food to avoid

[tweeni]

is it safe to eat sausage, burgers, chicken nuggets, chorizo, pepperoni or pepparami during pregnancy. some people have said it isn't but i've never heard this before.

I would think so, but pepporni is cured not cooked so maybe not.

Does anyone know why you cant eat vegetarian pate?

cori... depends what's in it! although i haven't heard that one before i have to say

tweeni... never heard anything about not eating those things during pg... although am vegetarian so maybe just wasn't paying attention! lol

lol MT.. i ate tons of peanuts... craved them!

food standards agency info here

everyone you meet will give you their opinion about it too

It was in the leaflet i recieved at my booking appointment. Just thought it was odd.

maybe it's because people don't tend to cook them properly or something?

pate - due to high levels of Vitamin A

unpasteurised soft cheese - Listeria

raw eggs - salmonella

oysters - eaten raw

pepperoni and chorizo are not cooked but the process is so safe it would be ok especially on things like pizza as it's recooked

sausage, burgers, nuggets ok

in general if anything is thoroughly cooked until it is piping hot throughout it will be ok (including cheese)

Vegetarian pate - think this may be due to the way pate is made, more of a risk from Listeria

tuna, swordfish and marlin - due to elevated mercury levels supposed to be bad for babies

I'm a food microbiologist (well used to be) and personally I don't avoid anything during pregnancy (don't eat meat but if I did would eat everything).

If you want more advice go to

www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/life02eatingwhenpregnant.pdf

it's the governments recommendations for healthy and safe eating in pregnancy

thanks for the link fishie was having trouble with it

pate is chopped up in a huge bowl type thing which leaves it at a higher risk of being contaminated with Listeria

Tweeni - I notice that you have posted about 10 questions on pregnancy on mumsnet in the last few days. I am concerned that you have not yet been to the doctors or got any medical care or advice and yet you are 17 and think you are more than 3 months pregnant. You really must do this soon

Mums net is not a substitute for medical care for you and your baby.

You also need to get some help to think through the issues you have about your baby?s father, your school and your parents. To honest, you have bigger problems to worry about than hair dye or maternity fashion