Eating pre-washed/pre-made salads in pregnancy?

[bossykate]

i have been following this guidance during pregnancy so far, but have to confess i am totally sick of it.

i'm sure the guidelines 3yrs ago were not so stringent.

surely there is not much risk in buying from a reputable supermarket?

what is everyone else doing re this guidance?

thanks in advance for your comments

I followed the advice (as far as I could tell)and didn't find it that inconvenient.

I think that the reputation of the Supermarket probably would have bugger-all impact on this matter. A Supermarket with a good reputation is usually one that charges more for its goods and it usually charges more for its goods because it has targetted that end of the market or because of the location of the store - it probably has a sister company aimed at the lower end of the market and they probably share suppliers.

HTH

I had a pre packed salad last night, and didn't wash it, I didn't even think to do so.

It does seem that there are even more guidelines than 3 yrs ago, not sure that I am following all of them, TBH.

Probably not much help to you!!

I, perhaps stupidly, didn't realise that washed prepacked salads from supermarkets had to be re-washed until I saw the midwife this week (am 14 weeks) so for teh past 14 weeks have been merrily chomping unwashed salad with no apparant ill effects. Will now wash them of course. I do find washign fruit a pain when you are out and no water in sight so have resorted to carrying 2 bottles, 1 for drinking and 1 for washing but it is a pain.
Took DS to McDonalds yesterday as a treat lunch and would have had one of the salads they have started to do in NZ but had to have a 'meal instead' as thought twice about the salad. Beofre tuesday would merrily have eaten away.
I also can't remember it being so stringent 4 years ago with DS - but basically GP here in NZ said don't eat anything you havn't washed and prepared yourself - even at friend's houses - very helpful....
Sorry not much help to you but to empathise with you - it is a pain.

Surely there's got to be greater risk in food poisoning from a burger than eating pre-washed salad?!

I wouldn't hesitate to eat salad out of the packet from a supermarket in the UK - mainly because I'm happy enough that the water here is okay. If I was abroad I might be a bit more cautious if I remembered!

Sorry Bossykate but this is one of the few things I feel strongly about during pregnancy (each to their own and all that normally) but I feel it is all an absolute piece of nonsense. Not just the salad thing but the whole eat this/don't eat that/this will cause god knows what 25 years down the line etc. I have never had food poisoning in my life from the soft-boiled eggs that I love, why am I more likely to now? (And I sm sure that umpteen MNs will be able to answer that question and tell me exactly why. But please don't!) I think it has now moved onto absurd lengths - only two servings of tuna, no salmon, washing pre-washed food etc, etc, etc (If you are lucky I will shake the dirt off normally!)

So I suppose to answer your question I eat what I want to be honest - had the same attitude first time round too! But as with all these things everyone has a comfort zone so if you are likely to fret about it or look back in a few months time and go 'What if it was the XYZ that I ate?' then it will probably be easier in the long run to follow them.

Rant over - sorry!

I agree I am more cautious this time, with Ds I continued to eat mussles etc (in fact craved them), maybe it is the miscarriage last year that has made me more 'cautious' but the logical part of my brain says people have been eating what they want since the day dot and we are all here. I know my mum drank, ate whatever etc and short of us all being slightly mad!! there is nothing wrong with us!!!!!! (can't do smileys) or so we think anyway!!
It is a huge guilt thing though that if something did go wrong you would be lokoing for reasons....

I've been eating pre-washed salads, haven't actually thought twice about it. I've also been eating nuts, food with nuts in and soft boiled eggs now and again.

My dr only told me to look out for the same things as last time, which was 6 years ago, and that is raw meat, liver, pate and soft cheeses so that's all I've avoided, other than that I've just carried on as normal. I think we're in danger of it all being blown out of all proportion. Pretty soon we won't be allowed to eat anything whilst pregnant. They'll have us all hooked up to Iv's next pumping us full of good foods and nothing at all that might cause us harm.

But at the end of the day they are guidelines and if you want to follow them it's up to the individual but I agree with Gomez, each to their own.

Thought I should add something here having audited most of the UK factories that make these pre-pakced salads and being a microbiologist. These factories used a tried and tested Chlorine washing system which has been proven to be effective against Listeria and Salmonella. The leaves are dipped through this system into a high risk facility all strictly controlled. Compare this to getting a lettuce covered in dirt and rinsing it under a cold tap or throwing a bit of salt on it at home. Personally I'm still eating pre-packed lettuce, I too believe each to their own and have eaten foods off the ever expanding banned list myself!

message withdrawn

I didn't even realise that it was so extensive bossykate!

I have not been buying bags of pre-washed salad, but I have eaten pre-prepared coleslaw, and have eaten salad from the salad bar in the canteen at work, and also have pre-packed sandwiches from pret-a-manger which I guess could be dodgy on the same grounds. Have also not given up eating ham and salami. I mean, what on earth do you eat for lunch if you go to work and you can;t eat things like this?

I have avoided blue cheese, liver, and pate though.

like you bossykate, I got increasingly frustrated with the never ending list of stuff I 'couldn't' eat. to be honest I was a bit more careful during the first three months but after that I went into my favourite deli (all unpasteurised cheese and lovely pate) and treated myself from time to time and always ate salad from those bags without washing it. I think people have gone caution mad - covering their backs in case we sue them. It can make pregnancy SOOO dull and unpleasant

I complete avoid the likes soft cheese, liver, pate, nuts etc.
I mainly avoid salami (Love peperami's), soft boiled eggs and tuna - however, as i love all of these, if i fancy a peperami i have one, same as if i fancy a tuna salad! Bit of a bonus that if i so much as smell an egg at present i retch!.

Basically my feeling is that if you stuck by every suggestion that is made you would never find something to eat - my midwife told me that the only reason they tell you avoid these foods is due to the risk of getting food poising - obviously if you eat these foods on a daily basis when not pregnant and have now side effects from it, why not eat when you are pregnant!

Think it is down to personal choice but the main things i would say a definite no no to are soft cheese, liver and pate.

thanks for these comments

wow, some people are v. laid back!

i find myself v. conflicted about the dietary restrictions. part of me thinks (in a kind of eye-rolling way) how on earth did the human race survive up to now? but then again, i'm sure rates of m/c, brain damage, birth defects etc were much higher than they are now until relatively recently in human history.

sweetkitty, thank you very much for your post. you have provided an knowledgeable view on this subject which has confirmed what i've been thinking about this. i'm sure most food factories are much cleaner than most people's kitchens! therefore, provided the food has been stored correctly in the shop and at home until you eat it, it should be fine.

i haven't been avoiding pre-packed sandwiches either, and i agree that is inconsistent with the advice i've been given.

i see from a number of these comments that people appear to have been advised to avoid things like salami, smoked salmon etc?

the Food Standards Agency does not advise avoiding these foods, stating that the risk is very small.

i do feel so much better having read everybody's posts. I think there is such a huge guilt thing put on pregnant women at a time when it is hard enough anyway, but to add to it the guilt of trying to find something for lunch/dinner etc. which is acceptable is mind blowing. Personally I found it much more relaxed in the Uk than in NZ, here I tried to buy a cheese and ham sandwich in a deli last week and the girl behind the counter suggested the bagel and jam instead as even if I removed the ham it could potentially be 'poisonous' and every sandwich had meal or fish in it. Didn't say much for their sandwiches I thought. But I poted for the bage l as by then everybody was looking at me!!!
The very nice french man in the restaurant in London had no problem serving me mussels throughout on a regular basis last time and was most upset I wouldn't have a glass of wine to 'accompany' them!!

hi sibble, i don't envy you in nz! (i mean on the pg restrictions front, that is). i've picked up from what the nzers say that the rules are much stricter over there. of course the fact that the rules seem to vary from country to country seems to give more weight to treating some of them with a healthy skepticism.