Is Cold Pressed Juice Safe During Pregnancy? A Nutritionist’s Guide to Juicing While Pregnant
The FDA recommends pregnant women avoid unpasteurized juices from juice bars and stores. But this blanket guideline doesn’t account for home juicing with proper food safety practices. Let me walk you through exactly how to juice safely during pregnancy.
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Yes—with proper handling and sourcing. The concern with cold pressed juice during pregnancy is that unpasteurized juice can harbor harmful bacteria (Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella). However, when you juice at home with organic produce that’s been thoroughly washed, or purchase from a trusted source that uses fresh organic ingredients and proper hygiene, juicing while pregnant can be done safely and is an excellent way to pack in nutrients your growing baby needs.
This article was inspired by a conversation with Brooke Cates, a dear friend and owner of The Bloom Method. During her first trimester, Brooke experienced extreme food aversions—including to seared greens, which she’d eaten daily before pregnancy. She discovered that fresh pressed green juice didn’t trigger the same aversion, allowing her to maintain her nutrient intake when cooked greens were off the table.
Brooke consumed pressed juice throughout her pregnancy in large quantities, but was extremely selective about her sources: only organic produce from two local Boulder businesses, always consumed within 24 hours of pressing. When colleagues raised concerns about unpasteurized juice, she asked me to weigh in with the nutritional science.
The FDA recommends pregnant women avoid unpasteurized juices from juice bars and stores. But this blanket guideline doesn’t account for home juicing with proper food safety practices. Let me walk you through exactly how to juice safely during pregnancy.
With proper handling, juicing during pregnancy can be done safely from home.
Here are my rules:
Is Pressed Juicery safe during pregnancy? Major cold-pressed juice brands like Pressed Juicery use High Pressure Processing (HPP)—a non-thermal pasteurization method that kills harmful bacteria while preserving nutrients. HPP-treated juices are generally considered safe during pregnancy. Check the label for “HPP” or “cold pressured.”
Avoid unpasteurized juices from farmers’ markets, small juice bars, or self-serve juice stations where you can’t verify handling practices.
Juice all ingredients. The ginger and lemon combination is one of the best natural nausea remedies. Drink first thing in the morning.
Juice all ingredients. Spinach provides iron; lemon’s vitamin C dramatically improves absorption. Beet supports blood volume expansion.
Juice all ingredients. Watermelon and cucumber are deeply hydrating and help reduce late-pregnancy swelling.
Both have a place. Juice delivers concentrated micronutrients in an easy-to-digest form—ideal when you have food aversions or nausea. Smoothies retain the fiber, provide more sustained energy, and allow you to add protein and healthy fats (critical during pregnancy).
I recommend:
See also: How to Build the Ultimate Fertility Smoothie | PCOS Fertility Smoothies
In a 1:1 pregnancy nutrition consultation, you will learn exactly what to eat for a healthy pregnancy, what lifestyle factors are important for nourishing you and your baby, what supplements are important to include (and why quality matters!), what specifics to focus on during each trimester, and many other critical factors to ensure a healthy, happy pregnancy, and a well nourished baby and mama. Schedule a 1:1 pregnancy nutrition consultation to get started.
Yes, when handled properly. Home-juiced organic produce that’s been thoroughly washed is safe. For store-bought, choose HPP-treated (High Pressure Processed) brands like Pressed Juicery, Suja, or Blueprint. Avoid unpasteurized juices from juice bars where handling practices are uncertain.
Yes. Pressed Juicery uses HPP (High Pressure Processing), a non-thermal pasteurization method that eliminates harmful bacteria while preserving nutrients. Their juices are generally considered safe during pregnancy. Always check labels for the HPP designation.
Yes—either home-pressed with thorough washing and organic produce, or HPP-treated store-bought brands. The FDA’s blanket warning against unpasteurized juice during pregnancy is about juice bars and stores with uncertain handling, not properly made home juice. Drink within 24–48 hours of pressing.
Avoid unpasteurized juice from uncertain sources, pure fruit juice without vegetables (blood sugar spikes), wheatgrass from shared juicers, juice with raw sprouts (Listeria risk), and any juice older than 48 hours. Moderate parsley and basil juice (uterine stimulant in very high doses).
Green juice with spinach, celery, cucumber, green apple, lemon, and ginger. This combination delivers iron, folate, calcium, vitamin C (for iron absorption), and ginger for nausea relief—all critical during pregnancy. Aim for 80% vegetables, 20% fruit to minimize sugar.
Both have value. Juice provides concentrated micronutrients in an easy-to-digest form—ideal during food aversions and nausea. Smoothies retain fiber and allow you to add protein and fat, making them better as meal replacements. Use juice as a supplement between meals, and smoothies as meals.
One to two glasses of fresh-pressed, vegetable-heavy juice per day is a great addition to your pregnancy diet. Don’t replace meals with juice—you still need adequate protein, fat, and fiber from whole foods. Think of juice as a nutrient boost, not a meal.
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