Foods to cut out??

[justhayley]

Hiya,
Trying to compile a list of foods and things that should be avoided during pregnancy.

So far I have:

Liver - which I avoid anyway
Blue cheese - gross anytime
Shell fish - :( does this include prawns? Gutted!

Also is cheesecake ok?
Iv heard I should avoid any soft cheese surely I don't have to avoid cheesecake!!! I can live without wine but cheesecake I'm just not sure!

And finally coleslaw? I think u should avoid raw eggs and I'm sure Mayo is made with raw egg and coleslaw made with Mayo?

have I missed anything?

Thanks x

There are lists on the NHS and food standards agency website. Just use one of those as your list is not correct.

Shellfish - you should be okay as long as they are cooked and hot through

Cheesecake - enjoy! Most are absolutely fine. You should avoid soft cheeses such as brie, but pasturized cheese like philadelphia is absolutely fine so if it's made with that, go ahead and enjoy.

Mayo, the only mayo you need to avoid is homemade as it made using raw egg, supermarket stuff is nearly always fine as is supermarket coleslaw. Just be careful if you go to a particularly nice restaurant or buy some from a farm shop as they might be "properly" made with raw egg.

HTH !

I was told by a midwife that prawns and shellfish are not reccommended because of the levels of mercury in them but to consume enough mercury to harm your baby you'd have to be eating vat loads of prawns for every meal, every day. She told me I could continue enjoying prawns so I did and my oth my daughters are fine, expect dd1 has a slight addiction to shellfish

Most shop bought things are fine as they're pasturised inc. mayo and cheesecake.

I read up on this and found that rare meat, mouldy cheeses and anything containing raw egg (mousse, tiramisu) are all out....but I think I've eaten every one of those things at some point in pregnancy

The camembert in M and S says 'made with pasteurised milk' - does that mean it's ok or does the cheese itself need to be pasteurised?

Even if these cheeses are pasteurised, they still aren't safe to eat. That's because they are more moist and less acidic than other cheeses. It's this moistness and acidity which provide the perfect environment for listeria bacteria to grow.

Camembert would be fine cooked.