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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Am I allowed to eat....

49 replies

blushingmare · 09/02/2012 20:00

Shop bought egg custard tarts? Based on the assumption that we can't have raw egg, which I know some people don't necessarily agree with anymore. I would have thought shop bought ones don't have raw or partially cooked egg would they?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Flisspaps · 10/02/2012 18:12

keely027 What Manda says up there ^

I've also read the NHS guidance and am 32w pregnant with DC2. As I say, it's guidance, not a list of rules. Just because the ingredients list says it contains egg yolk, that doesn't mean you can't have it!

OTTMummA · 10/02/2012 18:46

ice cream is cooked and then frozen so it is pasturised, you can go bath in haggen daz if you like Keely!
I am now going to make blue cheese and spinach pasta next week after reading this.
I L.O.V.E it, and have been really wanting it lately i am happy with the extremely low risk.
Yay me!

Joygirl78 · 10/02/2012 18:57

Loving the guardian article. Reading it while drinking stout which is a very pleasant way to up your iron intake.

MrsRV · 10/02/2012 19:12

I've tried to be careful with what I eat through my pregnancy... (although the haagan daaz is a new one on me, oops) If I had a pound for the amount of people who've said "oh it's all nonsense...", "it changes every 5 minutes..." or "in my day there was none of that..." I'd be a very happy lady!! If I'm honest, yes I know it's probably all bollocks and I'd be fine if I indulged in the much missed prawns, sushi, pate, cheeses etc...but, as I say to all those who know best and belittle me and make me feel awkward, Personally, if anything happened I would never forgive myself... I'd always blame that 1 dodgy prawn irrespective of whether that was the actual cause of any nasties or not!! Don't want to test the theories and if I can allow my conscience to rest that little bit easier then I'm good with that.

The end.

Just getting it off my chest here rather than telling all of my "know better" friends and family to F* OFF.

Original poster

blushingmare · 10/02/2012 22:21

Don't worry I don't feel particularly got at I agree some of the hysteria about pregnancy "rules" gets a bit ridiculous! I guess the "allowed" in my title was a little tongue in cheek and the reason I said going on the assumption that one can't have raw egg is because I know not everyone follows those guidelines. Personally I think we're all grown ups and can make up our own minds on what we will and won't consume or do in pregnancy. I tend to agree with the view that although I'm sure it would be fine, I err on the side of caution with food just because if something did happen the doubt over whether I had contributed to it would be too much for me. I have a friend who ended up in ITU with salmonella poisoning and subsequently lost her baby, so although really rare, it can happen so I guess I'm a bit influenced by that. That said, I'm still riding my bike to work on Central London every day and get some very disapproving looks from friends and family for that and maybe they're right, but it's different risks that we're all comfortable with hey?

None of that excuses my moment of stupidity in thinking custard tarts would
Contain raw egg though

OP posts:

cjbk1 · 11/02/2012 08:26

Chorizo?

Finallygotaroundtoit · 11/02/2012 08:41

An assistant in a bakery refused to sell my very pregnant DN a tuna sanwich because of;

1 The Mayo
2 The Tuna

Fraktal · 11/02/2012 08:49

littlemiss MWs in France do advise against mould ripened soft cheeses, blue cheese etc. Or rather they advise you that these foods can pose a risk abd that listeriosis in particular can be fatal for the baby. Many French women choose to ignore it as they do the advice on drinking, smoking and caffeine but it is out there. On the contrary they are paranoid about washing salad properly in case you get toxoplasmosis.

I would err on the side of caution personally. For example I don't eat fish like to contain heavy metals as I'm still BFing.

FutureNannyOgg · 11/02/2012 10:06

All proper ice cream contains egg, but just like the mayo, it's pasteurised to make it safe.

FutureNannyOgg · 11/02/2012 10:08

Also, someone upthread mentioned eggs from their own chickens. Were your chooks not vaccinated? British hens tend to be vaccinated for salmonella as chicks, and most that are available to keep at home will be done. If so, your eggs are safe.

PassTheTwiglets · 11/02/2012 10:12

I think everybody is missing the most obvious point here, which is that custard tarts are disgusting :)

Original poster

blushingmare · 11/02/2012 21:05

Now Twiglets you've really asked for a bunfight!!

OP posts:

PassTheTwiglets · 11/02/2012 22:07

The woman in front of me in Sainsbos was buying them today - was it one of you?!

Angelico · 11/02/2012 22:41

Midwife just last week told me not to eat raw eggs - or pavlova. Was out for dinner tonight, saw pavlova... and skipped past it. And pavlova is not raw. But as Guardian article says it's like you lose all reason or something!!!

Great article, thanks for link :o

babybouncer · 11/02/2012 22:50

My poor mum drove herself mad trying to cook foods suitable for my pregnant state over Christmas. I kept telling her (because I don't eat cheese and we rarely have fish) that there was very little I couldn't have, but she said she had so much guilt about the slight possibility that she could get it wrong! Bless her...

babybouncer · 11/02/2012 22:51

Also - I adore soft boiled eggs, but have been avoiding them due to the advice on the NHS website. Could someone talk to me realistically about the risks of salmonella so I can make a real decision?

buonasera · 14/02/2012 12:18

OH and I ate at Wagamama on Friday night - as soon as I walked in the door the waiter started fussing about getting me somewhere comfy to sit etc, then OH ordered some sake and the waiter said "for one or two?" and he said "one" and the waiter said "oh of course, how stupid of me, just for one, OK"... so then I chickened out of ordering a glass of wine. I was looking forward to that as well.

What drives me nuts on this is that being obviously pregnant now, and aware of the fact that people stare all the time, I feel self-conscious about doing stuff that pregnant women get judged on like having the occasional glass of wine. When actually it would have been more dodgy earlier on, in the first trimester, when nobody cared. So glad I went and got my flu vaccine in the first tri when I wasn't showing - GP had a 2 month waiting list and Boots won't do it if you're up the duff... unless you lie on the form like me...

marshmallowpies · 14/02/2012 12:35

Baked egg custard tarts are um, baked, so they MUST be ok, right?

I did eat pavlova just before Christmas which was home-made meringue and was all squidgy inside - hmm...I think I've always assumed egg white is fairly inoffensive and if anything is going to make you sick it would be the yolks, as that's where all the protein is... not a biologist, by the way.

The flu vaccine one is weird...my GP sent me a letter saying I should have it, but pharmacists seem to be saying the opposite. Anyway, I had mine at about 16 weeks or thereabouts...

eurochick · 14/02/2012 12:46

That zoe williams article is brilliant. That is probably the first time I have ever described anything printed in The Graniud that way.

TheBreadstick · 14/02/2012 13:17

I guess it's quite easy to be flippant regarding foods to eat and avoid if you've had an easy, complication free pregnancy - or indeed it's your second or third time round.

For me, this is my first pregnancy and I've continued much the same as before I was pregnant - the odd glass of wine, a bit of pate or blue cheese if I felt like it and I've continued to eat eggs, soft boiled or otherwise - from the hens in our garden, so no 'lion stamp' there. But that's just me, and I'm a stubborn mule.

That said, I don't blame expectant mums for feeling confused or overwhelmed by all the conflicting 'advice' out there be it from health professionals, friends, parents, etc - looked at rationally none of it makes sense. But then we're not at our most rational right now are we!

That Guardian article was great, by the way.

rednellie · 14/02/2012 18:10

buonasera, you're my hero! I had the flu jab flung at me by my GP practically whilst I was passing him in the corridor!

I totally agree that loads of the fuss about diet in pregnancy is a) infuriating and b) confusing, but it is annoying trying to defend some decisions against elderly relatives. My MIL is in her late 70's and thinks I'm totally peculiar for not downing red wine (I do have the odd stout) and takes the mickey out of me for it. Mind you, FIL also mocked my DH when he asked his dad to wear his seat belt in the back of the car. DH then pointed out he wasn't asking because he was worried about his dad, but because he didn't want his dad to kill him. That shut him up.

Mmmmmmmm, egg custard tarts. I needed a new addiction...

rednellie · 14/02/2012 18:11

Also, if you think you get looked down on for drinking in the UK, try ordering a glass of wine preggers in North America - the looks!

MandaHugNKiss · 14/02/2012 18:33

Or, indeed, something with caffeine in it, rednellie. Their blanket 'ban' on these substances whilst pregnant is almost militant.

Still, they have the lowest incidence of miscarriage (the caffeine worry) and fetal alcohol syndrome statistics in The World!! So, they win!

Oh, wait; no they don't. From a study I read some time ago their FAS incidence is through the roof compared to the rest of the world. But then again, they do not have a NHS and I imagine the poorer, less educated pregnant women aren't getting the message about what is an acceptable limit and binging in general is a no-no. I should imagine there are many thousands of women each year who have no antenatal care at all because they can't afford it.

But it's those of us with our coffee or occasional glass of wine who need taking into hand? SLightly veering off topic here... so...

Yeah, custard tarts are not my bag, man.

I did eat fois gras on Sunday though. So I've upset the Hysterical Food in Pregnany Police and the Cruelty to Geese Police in one fell swoop! Definitely a warrent out for my arrest at this time.

To be fair, I do feel bad for the geese. But, my goodness it was heaven on toasted brioche, I swear!

SamraLee · 14/02/2012 18:57

babybouncer

There are two ways salmonella can get into eggs. One way is through the chicken, which shouldn't happen with any eggs that are lion stamped because they have been vaccinated against it. However, there are rare cases of humans being vaccinated against something and still becoming infected, I'm not sure if this ever happens with chickens. The second way is the egg being in an area that is contaminated by salmonella and having a flaw in shell (even a flaw you can't see). Farmers can help combat salmonella by refrigerating the eggs as soon as they come out of the hen and vaccinating the chicken. You can help by cooking eggs thoroughly and never using eggs with flaws in the shell, also it goes without saying, buy lion stamped eggs.

Now saying all that, in the US where they don't vaccinate chickens they still estimate only 1 in every 30,000 eggs have salmonella present in the egg. I would imagine with chickens being vaccinated here it's even lower, but still possible.

It's up to you whether or not you want to take the risk, the very minute risk. I personally choose not to even though I would like to because I don't want to be that 1 in however many. I don't think women who eat raw or undercooked eggs while pregnant are making a bad choice so long as they are informed.

Hope this wasn't too long winded and helps you to make your choice :).

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