant woman.

Additionally, there are a few more things to consider if you want to eat eggs while pregnant. As explained by the National Health Service, eggs that are raw or undercooked may present the risk of salmonella poisoning. Hard-boiled eggs with solid whites and yolks are the way to go when food safety is a top concern. Just boil the hell out of those eggs and you should be fine.

But what about the sweeter side of Easter eggs; i.e. the chocolate variety? Chances are, you can dive right in. According to Baby Center, chocolate is fine for most pregnant women to enjoy (provided you don't have a condition such as gestational diabetes). There are a few caveats, though.

According to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), it's a good idea for pregnant women to limit their caffeine intake, and the estimated daily limit is between 150 to 300 mg. Although the exact amount that can safely be consumed is still under study, the general idea is to limit caffeine intake as much as possible. With this in mind, you may want to double-check your chocolate Easter egg's caffeine content, and enjoy it accordingly. Or if you'd rather just eat your candy without looking up nutritional facts first, that's cool too. Whatever the case, hopefully you and yours will have a pleasant holiday filled with treats of every variety.