Is it safe to drink eggnog during pregnancy?

Only if you know that it's been cooked properly or made with pasteurized eggs -- and made without alcohol.

Homemade eggnog is often made with eggs that are raw, unpasteurized, or both. Such eggs are unsafe for pregnant women because they can carry disease-causing organisms like the Salmonella bacteria. Commercially made eggnog sold in stores is made with pasteurized eggs and is safer.

Salmonella can cause food poisoning and, in very rare cases, be fatal. If you get sick from Salmonella while you're pregnant, the high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration that can result could cause preterm labor or even a miscarriage.

When making homemade eggnog, the eggs and milk must be heated together to at least 160 degrees F to kill Salmonella. Or you can use eggs that have been pasteurized, a commercial heating process that also kills Salmonella. But with someone else's homemade eggnog, it’s hard to know what you're getting.

It's smart to be especially cautious at parties, where eggnog is often spiked with liquor. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy isn't a good idea because no one knows exactly how much — or how little — can harm a developing baby. If you had a cup of eggnog before knowing you were pregnant, though, don't panic. The chance that you've harmed your baby is very small.

As an alternative to eggnog, you might consider "soy nog," which doesn't contain eggs or any other dairy products. It's also lower in calories and fat. You can find it during the winter holidays in most large grocery stores and at health food stores.

Show sources

FDA. 2014. Food Safety for Moms-to-Be: Safe Eats—Dairy & Eggs. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. [Accessed March 2016]

CDC. 2014. Food Safe and Pregnant: Tips for the Holidays and Beyond. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Accessed March 2016] 2010. Homemade Eggnog: Make it Safely.
[Accessed March 2016]

advertisement | page continues below
Log in to continue

blue background
Track your baby's development
Track my baby