What can't you eat when pregnant? just got bfp

[Newmom2b]

Hi all, I just got my bfp and was about to make a fried egg with my dinner but remembered that I probably shouldn't. My lo is nearly 3 so have forgotten and the do's and donts. Can you remind me? TIA x

[kally195]

Eggs are fine. Check they are lion stamped, and then there is no reason you can't have runny eggs.

I am 40 weeks, and the only things I have really avoided are meat pâtés (due to the vitamin a) and swordfish (cos of the very high mercury).

The NHS has a good list - I'd read that then use your common sense to work out what you are happy eating/drinking.

[KitKat1985]

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx#close

The above NHS page should clarify. Although bear in mind the risk of contracting listeria from cheese / salmonella from eggs is tiny, and I've probably let the odd runny egg etc slip through the pregnancy embargo with no harm done....

[Sleepyhoglet]

Not having Brie when I'm having dairy cravings is difficult!

[RAFWife12]

Sleepy - cook the brie then you can have it!
I've followed the list, but still having cooked cheeses and cured meats.

[squizita]

You can eat cooked brie. Also Stilton is allowed if you like blue.

[CoolCat2014]

Don't eat liver as it had too much vitamin A in. Not been a hard one to avoid for me....

[Gennz]

All I'm avoiding is shellfish (listeria risk) rare meat (toxo risk), liver (Vit A) and high mercury fish. Oh and ice-cream truck ice-cream but I didn't eat them anyway! I really miss pate (could have taken or leaven it pre-pregnancy!)

I'm limiting caffeine (1 x coffee a day) and alcohol (1 -2 small glasses of wine a week, tops, and only 1 on any given day).

With other food I'm just exercising normal caution. I'm not really eating deli meats but I'm not stressing too much about them. Turkey seems to be a higher risk but I never eat it. I still eat sushi, including fresh salmon sushi, as my sushi place is very good, freshly made in front of you with good quality ingredients. I wouldn't eat sushi bought from a petrol station! There's no unpasteurised cheese where I live and I'm still eating pasteurised brie, camembert etc - I don't see any real evidence of these being listeria risks.

Expecting Better by Emily Oster is a great read, it has been my pregnancy bible!

[corduroybear]

Microwave deli meat - then you can have it!

[alita7]

Mr whippy :(

[joosiewoosie]

I remembered about the mr whippy icecream as I was halfway through mine yesterday, on holiday Ho hum, what's done is done! I'm sure 1 will be fine!

[squizita]

Ice cream van icecream is due to the hygiene of the machine rather than ingredients so you can have it from Macdonalds or Nandos etc'? Where the machine is cleaned daily?

You can have deli meat you can have it without microwaving it- our rules are stricter than America's full stop so it's fine. In the UK we *absolutely positively say it's OK, all cooked deli meats (some cautious women choose to freeze 'cured' raw meats (e.g. seranno ham) overnight first). All this is in our NHS guidelines!

Oh, and it's only raw seafood that is forbidden. Cooked seafood is also allowed (though some midwives umm and ahh then hand you a leaflet saying prawns are OK). Having said that it's one of those things many women go off.

If you choose to follow guidelines, one thing I would suggest is stick to the country you are in: things like food safety laws in general and production methods plus where they have problems is taken into account. They are often very cautious so you may choose to ignore them: however if you go 'above and beyond' bear in mind that anxiety is more common than food poisoning in pregnancy, so it's important not to confuse 'my preferences' (e.g. I choose not to eat shellfish) with the actual guidelines.

I've had CBT for pregnancy anxiety after losses, so I am in no way blase about this. But in the UK if you follow the NHS guidelines, no more than them, you should be fine.

[mrsnec]

I've been eating deli meat, Mr whippy and swordfish. Didn't realise we weren't supposed to!

[squizita]

Silver exactly! :) Don't think their sushi culture compares to the odd oyster here and there in the UK which may have been hanging round for days!
Of course there are some very litigious places with rules and rules... but in most countries, they've shaped it broadly around their risks.

[Gennz]

I don't really count raw fish as seafood I think of seafood more as shellfish. Not sure that really makes sense now I say it out loud...

[RAFWife12]

The NHS guidelines regarding cured meats have recently changed. When I first was pregnant they said it was ok, but checking the list again later the guidelines said be cautious due to toxoplasmosis. They said to freeze or cook first.
Cooked ham's etc are ok. It's cured meats like salami, pepperoni and parma ham you should be careful with.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx#cautious

[RAFWife12]

Also, I was told by my midwife not to have mcflurry's - apparently the egg in them isn't pasteurised. I don't eat them anyway. I was planning on having Mr Whippy this summer though! Didn't realise we couldn't :-(

[squizita]

RAFWife they say you may want to freeze the meat (or just check it says 'ready to eat') which is different from a firm do/don't, confusingly. I find of the two freezing it is a good option as it tastes just the same after: if it's cooked it goes hard.
What they don't mention is the difference between what the Americans call "deli meat" (e.g. sandwich ham, sliced roast chicken for sandwiches) and 'cured meats' (Serrano ham, artisan salami). This means some women think they can't have a ham sandwich!

All McDonalds egg is cooked/pasteurised - my MW said it was a good alternative to dodgy van ice cream as MD's is very 'plastic' and germ free! Bad for you, but low risk. I might look it up, it must be on their website somewhere.

[squizita]

RAFWife Just had a look at the ingredients... doesn't seem to have egg in it at all! :) Or anything with any nutritional value LOL

www.mcdonalds.co.uk/ukhome/product_nutrition.dessertstreats.1174.raspberry-chocolate-brownie-mcflurry.html

If you scroll down to the ingredients list, it's basically powdered milk, glucose and some e numbers. If I wasn't pregnant on a hot day it would put me off.

[squizita]

...the brownies in that one are made from egg but baked.

[Lisad1975]

I
Thought it was the actual machine where the cream is mixed in as it may not be taken apart and cleaned thoroughly every day! Bit like the mr whippy machines.
Mcds website is very good! Actually there are lots of info
If you put in restaurant u wanna go to ! Dominos is good :))

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

McDs ice cream is fine AFAIK, I used to work there and we had to take the machine apart and clean and sanitise it thoroughly every day so no chance of the ice cream sitting around for days!

[squizita]

Thought it was the actual machine where the cream is mixed in as it may not be taken apart and cleaned thoroughly every day! Bit like the mr whippy machines. Yep I was told this and basically the more heartless and corporate a chain, the more likely they have some robotic checklist and clean everything 100% by the book ... hence no to whippy, yes to flurry!

[PenguinsHatchedAnEgg]

There is actually some evidence that genuine parma ham is also ok: www.newstatesman.com/node/143434

[Teabiscuits]

I'm a believer in common sense on this one too.
Runny lion stamped egg - probably fine.
Steak so rare it is still mooing- probably not.

I think some people take it to extremes - like my SIL who won't eat coleslaw but probably because she gets to complain loudly and draw attention to the fact she's pregnant and has to suffer sooo much