Cheese? Ham? Mayonnaise? Argh!

Rosy Posy

I've been reading conflicting stuff about what is and isn't ok to eat in pregnancy. I know unpasteurised milk is a no no as are the good cheeses (blue and mould ripened), raw meat and fish (boo! missing my sushi and biltong), raw eggs (fresh mayo, meringues, real ice-cream) but I recently read that deli meats such as cooked ham and salami are out too as are premade foods like sandwiches. I had never heard that before and have gone through my previous three pregnancies eating ham and cold roast beef. I read in the (highly recommended) book 'Bumpology' that if you're going to avoid raw meats and unpasteurised dairy then you should also avoid stuff from delis. ATM I feel like my diet is so restricted anyway what with feeling unwell that I will go mad/protein deficient if I give up these things- a woman can't survive on fruit, nuts, scrambled eggs and muesli! How scrupulous are other ladies with their diet?

Xdancer

The only things I avoided were raw eggs, meat and fish, unpasturised milk products, all the good cheeses as you call them and cured meats. Other than that I stuck to my usual diet.
I had a healthy baby girl who at 20 months seems to have a wrought iron immune system....so I can't have done too much wrong....I hope

krankykitty

I think that stuff about deli meat is in the American literature, don't think its a guideline in Ireland or UK. And in different places in the world ie Japan raw fish is fine. I think its a combo of how risk averse you are, and common sense, ie icecream from somewhere like mc Donalds which would have strict food hygiene standards would be better than from a manky Mr Whippy.

Perhaps the perceived risk from deli meat is that its lying out... A packet of ham would be ok.

Dinkie

The only thing I've avoided is raw fish sushi (had other types sushi)and raw oysters and cooked mussels. Now, I don't like mouldy cheese, so that wasn't an issue.

I've been eating rare meat, cured meats, soft eggs, mayo, etc.

However, I have been careful where I eat them. The only time I had a problem (am 36.5 weeks pregnant now) was with some chilli chicken that I remembered was in a bain marie when it was dished out, so am not sure how long it was out for. I had forgotten I was pregnant when I ordered it.

I've been eating subway, mcdonalds milkshakes, etc all the way through - but for example I wouldn't order a 99 or deli meat sandwich from the local shop. It looks suss.

Chattastrophe!

As far as i know, the risk with deli meats is that you might get them somewhere dodgy where they'd been sitting out too long, or not stored properly.

I have no problem eating them from reputable places, and I've had no issues so far. Obviously if the meat looked/smelled/tasted dodgy, I wouldn't eat it ... but that goes for whether I'm pregnant or not!!

I think it's just a matter of common sense really.

pwurple

I know how you feel. Was out for a posh dinner last week and there was literally nothing on the menu I could order with the bloomin rules.

Starters were:
Shellfish medley
Beef carpaccio (raw beef)
Raw salmon sushi thing
Liver Pate thing
Blue cheese thing


I was with a group who didn't know I was expecting, so I went for the sushi. It was a decent place, and there was about a 10 gram sliver of salmon, so i hope it was fine.

There were amuse bouche yokes (with smoked salmon) and inter-course palate cleansers which included liqours... I felt like a right freak asking the server to list out the ingredients in them.

Every main was the same story... Either had a shellfish, mercury fish (tuna or swordfish) or a nice cheese on it. Ended up asking for a vegan option! Bleurg.


No more nice places for me for a long time. It's totally wasted on me at the moment.

nikpmup

pwurple wrote: »

I know how you feel. Was out for a posh dinner last week and there was literally nothing on the menu I could order with the bloomin rules.

Starters were:
Shellfish medley
Beef carpaccio (raw beef)
Raw salmon sushi thing
Liver Pate thing
Blue cheese thing


I was with a group who didn't know I was expecting, so I went for the sushi. It was a decent place, and there was about a 10 gram sliver of salmon, so i hope it was fine.

There were amuse bouche yokes (with smoked salmon) and inter-course palate cleansers which included liqours... I felt like a right freak asking the server to list out the ingredients in them.

Every main was the same story... Either had a shellfish, mercury fish (tuna or swordfish) or a nice cheese on it. Ended up asking for a vegan option! Bleurg.


No more nice places for me for a long time. It's totally wasted on me at the moment.

I've found this in quite a few places as well - I generally scan the menu and think mmmmm! before I realise that I can't eat most of the items on it! Ah well - it's only for a few months and its sooo worth it!

Synyster Shadow

I ate cold meats in my sandwiches once it was packaged I ate eggs just not raw I made sure they were well done and stayed away from fish mainly because made me sick as did garlic which normally wouldn't. Then steak I'd make sure was well cooked too. I think once fruit and veg are washed and meats fully cooked its safe as my granny said it never killed them

How Strange

I never avoided meringues when I was pregnant. Life is just too short. I make meringues and they're baked for an hour so there's no way they're raw or undercooked.

I avoided raw fish, cures meats, soft cheeses, ice cream from whippey machines, undercooked eggs so lots of yummy desserts, alcohol. I ate smoked salmon at a dinner once because the host had tried to accommodate everyone (vegetarians, people with allergies etc etc) and served salmon but didn't consider me being pregnant and I didn't want to stress her out by not eating it.

Ciarabear

Sick of pregnancy scaremongering -if we were to believe everything we read, we'd wrap ourselves in cotton wool and not leave the house for 9 months.

I have avoided unpasteurized foods and little else. I've eaten rare steak, ice-cream cones, seafood chowder, pavlova and deli wraps -everything in moderation and a little cop on goes a long way!

Rosy Posy

pwurple wrote: »

No more nice places for me for a long time. It's totally wasted on me at the moment.

This.

I can't handle rich food at all. In my last pregnancy we were given a voucher for a scmancy restaurant so we decided to go the whole hog and get a b&b for a night away from the kids....I spent the night hugging the toilet bowl!

I would definitely avoid homemade ice cream. I make my own and I know our local pizza place use the same method- it's an Italian mousse- eggs and sugar heated over a ban marie, they never get heated fully (if they do it curdles and the ice cream is ruined) then you fold in whipped cream and freeze it. It just seems too dodgy.

But saying that one of the only cravings I've had consistently has been soft boiled eggs and I've given in to that one. In my first two pregnancies I ate loads of smoked salmon- I didn't even realise it was raw! I still eat it but cook it with eggs or on pizza.

It's such a minefield and it feels so unfair- food is one of the only vices left to the pregnant woman. I'm not giving up my ham salad!

pwurple

Ciarabear wrote: »

Sick of pregnancy scaremongering -if we were to believe everything we read, we'd wrap ourselves in cotton wool and not leave the house for 9 months.

I have avoided unpasteurized foods and little else. I've eaten rare steak, ice-cream cones, seafood chowder, pavlova and deli wraps -everything in moderation and a little cop on goes a long way!

Why would rare steak, pavlova or seafood chowder be off the menu? I ate all of them yesterday! There is plenty of actual restrictions on That blasted HSE pamphlet without adding new ones.

Ciarabear

pwurple wrote: »

Why would rare steak, pavlova or seafood chowder be off the menu? I ate all of them yesterday! There is plenty of actual restrictions on That blasted HSE pamphlet without adding new ones.

They aren't new additions, these foods have been often avoided during pregnancy for aeons. Rare steak is undercooked meat that could potentially carry salmonella or cause toxoplasmosis, ditto the eggs in pavlova meringue if undercooked and fish is always controversial during pregnancy due to high levels of mercury which could accumulate in your bloodstream and become hazardous to a baby's developing brain and nervous system

Rosy Posy

pwurple wrote: »

Why would rare steak, pavlova or seafood chowder be off the menu? I ate all of them yesterday! There is plenty of actual restrictions on That blasted HSE pamphlet without adding new ones.

Rare steak=partially cooked meat, pavlova=partially cooked egg, seafood chowder=shellfish. All risks of carrying bacteria, apparently and your immune system is lowered in pregnancy so you could get listeria which could cause miscarriage. That's the theory anyway.

The book that I read said if you're going to be fussy about cheeses and raw fish/meat you should be equally fussy about the whole extensive list. My oh is a medical professional and he said to me to eat what I want in moderation but there's no way he could say that to a patient because of the minute chance that they're the unlucky one and he's liable.

Xdancer

I was pregnant at the same time as my sister back in Ireland. The HSE list of foods to avoid is about 10 times longer than the one here in Spain.

nikpmup

I'm in favour of always erring on the side of caution with these things - the way I see it, it isn't really that much of a hardship to not have rare steak or meringues or whatever for the few months. It's not like we'll stop functioning if we don't get our pavlovas! I agree, it can be a pain in the arse, but so what - it's not for long. There may only be a miniscule risk attached, but why take it when it's easily avoided? Just my take on it

Chattastrophe!

I guess I'm just 'lucky' really in that I don't like rare meat, cheeses, tea/coffee, pavlovas, seafood ... I really don't feel like I have to deny myself much at all! :P

ameee

This is my third pregnancy and I swear the list of dos and donts get so much longer each time! I avoid raw eggs and fresh mayo I dont eat sushi or raw fish. I love nice turkey and roast beef from the deli and I still eat it but only from places I trust food safety wise so no grabbing a sandwhich from a garage at three in the morning

Ciarabear

nikpmup wrote: »

I'm in favour of always erring on the side of caution with these things - the way I see it, it isn't really that much of a hardship to not have rare steak or meringues or whatever for the few months. It's not like we'll stop functioning if we don't get our pavlovas! I agree, it can be a pain in the arse, but so what - it's not for long. There may only be a miniscule risk attached, but why take it when it's easily avoided?

I think some women just feel more confident to make an informed decision about what's best for them as individuals as opposed to swallowing everything that's spouted at them

nikpmup

Ciarabear wrote: »

I think some women just feel more confident to make an informed decision about what's best for them as individuals as opposed to swallowing everything that's spouted at them

I don't think it's swallowing everything that's spouted at them - healthcare professionals have advised this or that. I'm not a pregnancy expert, so I'll take the advice seriously. Even if its overkill, so what? It's not like avoiding undercooked steak will do you any harm! I'd rather be super careful than take (a minuscule) risk and be worried. Nobody needs meringue or goats cheese or rare steak, we just like them. The same argument was being made 20 odd years ago about smoking & drinking in pregnancy.

Ciarabear

nikpmup wrote: »

The same argument was being made 20 odd years ago about smoking & drinking in pregnancy.

It's a bit of a leap and borderline hysterical to even mention smoking and drinking within the same vein as eating a bowl of pavlova after dinner

nikpmup

Ciarabear wrote: »

It's a bit of a leap and borderline hysterical to even mention smoking and drinking within the same vein as eating a bowl of pavlova after dinner

It wasnt 20/30 years ago though, that's my point. And I'm not being hysterical at all - back when my mother was pregnant with me, it was accepted more or less that a few drinks or smokes would do you no harm. The advice today is to avoid undercooked meat, raw/soft eggs, shellfish etc - my take on it is that even if I think a bit of meringue will do me no harm, I'm not an expert and it's no hardship to avoid it - I'll just eat something else instead. If you don't eat the food, there's no debate to be had!

Ciarabear

nikpmup wrote: »

It wasnt 20/30 years ago though, that's my point. And I'm not being hysterical at all - back when my mother was pregnant with me, it was accepted more or less that a few drinks or smokes would do you no harm. The advice today is to avoid undercooked meat, raw/soft eggs, shellfish etc - my take on it is that even if I think a bit of meringue will do me no harm, I'm not an expert and it's no hardship to avoid it - I'll just eat something else instead. If you don't eat the food, there's no debate to be had!

You're comparing apples and oranges. Cigarettes and alcohol are undoubtedly harmful. Shellfish and other foods only yield a very minute potential to be harmful.

I might potentially get hit by a bus tomorrow too but I'll still leave the house

nikpmup

Ciarabear wrote: »

You're comparing apples and oranges. Cigarettes and alcohol are undoubtedly harmful. Shellfish and other foods only yield a very minute potential to be harmful.

I might potentially get hit by a bus tomorrow too but I'll still leave the house

And as I said, 20-odd years ago, the fact that cigs and alcohol were harmful WASN'T known. And as I also said, shellfish etc might only yield a very minute potential to be harmful but they aren't something we HAVE to eat, so why bother eating them, they're easily avoided -problem solved! Of course we have to leave the house and there's an element of risk in a lot of activities, but we don't HAVE to eat any particular food.
Anyway, it appears that you are chasing me around the pregnancy threads to disagree with anything I post - please feel free to eat/drink/otherwise imbibe anything you feel like, it makes no odds to me whatsoever. I'll be happily avoiding foods that medical professionals have told me to avoid, and eating the thousands of other things that are available to eat :rolleyes:

pwurple

Ciarabear wrote: »

They aren't new additions, these foods have been often avoided during pregnancy for aeons. Rare steak is undercooked meat that could potentially carry salmonella or cause toxoplasmosis, ditto the eggs in pavlova meringue if undercooked and fish is always controversial during pregnancy due to high levels of mercury which could accumulate in your bloodstream and become hazardous to a baby's developing brain and nervous system

Rare steak is only a risk if the outside isn't cooked. Bacteria live on surface only. Inside of a steak is bacteria free.

Pavlova I make is not undercooked, and I made the chowdah myself too, so no shellfish or mercury-fish (tuna/swordfish) in there. Fish is extremely GOOD for you during pregnancy, I eat as much of it as I can.

I guess you mean eating out rather than cooking.

lazygal

Once the all day nausea subsided, I took a pretty relaxed approach. I make most things myself anyway, but I've had medium rare steak, smoked salmon and runny eggs when eating out. Some things I just don't fancy and haven't taken a chance on. I love sushi but haven't had it, ditto mould ripened cheeses and other such things. I have an odd glass of wine with a meal and don't stress too much about diet, once it's fairly balanced and I'm eating mainly the right things. I think there's more of a risk of getting food poisoning rather than damaging the baby. I won't be eating the coleslaw from Centra but I'll make up my own with Hellmans and I've been okay so far.

Ciarabear

pwurple wrote: »

I guess you mean eating out rather than cooking.

Absolutely, or just in situations where you aren't sure how the food's been stored or cooked

How Strange

My brother is 22 and when my mam was pregnant on him the standard advice from doctors was to drink a glass of stout a few times a week for iron. I clearly remember my mam drinking it throughout the pregnancy. She didn't even like it and used to put black currant in it to sweeten it.

Das Kitty

Heh heh. There's no iron in stout.

I avoided nothing really. Unless it turned my stomach in the beginning.

I've found my cravings very useful this time, lots of fruit and veg and heaps of dairy.

I still have an odd glass of ale.

Bagheera

As far as I know only raw shellfish are out; on the NHS website it says if prawns are cooked properly you can eat them. Smoked salmon is also listed as fine.

One thing that I gave up last time round that I just haven't been able to resist this time is goats cheese. It seems to be a major pregnancy craving of mine!

The way I see it, if I'm in a nice restaurant I don't see the harm in eating what I like. If I was somewhere that looked dodgy I wouldn't be ordering seafood. I know you never know, but I have only ever had a bad stomach after eating in places that weren't particularly high quality (eg the local Chinese). I wouldn't touch mussels though as, although I like them, they do seem to commonly cause food poisoning.

galah

pretty much only drawing the line at sushi (probably woudn't if I were somehwere where I get superfresh fish) and raw meat such as tartare, and anything that contains raw eggs (home-made mayonnaise etc). oh, and anything from those open self-service counters, such as olives etc - god knows who touched them (but I would always avoid them anyway).

Anything else is fair game...(since my circle of friends is very international, I get an interesting mix of recommendations about food in pregnancy - so I just take the best of all of them ;-))

pwurple

Going out for sushi tonight, woohoo!

I'll just stick to the veggie ones and the cooked ones though. Are people confusing sashimi with sushi? Sushi are the rice things with seaweed, aren't they?

Gee_G

pwurple wrote: »

Going out for sushi tonight, woohoo!

I'll just stick to the veggie ones and the cooked ones though. Are people confusing sashimi with sushi? Sushi are the rice things with seaweed, aren't they?

Yep,that's sushi. Yeah I think a lot of people just associate it with raw fish!

I craved it the whole way through my pregnancy but we're in the middle of the country and nowhere near a sushi bar/restaurant!

Das Kitty

Even the raw fish is supposed to be fine if it's been frozen.