The nutrition center does not recommend shawarma to pregnant women. After all, it is a heated product in which harmful bacteria and parasites, such as Listeria and Toxoplasma, should be killed. However, large amounts of bacteria are often found in shawarma prepared in shawarma shops. Although these bacteria will not directly cause a food infection, in some cases they can still be dangerous for pregnant women. When is shawarma a risk during pregnancy and when is it safe to eat?

Shawarma

Shawarma is marinated meat that is roasted on a skewer. Shawarma is usually cut off the skewer and into small pieces just before serving. Because shawarma is a dish from the Islamic Middle East, lamb is usually used for it. In Western countries it is quite common for shawarma to be made from pork. But other types of meat such as chicken, turkey or beef can also be used for shawarma. Shawarma is often eaten on a pita bread and served with lettuce, onions and garlic sauce, tomato sauce or sambal.

Doner kebab

A shawarma sandwich is also often called a döner sandwich. Both words mean rotating in Turkish, which refers to the preparation of the meat that is roasted on a spit while rotating vertically. The name shawarma comes from Turkey, while the Germans more often use the name döner kebab.

Preparation

Shawarma is made by marinating slices of lamb or pork in vinegar and spices. The mix of spices can differ per cook, but cumin, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg are often used. But salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika powder, cayenne pepper, ginger powder and coriander powder are also commonly used seasonings. The marinated slices of meat are stacked on top of each other and threaded onto a spit. The spit is roasted vertically while rotating. By turning the meat is cooked on all sides. The roasted meat is scraped from the spit in thin layers with a knife or a special shawarma scraper. After this meat has been removed, the meat underneath can continue to roast. If too much meat is removed from the spit at the same time, the meat may not be properly cooked. On the other hand, meat that is roasted on a spit for too long can dry out.

Health

Shawarma often contains a lot of saturated fats and is also often very salty. Eating too much salt during pregnancy can lead to high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to poorer blood supply to the baby, which can slow down growth. Therefore, avoid salty products if you have high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Bacteria in shawarma

Fresh shawarma does not contain any dangerous bacteria after proper preparation. If the preparation or hygiene in a shawarma shop is not good, the number of bacteria in shawarma can quickly increase. This is because the preparation process of shawarma is very critical.

Raw meat

The outside of a meat skewer receives the highest temperature during roasting. This means that the outside of the meat cooks the quickest, and the inside of a skewer can still be raw. If it is very busy in a shawarma shop, it can happen that too much meat is cut off the skewer too quickly, resulting in meat being served that is not properly cooked. Meat that has not been hot enough can contain a lot of bacteria.

Turn off grill

Roasting too long makes the meat tough. As a result, the grill is often turned off when it is quiet. This causes the temperature of the meat to quickly drop below 70 degrees and bacteria can start to grow. Especially if the grill is turned off for a while, the temperature can become ideal for bacteria to grow.

Core temperature too low

The core temperature of a large shawarma skewer is often not hot enough to kill bacteria. This gives bacteria free rein to grow. If the shawarma skewer is left hanging for a long time, the amounts of bacteria in the core of the meat can quickly increase to dangerous levels.Cutting Shawarma is cut into small pieces before serving. If hygiene in a shawarma shop is insufficient, the meat can be contaminated during cutting by using dirty knives or dirty cutting boards. Well-roasted meat can also contain many bacteria.

Shawarma tests

In the past, shawarma has often been put in a bad light because it was prepared in an unhygienic manner. Various tests in shawarma shops have shown that the meat contains too many bacteria.

The Taste Police, 2017

The Taste Police, a program of SBS6, presented by Rob Geus, bought a doner kebab sandwich at various kebab shops. Half of these sandwiches contained more bacteria than allowed. There was a kebab sandwich that contained 24 times the permitted amount of bacteria.

Consumers’ Association, 2012

In 2012, the Consumers’ Association conducted a study into the quality of shawarma in five major cities. The study showed that more than half of the sandwiches contained too many bacteria. No harmful pathogenic bacteria have been found, but the consumer association warns weaker people, such as pregnant women, against eating shawarma because it is often prepared unhygienically.

Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, 2010

The Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority investigated kebab shops for hygiene in 2010. Of the 1,800 cases, 40 percent turned out to have poor hygiene.

Listeria

Listeriosis can be a major danger during pregnancy. Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or birth defects. Because pregnant women have reduced resistance, there is a greater chance of infection. Although bacteria are often found in shawarma, the bacterium Listeria is not as common in shawarma. Listeria is therefore a bacterium that mainly poses a risk in products that have a longer shelf life in the refrigerator. In shawarma, which is often kept on a spit at higher temperatures, other bacteria play a more important role.

Toxoplasma

Toxoplasma Gondii is a parasite that is commonly found in raw meat, especially pork and lamb or mutton. If you are infected with Toxoplasma Gondii for the first time during pregnancy, there is a risk of complications, such as a miscarriage or birth defects. baby. If the temperature of the meat has been high enough, at least above 70 degrees, then the parasite is dead. Only shawarma that is not properly cooked poses a risk. In addition, there is a chance that the lettuce, which is often served with shawarma, has not been washed properly. Unwashed vegetables that are eaten raw can also be contaminated with Toxoplasma.

Shawarma during pregnancy

Too many bacteria are often found on shawarma from shawarma shops. This can be dangerous for pregnant women, especially if the meat is not properly cooked, shawarma may be contaminated with Listeria or Toxoplasma. It is therefore better to prepare shawarma at home during pregnancy. At home you do not prepare this in the traditional way by roasting the meat vertically, but you fry the pre-cut pieces of raw marinated meat in a frying pan. If the meat is heated through, it is safe to eat.

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