Can I have smoked salmon?

[Charotte31]

Can't remember if you can eat it in pregnancy!

Yes.

The NHS page says it's fine

Yes. I have been eating it... Infant I want some now with a bit of squeezed lemon... Mmmmmmm

Thanks! I'm so glad!! :)

When I was pregnant with DS2, I was at a party eating a smoked salmon canape when some bloody interfering woman told me I shouldn't be eating that - I had great pleasure in telling her that the NHS advice was that actually it was fine!

I think I love you OP, for starting this thread, and Fandango for linking to that NHS page.

I didn't think I could have smoked salmon OR cured meats, although I did recently discover that stilton is ok. I was also feeling vaguely guilty about eating peanuts.

I think I am probably out of date from my last pregnancy 3 years ago, but why I didn't think of just looking on the NHS pages myself I'm not sure. Now I have I'm off for a bit of a rummage in the fridge

Pregnant Christmas is going to be ok after all...

I ate loads with DD. when nausea was at it's worst (8-11weeks) smoked salmon & cucumber sandwiches was all I could eat!

I'm sure her being incredibly clever is the direct result of consuming high-doses of the Omega 3 & 6 components in utero!

Ugh I couldn't face any smoked items or cured meats at all in pregnancy so none of this would have mattered to me! I did have Thai at a meal out with work colleagues and they tried to stop me from eating either prawns or peanuts. I told them they were way out of date with their guidance.

Zing the only thing I wanted when really suffering with morning sickness was tuna but you have to limit it because of the mercury. I'd plan out each week which 2 days I was allowed tuna and live for them!

yes, tuna is a tricky one.

although I love the warning about not eating swordfish or shark!

Now I wonder if there's a limit like that for salmon.
I guess I would have seen that by now...

and yes, I thought it was a strange craving - although not as strange as beer (I hate beer!) or once jacket potato with honey!

Each night I would stand in asda and decide what looked least disgusting. DP was when I came home one night with kippers and white bread to make kipper butties, but he was pleasantly surprised as it was the only meal that week that I ate without him practically fierce feeding me!

The NHS page I linked to said no more than 2 portions of oily fish inc salmon per week.

oops! too late, she is 20 months old.
at the height of Salmon-gate I must have had 15 - 20 sandwiches in a week!
not sure what's a portion (CBA to look) but I definitely went way above recommend amount!

thanks for that!

oh, and the beer I drank was alcohol free.

And Stilton is fine too (always throw that one in because it took four pregnancies before I realised!) NHS page says it's fine because it's a hard blue cheese!

Love smoked salmon, can't get enough of it this pregnancy.

Here in the US they say no to smoked salmon for pregnant women! I'm going with the NHS advice on this one, I think they're far more sensible.

Here in the US they say no to smoked salmon for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that it is sold by slice and the deli slicer is normally filthy with whatever the gremlin ordered infront of you. If that is something with listeria you are then consuming contaminated food.

The other reason is that most smoked salmon smoke houses use phosphates and nitrites to preserve the salmon. Sodium Nitrite is really not good for you at all. My obn said the research she has seen is all negative and she classifies it as carcinogenic. She also said there is a risk of parasite infection. She said parasites don't normally harm the baby but I would have to live with the infection until the baby was term.

The problem with smoked salmon (and all deli meats) is contamination with listeria. That's true for all ready-to-eat meals but the risk is considered very low. It's typical of US advice to be way over-cautious, almost to the point of silliness, in my experience. I tend to take things with a pinch of salt (excuse the pun) and check what NICE or the NHS recommend!

If you're avoiding nitrites then you also need to avoid bacon, sausages and any cured meat. It's probably not a bad thing but it's not a pregnancy related issue.

There have been studies on cultures that eat high amounts of oily or smoked fish and the incidence of birth defects is no different to ours. Most (not all) pregnancy food advice follows the precautionary principle.

Last night my Spanish friend asked if I was 'allowed' the chorizo I was eating - I said in Spain no, in the UK yes!

Omg I can have Stilton??? Wooooooohooooooo :)

NHS says yes!

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx

"Hard cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy

You can eat hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. Hard cheeses don't contain as much water as soft cheeses so bacteria are less likely to grow in them. It is possible for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low."

I spread this fabulous news whenever I have the opportunity It needs to go viral!!

The NHS says 2 portions of oily fish per week, and elsewhere on the site (rather unhelpfully) describes a portion as 140g. Which is a pretty good size!

I think another potential thing with oily fish like salmon is pollutants, which may also be behind the limit.

The NHS advice is to avoid cured/fermented meats like chorizo unless thoroughly cooked

Actually, the advice is to “be cautious” with cold cured meats. Whatever that means. There’s more detail on the nhs page.

*"Hard cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy

You can eat hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. Hard cheeses don't contain as much water as soft cheeses so bacteria are less likely to grow in them. It is possible for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low."

I spread this fabulous news whenever I have the opportunity grin It needs to go viral!!*

Have you got any mistletoe??? Cos I want to KISS you!!!!

if you're at all concerned about cured meats, freeze them first. That'll kill some nasties. Some pre-packaged smoked salmon in the UK has already been frozen.