Runny eggs, pleasepleaseplease...

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Are they definitely off the menu, hard yolks won't do? DH and I often treat ourselves to a scrumptious full English in our local cafe (not a greasy spoon). I became weepy (so pathetic, crying over an egg) in there the other day as I munched on my bacon sandwich as he (deliberately, I'm convinced) saved his eggs until last and then ostentatiously dipped in his toast!

I've had the odd runny egg when I know that it's British eggs (Lion stamped) and cooked by someone capable enough not to let the egg run all over the shell before it hits the pan. Boiled Lion stamped eggs should be fine IMO as 3 minutes of boiling should kill any bacteria on the shell.

The risks from salmonella from British eggs and from Listeria in cheese can't be compared IMO.

Hardly anyone knows someone who has definitely had Listeriosis, but you have to take into account that 1, most people who get food poisoning don't go to hospital and have the bacteria identified and 2, your immune system is lowered in pregnancy.

Plus, listeria can directly affect and even kill your unborn baby. Salmonella will just make you very ill, which could have knock-on effects for the baby (from fever, dehydration, etc) but won't directly affect them.

When I had my two kids (admittedly some considerable time ago...) there was none of this what you could and couldn't eat business.

You just had whatever you fancied, be it soft cheese or whatever you wanted.

My kids were born weighing 9lb and 10lb respectively and certainly nothing amiss (thank God) with either of them.

I had runny eggs, black pudding, soft cheese and even chorizo which was a totally "foreign" food. Full English with a twist, and a lager with peanuts if I went out too.

Two strapping kids to show for it, so it does make you wonder about today's health guidelines.

It is very much a personal choice, but this weekend I had breakfast with two doctors, who made me a couple of poached eggs as a matter of course. They told me not to worry too much about the minuscule risks and I delighted in dipping my soldiers in the creamy yolk. Perhaps their attitude was not the most responsible, but then I doubt either of them would wish me harm. One of them is my DH and the other is a close family friend.

I found that worrying less and relaxing more just makes me feel so much better and I hope the baby will be healthier for it too :).

Well, I always think a bit of what you fancy does you good...!!!

I've never met a GP or MW who thought runny eggs, or soft scrambled eggs, or poached eggs were a problem. They are almost certainly salmonella-free if lion-marked, as everyone else here has said.

I do get gifts of 'home-laid' eggs from time to time (ie. from MIL who keeps chickens, or from friends) and because they haven't been industrially salmonella-protected, I make sure I keep them separate from the supermarket eggs and cook accordingly. But I think I'm being over-cautious there.

I think I tried to avoid runny eggs last pregnancy because the lion thing hadn't clicked, but I used to sabotage it unwittingly by licking out the cake-mix bowl!

TBH, this pregnancy, I've hardly ever found myself holding back on food choices.

For those of you that have mentioned blue cheese, is it ok to eat if its been pasturised? I found a tesco finest one that was pasturised, i only had a little of it before throwing it away, cos i was unsure if it was safe or not

As a tangent, everyone I know who has had food poisoning has got it from poor food hygiene in retail outlets. I know that listeria, listeriosis, salmonella etc are not hygiene related as such, but my point is this - those illnesses are vanishingly rare, 'ordinary' food poisoning is very common and almost always caused by dodgy practises in mass catering. If you practise good food hygiene in your own home it is a miniscule risk. A small local cafe that you trust is also unlikely to be a huge risk. A dodgy greasy spoon I'd probably avoid tbh.

Fwiw, my own case of food poisoning came from a McDonalds.

I'm getting to the stage where I just refuse to be guilt tripped over one more pregnancy related thing!

I'm already on Vit D and fish oils despite the pretty spurious evidence that they promote or prevent anything, and as another poster has stated, much of this food advice is based on minute risks which the experts are either unable or unwilling to quantify.

I have to admit I've been pretty much "business as usual" re. food. Not a big egg fan (except hard boiled) but still eat medium cooked steak, sashimi and sushi and the odd bit of mould ripened cheese. Probbaly eaten a chocolate mousse/ mayo with raw egg in it at some point without even thinking about it.

Some months ago I wasn't pregnant, but we were going through a difficult time and my immune systems must have been pretty low. I had some runny eggs from this pub/restaurant. I had such bad food poisoning from it that I'm definitely not touching anything runny during pregnancy, since I'm already throwing up at the mere sight of the fridge.

Sounds like most of this thread is in agreement that a little of what you like probably won't do harm. I heard that in France they don't advise against soft cheese and pate or cured meats.

Myself, I've eaten runny eggs, med rare steak, the odd glass of wine, salami and sushi but no blue cheese because I'm lactose intolerant and it reminds me of smelly feet.

The only thing I've avoided is buffet type catering where the food has been sitting around for awhile. Being pregnant it didn't seem all that appealing anyway!

Sorry if somebody already said this.
I asked my midwife about this, since it was one of the few things I fancied when I was nauseous. She said to wash them before breaking them, and then making sure all the white was thoroughly cooked, then a runny yolk would probably be ok.

Blue or soft cheese (e.g. brie) is NOT okay even if it says it's been pasterurised. That usually just means it's made with pasteurised milk. And listeria is far more likely to be found in blue and soft mould-ripened cheese even if the milk has been pasteurised.

Soft cheeses and cold-smoked fish are a bigger problem, as Listeria is frequently present in them, and unlike most types of bacteria, Listeria does not stop growing in the cold (fridge).

Soft (lion marked) eggs are very low risk, and so is rare meat (cooked in one whole piece, such as steak or rare roast beef), as the bacteria are on the outside only, but rare chopped/minced meat would be a lot riskier (as the bacteria can grow all through it).

With most foodstuff I think the biggest risk is in eating ANYTHING you haven't prepared yourself/had prepared by someone you trust. Poor hygiene is a big risk factor.

Just found out I'm pregnant and already finding the advice on foods you can eat and foods you can't very confusing. Why are some people mentioning that you can't eat ham or other cured meats?

I didn't see that one on the FSA website.

I had a runny egg a couple of months ago when we went out for a pub lunch. I live to tell the tale!

I forgot about Mr Whippy ice cream being a no no and had a couple of those before someone telling me I shouldn't be eating them.

I am a bad mummy.

I've been having them - none raw and no soft ice cream from vans or homemade mayo etc but have been having normal friend or poached eggs.

yellowflowers, all eggs are friends, whether fried, poached, boiled or scrambled!

D

Ooops teehee!

We shouldnt eat soft ice cream from the ice cream van, whatabout lemon ice/apple ice etc from the van does that count too?