to be eating copious amounts of Danish Blue cheese on crusty bread whilst being pregnant?

[kidcreoleandthecoconuts]

And I'm enjoying it....yum!

[MamaLazarou]

YANBU - your body, your baby, your choice.

Bit weird to start a thread about it, though.

[skihorse]

PracticalCat Sushi + smoked salmon/tuna is approved here in The Netherlands. As for higher mercury levels in "predator" fish... dunno about you but I don't eat enough shark/swordfish to fear it'll be a huge problem...

[fiziwizzle]

I don't think OP is being unreasonable and I don't think it's weird to start a thread about it. It has generated a lot of really interesting debate, and I for one am relieved to see so many posters erring on the side of 'everything in moderation'. One cigarette isn't the end of the world; nor is the odd glass of wine. Now those two may be qualitatively different risks from blue cheese and rare steak, as you can catch listeriosis or toxoplasmosis from eating things once (it seems - I am no authority on the topic), whereas it is smoking/drinking lots that is bad.

However it has to be emphasised that the risks (from food) are small. I am not just a uterus on legs; I am a person, and I can't bear steak leathered and so on the rare (hah!) occasions I have a steak, I have it rare. I have decided that the very small risk is one worth taking. Others may decide that no risk is worth taking. Everyone has to decide for themselves.

[BarackObamasTransitVan]

I'd be cautious of fish pate for the same reasons as I'd be cautious of anything from the chiller cabinet that I wasn't going to cook - but I'd happily eat it (as I would rice, or sushi) from a trusted source. If I knew the chef at a restaurant I'd eat it, but I probably wouldn't if I didn't know them. Most of the chefs I know are extraordinarily careful when it comes to food safety, but I've met some dodgy ones (mainly when I worked in a well known chain restaurant, one which came out pretty badly in a recent report by the Independent).
As Thumbwitch says, it's the Vit A you need to worry about with meat pate, seeing as it's generally made with liver. I don't think it's raw liver though (boak!).

[PracticalCat]

Yes, I agree. I suspect that what she meant (or maybe even said) was avoid too much tuna. I crave salmon roses and tiger rolls so don't give tuna much thought.

[thumbwitch]

barack, you are of course right, I am - it isn't raw liver [duh!]

[nicnacinoonoo]

why is it you cant eat prawns in pregnancy?
i havent touched any alcohol since becoming pregnant and dont smoke. havent had any pate even though i LOVE it, but i have slipped up and had 2 prawn sandwiches i was craving them so badly.

also do the same eating rules apply when breast feeding??

[flyingcloud]

I don't judge anyone else's choices here but I would agree with Fiziwizzle with the following point:

One cigarette isn't the end of the world; nor is the odd glass of wine. Now those two may be qualitatively different risks from blue cheese and rare steak, as you can catch listeriosis or toxoplasmosis from eating things once (it seems - I am no authority on the topic), whereas it is smoking/drinking lots that is bad.

I think those who say one slice of cheese or one uncooked egg can't do any harm are totally and utterly wrong. OK the risk may be tiny, but you can still catch nasty things just the once, whereas one glass of wine and one cigarette is unlikely to cause any damage.

I will stand corrected if I am wrong though as I too am no authority.

[iggypiggy]

nica you can eat freshly cooked hot prawns according to the FSA guidance. Some for any shellfish - you just not meant to have oysters cos they are raw.

I just follow the FSA rules and allow myself red lion stamped eggs (runny).

I don't care if people think that is precious - I have had one miscarriage and i need to know that I have done everything I can so that I can't blame myself if it happens again. I do realise the miscarriage was unrelated to food - but you do tend to blame yourself...

[lovechoc]

nicnac I ate a LOAD of prawns when I was pg with DS, and never thought much about it until the booking-in appointment with MW and she went over the 'what not' to eat stuff

Still, DS turned out okay. But if I had known about it, I doubt I would not have eaten them. For me, it was a case of being ignorant to all the do's and dont's.

This thread has been really insightful so far.

[iggypiggy]

In case anyone missed the Food Standards Agency current guidlines link it is here

FSA Eating while pregnant

[PracticalCat]

Nicnaci, breast feeding is completely different so you don't need to worry (unless your DC has an allergy like mine which meant that I had an even more restrictive diet - but that's uncommon). Many women limit the booze, but less so than in pregnancy.

The prawn danger, as I understand, it is that if you eat dodgy prawns, then the food poisoning will be dire. But it's unlikely to affect the fetus in the same way as listeria or toxoplasmosis. I wouldn't eat prawns that have been sitting around, like in a supermarket take out fridge. But have no problem eating them from a reputable restaurant or if I cook them myself.

[florence2511]

I craved peanuts whilst pregnant in 2006 with DD. I couldn't stop eating them. Peanuts on their own, snickers bars, peanut butter, peanut ice cream - yum, yum, yum. My friend, who also happened to be a midwife, also craved peanuts and told me that if you are craving something then your body needs it. She also ate sushi throughout her pregnancy.

I had a glass of red wine a week and pushed the boat out a bit on Honeymoon in Italy and had 2 glasses in one night - shock horror. I was really bad on my Wedding day and had 2 glasses of champagne and a glass of red wine. Everything in moderation I say.

Another friend of mine was so agast at me easting peanuts through my pregnancy that she bought me a book "What to Eat When You're Pregnant". Can you believe it. I took the book, said thank you very much and then put it in a drawer where it stayed. It's now somwehere in the ether as I gave it to a charity shop. Bloody cheek. I had read all sorts of pregnancy books, listened to Doctors, midwives, family members who had given birth and made my own decisions about what I wanted to do. I weighed up the risks. I'm not stupid, but neither do I follow the crowd just because someone says so!

[hampdenpark27]

I don't think that any of us should judge each other over what whether we choose to obey to 'what not to eat' restrictions or not. At the end of the day its down to personal choice. There are alternatives, you can get eggs like christmasmoon said which are listeria free, and you can get a brand of Brie in tesco which is made with pasturised milk. I know the food guidlines change, as they are different to what they were when i was pregnant the 1st time 5 and a half years ago. And i know myself that they can be hard to stick to, especially if you get cravings for them.

[Wonderstuff]

Just thought I'd add ALL pate, including vegetable and fish is on the avoid list, due to listeria risk iirc. I personally will eat runny eggs during this pg, last time I was pg I kept religiously to the list, and I was miserable, this time I'm going to be a bit less cautious.

[Gembop]

I only craved ice when pregnant! Yum!

[mathanxiety]

I read or heard somewhere that craving ice meant you needed more iron?

[woozlet]

There are a couple of inaccuracies in this thread like someone said most of the cheese in the supermarket even blue cheese and brie are pasteurised - they're not. And the liver in pate is kind of raw as the livers tend to be seared so they are only cooked on the outside, it's why it's pink and not brown.

[thumbwitch]

woozlet - thanks for clarifying on the pate front - I'm glad I hadn't got it completely wrong!

[StrikeUpTheBand]

By Fibilou Thu 19-Nov-09 13:15:55
"SUTB, you brought it up on a public forum in black and white, the point I raised was perfectly reasonable in relation to the topic being debated. If you don't like talking about it you shouldn't have brought it up
I have lost two babies fyi so I do know all about miscarriage thankyou

And no, I didn't think it was my fault. I take the view that they happened because there was something genetically wrong with them."

That's fine that you know all about miscarriage - I had a stillbirth and so it wasn't anything genetically wrong. I had severe preeclampsia - something that happens to a random cross section of women. They also found e-coli and salmonella in my blood, traced back to a chicken sandwich from a seemingly reputable place. So yes I do worry that it contributed . And I wasn't even eating unpasturised cheese or pate etc. But that doesn't mean that the guidelines don't mean anything. They are not supposed to be rules to rebel against.

Yes, I brought it up on a public forum but you don't have to be so heartless about it.

Fine if you have done your research and found a particular guideline to be a bit full-on or not relevant to yourself, but to come on and seemingly brag about eating 'copious amounts' of something that is not recommended is a bit strange at best IMO.

[lovechoc]

haggis - who ate this whilst pregnant? I made beef olives stuffed with haggis and onion gravy tonight. It smelt great but I didn't have any

Apparently it was delicious... I didn't eat it on my wedding day either. DH had my portion! I could have really went some tonight but was warned off it last time so I stayed away.

[SimpleAsABC]

I heard someone saying you can't eat carrots... she was not amused by my response!

[mrsbean78]

I had a comedy pregnancy-related food hygiene moment today. I was due my first baby yesterday. Part of my nesting has been to bake cakes, and lots of them. I was proudly whipping up a batch when I absentmindedly put my finger in the cake batter and put it in my mouth. I then remembered - in a flash! - that there was raw egg in the batter and stood there suspended, finger on tongue, wondering what to do. Retrieved a clean tea-towel and towelled out mouth. Great fun.

[CantThinkofFunnyName]

SUTB - so very sorry for your loss

[Lotster]

Agree woozlet about not all supermarket cheeses being pasteurised. Even if they are, if they are mould-ripened you should still avoid.

I also must disagree with the posts making claims along the lines that food guidlines are "the man's" way of controlling us, or blaming us for anything wrong with our babies. It's because our resistency to normally low lying levels of listeria, salmonella etc is reduced in pg, and in some more than others!! I once ate the same meal as my pregnant sister, she came down with salmonella and I didn't..
Plus the Nhs issues guidlines for pregnant women the same as they do for colds, flu, bugs, viruses etc to reduce the strain on the nhs dealing with things that can be avoided or spread reduced!! It's paranoia to suggest otherwise.

.