"Banned" food

[GeorginaA]

Even though ds is only 2 years old, I seem to have completely blanked out of my mind what you're allowed to eat when you're pregnant and what you're not.

Pate is out, isn't it? I seem to remember ignoring the "runny yolk in eggs" ban as I've never been ill from an egg ever, and I love fried and soft-boiled eggs (although I am careful and look for the lion mark more religiously now I'm pregnant).

Someone pointed out to me I couldn't eat creme caramel or mayonnaise as they both contain raw eggs. Is that right? (Says the person who REALLY would kill for a creme caramel right now...) Is it all mayonnaises that are "bad" or can I get away with helmanns?! I really can't face 9 months without mayonnaise drenched new potatoes... cry

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I had my company-paid Bupa medical this morning and the doctor specifically said no smoked salmon (or prosciutto etc.), which was sad news to me. She said it was cured rather than cooked and has a higher risk of nasty bacteria. She also said no pre-prepared chilled packaged meals or salads. I didn't admit I had had an Indian meal from Sainsburys last night.

sofia no there weren't any sun dried tomatoes in the meal as he doesn't like them and wouldn't have ordered something with those in it. Can only put it down to the pine nuts.

I was really good about banned foods right up until the day I was at a conference with catered lunches, still morning sick, not admitting to being pregnant yet, and one day's lunch was sandwiches -- smoked salmon, or brie, or ham, or cold chicken with some other kind of soft cheese on it. I ate everything but the ham, and that was just because it didn't sit well with the morning sickness. And nothing horrible happened. What with the hormones, I did want to cry when I saw all those beautiful sandwiches and not a thing I was suppsed to eat...

But the US advice is different, and the main thing
my OB was really concerned with was avoiding eating large amounts of mercury-contaminated fish (of which tuna is the only one I'll eat anyway -- salmon isn't mercury-contaminated). Second on the list was liver, which I've been virtuously avoiding because I hate it.

Azure, ready meals are fine but to be safe you need to ensure that they are very well cooked and piping hot all the way through.

That puts my mind at rest, thanks Aloha.

Welcome

twiglett,
re the smoked salmon thing, I haven't heard any advice saying that it shouldn't be eaten (although that might just be me) and funnily enough the only pregnancy craving I've ever had was for smoked salmon with dd2. I had to change buses on the way home from work and would make a detour into Marks & Sparks foodhall and buy a packet to eat on the second bus. DD2 was absolutely fine and the only side effect was on my bank balance.

Here's a link to the official Food Standards Agency advice on smoked salmon - they think the risk of listeria is too low to be worth avoiding it:

www.foodstandards.gov.uk/healthiereating/asktheexpert/pregnancy/89090

Okay, assuming moldy bread is a banned food in pregnancy

Dh just made me a bacon sarnie, and it wasn't until I'd eaten half way through it that I realised the bread has slightly gone and there was one tiny mould patch on it. I don't think I ate any moldy bits but can't be sure. I haven't done myself or sprog any major harm have I?

educating dh about food safety as we speak

You probably just got a healthy dose of penicillin, GeorginaA .
Honestly, don't think it's worth worrying about.

Oh dear, I'm allergic to penicillin Oh well, I think I'd know about it by now if I'd ingested enough to be a problem.

Didn't think it was a serious problem, but thought I ought to check