To ask for help in substituting a cheaper pregnancy craving before I bankrupt us?

[LeapingUpstream]

This is possibly the most ridiculous problem I have ever considered bringing to Mumsnet, but I'm actually at my wit's end: I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant and for the last fortnight have been absolutely obsessed with smoked salmon. It's not something I usually eat or even particularly like, but now it's all I want, in vast quantities, at every meal.

Tried cheating with smoked mackerel yesterday and it was definitely not an acceptable alternative.

Assuming this means I'm lacking omega 3 or something so have started a supplement, but it doesn't seem to have helped. Frantically hoping someone can suggest something that might hit similar taste/ texture spots? I can't think of anything and it's driving me mad.

Or, failing that, how do I get rid of the craving!? Even rationing myself the current rate of consumption is not sustainable, but I'm literally catching myself daydreaming about it. Woke up at 5am today thinking about it, and ended up buying a packet on the way back from the school run and eating it for breakfast 😳. Husband and I are both wfh today and he's just offered to make bacon sandwiches for lunch... all I can think is that smoked salmon ones would be much better. Particularly if he gave me all the smoked salmon and ate the nasty, non-salmony bacon himself 😂.

Last pregnancy I just wanted cheese and onion crisps, but much less strongly than this, (and besides, I could have eaten an Aldi multipack a day for the whole forty weeks for less than I've already spent on salmon 😫) and in my first pregnancy I didn't have any cravings, so it's not something I've ever tried to deal with before!

Help!

Smoked salmon 'paste'? Like the wee jars of it?

The fact smoked salmon is not recommended by the NHS in pregnancy due to the listeriosis risk would hopefully be enough!

Could you embrace it and justify it with balancing out by the things you're not eating/drinking in pregnancy?

This.

Sorry OP.

Smoked salmon isn’t recommended in pregnancy, that should be reason enough!

A bargain at 80p 😆

How about smoked salmon risotto? Then you are using a relatively small amount per portion (compared to putting a full slice on a bagel).

I was the same with my pregnancy. I think I was vitamin deficient so this was hitting the spot!

I discovered Tarasmalata and salty Doritos!!! It’s banging!

As long as you’re cooking it then it’s ok

Smoked meat contains nitrates and nitrites which are not recommended for consumption in pregnancy. Limit amounts of these where possible.

The can cause a whole heap of problems especially in regards to preterm birth.

No clue how much you would have to consume for it to be a risk.

I think small amounts of smoked foods/meats are OK but not in quanity.

Yeah I wouldn't be eating this at all while pregnant OP. Nevermind the money..

Would tinned salmon do the trick?
Or something else smoky - kippers? Applewood smoked cheese?
Smoked paprika doused over all your food?
Liquid smoke from a bottle (lakeland) added to tinned fish?
Is it the fish or the smoke?

Tinned salmon, probably not a lot cheaper but easier to store, tuna? I know pregnancy cravings are really bizarre, with DS1 it was Burger King burgers, I don’t even particularly like burgers, but they had to be Burger King no others and honeydew melon, had at least two in the fridge as I was terrified of running out. With DS2 it was broccoli, couldn’t get enough of it, not something I liked before, 21 years on I still like it, but not to the same degree and can’t remember the last time I had a BK burger, a good few years ago.

If you are like me 2 weeks of craving turned into an aversion for the rest of pregnancy

Make smoked salmon chowder? Stick some smoked haddock in too to eke it out.
Listeria is killed by cooking so best to have it in soup/risotto/pasta.
Walnuts are also high in omega 3. Start wolfing walnuts!

Unfortunately any cold smoked fish and meat is a risk in pregnancy otherwise I’d bury myself in smoked salmon right now. Try putting salmon in the oven or fry it. As a money friendly alternative, maybe pasta or risotto as someone else suggested with some (cooked) seafood/fish?

I wanted smoked salmon sushi when I was pregnant! Gutted it's not recommended... So just didn't have it.

What? Surely that's out of date advice. I thought the NHS had got a lot more sensible with not banning everything in recent years!

You used to be able to get smoked salmon trimmings. Perfectly acceptable in a bagel or scrambled eggs imo.

I’m sure the OP is perfectly capable of reading the NHS website and deciding what level of risk she is comfortable with.

So glad I craved bread and sponges for all of my pregnancies!

Mix a bag of smoky bacon and prawn cocktail crisps together, fish and smoky!

Gosh the NHS are still saying no more than 3 teas!

They really need to stop treating women as idiots and share the actual science.

Emily oster's amazing non condescending book is what you all need!

Nope, in fact it was only added to the list in 2022-I ate a fair bit in pregnancy 1 but had to avoid in pregnancy 2. There was a large ongoing Listeria outbreak prompting the addition. As others mention, cooking would kill Listeria but OP mentions she eats it as-is and texture is part of it, which is altered on cooking.

😱oh nooooooooo!!

That is actually devastating. I have to say I've never really thought to look at the list of banned foods in any pregnancy - I just don't drink alcohol or have too much coffee and otherwise crack on as usual. But you're right, that's obviously an even better reason not to eat it.

Cooking small amounts in things like PPs have suggested might be the way forwards...

The thing is if they didn’t say a limit on caffeine woman may potentially end up having complications with their pregnancy, and moan that the NHS did not say anything about a caffeine limit

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/dec/20/faux-lox-a-smoked-salmon-lovers-hunt-for-a-more-sustainable-alternative