With Valentine's Day right around the corner, the flux of chocolate into your life is about to multiply. Whether you've got yourself a sweetheart, exchange treats with a friend, or just sample from the office pool of delicious, you need to be paying attention to what goes into your mouth if you're pregnant. Because there are certain foods that you should stay away from when you're pregnant. You know the deal with fish and raw eggs and the like. But what's the verdict on chocolate? More specifically, are chocolate truffles safe for pregnant women?
Truffles are one of those delicious delicacies that usually only rear their beautiful heads during special occasions, and Valentine's Day is prime time for the treats to show up on your doorstep, office, and even in your hands. As dietitian Melinda Johnson told Baby Center, chocolate is perfectly safe for most pregnant women, in moderation. Johnson added that because chocolate isn't the healthiest way to get your calories and nutrition in, you should limit your chocolate intake while pregnant. Aside from being less than nutritious in excessive amounts, chocolate also contains caffeine. And, according to Livestrong, you should also limit your caffeine intake to about 200 milligrams a day when pregnancy. If you're drinking tea, soft drinks, or coffee, and add in a hefty chocolate habit, you can easily find yourself going over the recommended limits.
So chocolate is safe, in moderation. But what about those truffles? The reason you may be wary of taking a handful of truffles out of that beautiful box is because most truffles are flavored with liquor. From creme de menthe, to bourbon, to rum, some of the best truffles in the box are infused with booze. Chances are, the amount of alcohol found in the truffles in question is relatively low. In general recipes for truffles that contain alcohol call for anywhere between a tablespoon and a quarter cup at liquor. When divided between the truffles, the actual amount of booze you're imbibing is relatively low. If you're concerned about the amount of alcohol in the truffles, ask to see the box or the recipe before you grab one.
Although one or two truffles should be fine, you don't want to sit down with the box and treat yourself to all of them. According to Hannah Ewens at Vice, getting a buzz off of liquor infused chocolates is possible. If you're the type who can't have just one, you may want to step away from the chocolates all together. And if it's rum balls on the table, well, according to She Knows, you'll want to avoid those alcohol-packed treats. Whether or not the truffles contain alcohol, too much of a good thing can wind up being a bad thing when you're pregnant. And honestly, sitting down with an entire box of chocolate truffles isn't exactly recommended by doctors, even when you're not pregnant. According to Baby Center, if you're having trouble controlling your blood sugar, or you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, or you have no self control, it may be better to avoid the chocolates completely.
