Can truffles be eaten when pregnant?

Why all this attention on truffles during pregnancy? Thanks to Chiara Ferragni, pregnant with a baby girl. In recent days you have published stories to tell about the participation with Fedez in the truffle harvest in Costigliole d’Asti, at the Casa del Trifulau. When she declared that, being pregnant, she can’t eat them, many followers wondered: why?

In the stories shot in Costigliole d’Asti, at the Casa del Trifulau, Chiara Ferragni declared that she cannot eat truffles when pregnant. Many followers wondered: why?

We try to explain it here not before having discovered the properties and curiosities about truffles up close.

The properties of truffles

Truffles have been prized for centuries and today are one of the most expensive foods money can buy. The cost of the black truffle, for example, is around  €800 per kg.

Truffles are a gift of underground mushrooms. Unlike mushrooms, which grow above ground, truffles grow on tree roots 5 to 10 centimeters below ground. It takes special skills and tools to figure out where they are and gently pick them up. There are dogs that are specially trained to search.

Truffles look very different from mushrooms. They are roundish, wrinkled, or smooth in shape with variable dimensions. Some are as small as walnuts, while others are as big as a fist.

There are over 100 different types of truffles in the world, but among the most common we find the “white truffle”, a very fragrant Italian truffle, and the “black truffle”.

Each truffle has its own distinct flavor, depending on the weather during its growth, the type of tree roots it grows on. In general, however, you can expect a strong, earthy taste (and smell) that looks more like a perfume than a spice.

Nutritional values ​​of truffles

The size of a portion of truffles is small, corresponding to 0.5 grams,

A portion of black truffle preserved in water and salt contains:

• Calorie: 10
• Protein: 2 grams
• Fat: 0 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Carbohydrates: 0 grams

The exact nutrients found in truffles will depend on the type but in any case, they are all a rich source of amino acids and minerals, including:

• Phosphorus
• Copper
• Manganese
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Vitamine A, B, C, D e K.

Truffles are also rich in natural substances that protect against “free radicals”.

Truffles: health benefits

In Africa and the Middle East, people use truffles as medicine for certain skin and eye conditions but it’s unclear if and how well they work.

Studies have tested a very concentrated truffle extract showing that it can:

• Lower cholesterol
• Keep your blood sugar under control
• Have a protective effect on the liver
• Reduce the state of inflammation throughout the body
• Fighting bacterial infections
• Help prevent cancer

Keep in mind that the amount of truffles you eat is much less than the amounts tested, so it’s unlikely to have this kind of impact on your health.

Risks

A truffle allergy is very rare. It is important, however, to only eat fresh truffles that come from a known and reliable source. Some poisonous mushrooms can be confused with truffles. Only an expert can tell them apart.

How to prepare and eat truffles

Once harvested, truffles begin to rot within 10 days. It’s not a good idea to boil or freeze them to try and make them last longer. Freezing ruins the texture of the truffle and boiling damages the flavor.

Clean the truffles as soon as they are picked . Cut out any bad spots and brush off the dirt, then rinse gently and pat dry. Cover the truffles with a dry paper towel and refrigerate them until you are ready to use them.

The smell and taste of a truffle are so strong that they can be annoying. Generally they are used freshly grated in small quantities on food before eating it. You can add grated raw truffle to eggs, pasta, rice, sauces, chicken and fish.

And here comes the problem for those who are pregnant.

Truffles in pregnancy

The truffle, growing underground and therefore in contact with possible pathogens,  cannot be eaten raw by a pregnant woman , especially if she is not immune to toxoplasmosis .

Toxoplasmosis is caused by a parasite, Toxoplasma gondi.

Toxoplasmosis infections in most cases are due to  infected meat that has not been cooked enough  to eliminate the parasite.

In other cases it is taken from  contaminated raw vegetables  (from the feces of an infected animal, typically the cat) or by  direct contact with the  infected feces without using gloves and/or washing your hands adequately before putting them in your mouth or touching food.

Food is the first cause of toxoplasmosis infection, an infection that can be really dangerous for the health of the child during pregnancy 

Are there alternatives to be able to eat truffles while pregnant anyway? There are those who offer frozen truffles (for at least 3 days) or freeze-dried ones, or packaged products. However, there are no scientific references in this regard therefore, when in doubt, it is always preferable to give up truffles in those 9 months of pregnancy to be sure of not incurring infections due to food that is not completely clean.

This is not an impossible renunciation, we are lucky enough to be able to bring a wide variety of foods to the table, we can do it!