Argh!! Just read that parsely is not good in pregancy - I consumed tons of the stuff in first trimester :-(

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Just read on another thread here that parsely is not good for pg women.

Googled it and am now freaking out

Am just over 7 months pregnant and in the early stages, I craved the Middle Eastern dish tabbouleh - which I made with lots of parsely, onions, bulgar wheat, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. I had awful sickness and sometimes this was the only thing I could stomach

Obviously everything was throroughly washed before eating and I thought that it would be good for me!!

Have had nuchal tests and scans and all looking ok, thank God but am still eek about what I have just read!!

[PussinJimmyChoos]

.

[IfAtFirstUDontSucceed]

oh for goodness sake, is there anything we are allowed I have been chomping on tons of parsley which I use as salad leaves!! Tabbouleh sounds lovely by the way! :)

[roundthehouses]

what´s wrong with parsley?! I´ve been fairly good this pregnancy but am forever finding other people have been eating paté, cured meats, blue cheese etc with no apparent ill effects. So while i reckon if you know the risks you are probably best to avoid them, if you don´t, you don´t, and tbh the risks are all pretty minimal, aren´t they??

[Justalittlereindeer]

I've never heard of it being dangerous in pregnancy. If it were, I imagine it would be on the NHS list of foods to avoid.

From what I've just read I think the essential oil made from parsley seeds can cause uterine contractions. But eating parsley wouldn't cause the same effect I dont think.

I read nothing about it harming baby, so please dont worry!

[scouserabroad]

OMG didn't know that, I love parsley and put it in all kinds of salads & always have even when pg. It didn't harm either of my DDs :)

[hellymelly]

Well I've never heard of that,in fact when I was pregnant a friend who ate tons (while preg) of it said it helped with morning sickness.

[PussinJimmyChoos]

That's what I thought when I read it!!

I troughed tons of the stuff as I adore tabbouleh anyway but even more so in the first trimester...arse...should I be worried??

DH is from the Middle East and when I was pg with DS (PFB!) and I went over there, they were amused at the things I was turning down (no balavka as nuts etc)..they just eat everything except the obvious dangerous stuff - raw fish, eggs etc

I've been more relaxed this time around as they have changed the advice re peanuts and parmesan (Snickers were fab for the middle of the night nausea and hunger) and do have the odd peanut butter sandwich

But farking parsely!!!! All the leaflets boffing on about healthy eating for mum and baby and lots of 'green leaves' etc

and now wants tabbouleh...!!!

[mylifewithstrangers]

So what the heck is parsley meant to do - I mean is there really anything more innocuous on the whole planet (apart from maybe some cute little fluffy ducky-wuckies)????

[PussinJimmyChoos]

www.pregnancy-info.net/parsley-and-other-herbal-dangers.html

Not sure what they have based the science on though...

[HumphreyCobbler]

It won't have done your baby any harm.
Honestly.

All your scans are fine, stop worrying about parsely and STEP AWAY FROM GOOGLE.

[PussinJimmyChoos]

You are right....you are right

I think there is a secret campaign going to add to the stress of expectant mothers....

[argylesocks]

I've been drinking lots of decaf green tea, like 3 cups a day, since i got pregnant and just found out that it's bad since it blocks absorption of folates. oops.

how in the eff are you supposed to keep up with this?

i think i give up trying to obey the rules. green tea and parsley! who knew?

[owlbooty]

If you'll pardon my French I think that site is talking a right load of bollocks. Mind you I've eaten about half a bunch of parsley in the last few days so I would say that.

I think I'll stick with the NHS website guidance. At least that was probably written by people with some form of recognised qualification. I'm all for freedom of speech but these sodding internet sites providing "information" without anything to back it up are downright irritating and cause a lot of unneccessary stress. Bastards, the lot of them!!

[PussinJimmyChoos]

It all seems designed to make women stress out doesn't it!!!

I am craving prawn cocktail and runny eggs but have held off of this at least...will be my treat when bubba is here (end of March)

But farking parsley!!! PARSLEY!!!!

[tlise]

Prawn cocktail you can have as long as the prawns are cooked which they are when you buy them frozen. I checked with mw cos we always have them at xmas :)
And you realise of course when you have had the baby, all the things you want now cos you can't have them, you won't want :D

[kf1979]

I've been living on peanut butter sarnies as I was advised by the dr that nuts are only to be avoided if you have a family history of food allergies!

Would agree prob best to abide by NHS guidelines and avoid too much research as it only leads to extra stress! I live in China and the advice is totally different here so I just go with the good old NHS!

[PussinJimmyChoos]

Kf - ooh how interesting to live in China..what do they do differently there? I've heard they are red hot on the mum resting up as much as poss post birth, which is something I can happily go along with

You mean I can defrost frozen prawns and use them in a prawn cocktail salad???? I thought they had to be cooked but thought of cooked prawns makes me funnily enough!

[youdownto]

JimmyChoos, the only risk stated in that link seems to be that (presumably in very rare cases, and in perhaps unusual circs) parsley might be implicated in miscarriage. So since you haven't miscarried, there's nothing to worry about.

If parsley were bad for pregnant women, it would be well known about in folklore, surely.

[kf1979]

Puss - definitely keen on the mum resting post birth, although not leaving the house, bathing or washing your hair for a month afterwards seems excessive to me! To be fair, this is tradition / superstition rather than official guidelines!
It's a big no-no to take a newborn outside until they're a month old. A friend was berated in the street by a total stranger for taking her 2 week old daughter round the block in her pram!
I'm sure there's probably some basis to all this, just have no idea what it is..!

BTW, my understanding is that prawns are ok as long as they're cooked, so cold cooked ones are ok! Had a massive craving for prawn cocktail when back in UK over Christmas. That, plus peanut butter, plus occasional half glass of wine probably mean I'm a very bad parent... ;-)

[BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte]

Parsely used to be recommended for women wanting a safe DIY first trimester abortion. I'm guessing that's where the concerns come from. But think you were supposed to consume whole bushes of the stuff at every meal for several weeks, so yes I'm sure you're fine.

Mmmm, tabouleh...

[Diamondback]

No Parsley = Old Wives Tale

The Food Standards Agency (government scientist peeps) have a full list of what you can and can't eat here.

Now go eat some Tabbouleh - it sounds yummy!