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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

smoked salmon question.

56 replies

qazxc · 30/12/2013 21:02

Damn it, I have created a monster! I bought DP a pregnancy book for dads and am now subjected to daily lectures advice.
Having finally convinced him that the cats were not hatching a murderous plan for the new arrival, today's panic is about smoked salmon.
He came rushing down the stairs "you shouldn't be eating smoked salmon! or ham!". I said "oh really, i didn't know that. Anyway I don't think I have done so it's ok." . Him "Yes you have! At my mum's!". Me "oh well, it was only a slice, i'm sure it's fine". He skulked off, I don't think he is convinced and is probably googling worst case scenarios.
Is smoked salmon such a hazardous substance? Should i kick the book under the bed hoping it stays lost? In fairness it does have some advantages as I haven't had to change litter tray in months. Actually scrap that I am def kicking it under bed as he is now shouting from upstairs about the evils of homemade mayo (we have never made homemade mayo).

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Awakeagain · 30/12/2013 21:09

I can't remember about smoked salmon but Parma ham was a no as it may have germs (of some sort I can't remember) it is ok if cooked
I ate broccoli and Stilton soup even though Stilton isn't allowed as I figured its cooked!

Original poster

qazxc · 30/12/2013 21:13

Is Stilton not allowed either? I thought it was, it says so here. Because i have been eating loads of it .

OP posts:

LastOneDancing · 30/12/2013 21:18

you are funny.

I'm going to a restaurant with a set menu tomorrow and they've apparently changed the menu for those with pregnantitis so we don't get smoked salmon or anything nice

But NHS site says its fine!

ananikifo · 30/12/2013 21:18

Both smoked salmon and ham are allowed for pregnant women in the UK but not in some other countries. If you avoided everything that's banned in every country you would not be allowed to eat anything.

NigellasDealer · 30/12/2013 21:20

at least he cares and will he clean the litter tray?

TheBookofRuth · 30/12/2013 21:20

Both smoked salmon and Stilton are fine, according to the NHS.

ilovepowerhoop · 30/12/2013 21:21

is it an american book? UK advice is that smoked salmon is ok.

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/eating-smoked-fish-and-cold-meats-during-pregnancy.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=216#close

Rattitude · 30/12/2013 21:26

A documentary about farmed Norwegian salmon was shown a few weeks ago on French TV. I did not see it but it was apparently quite shocking.

The conclusion was that it should not be eaten by pregnant women and young children.

If I recall correctly, the farmed salmon is fed a diet based on shrimps from the Aral sea, which is extremely polluted.

I have no idea if salmon farmed in Scotland is any better.

I switched to wild salmon a few years ago. The taste is so superior that I no longer fancy eating farmed salmon anyway.

Ilovekittyelise · 30/12/2013 21:27

haha i love the lectures. mine are mainly about wine as
drinking a couple of small(ish) glasses over christmas is bound to cause untold damage. hes not dared mention things i shouldnt eat, thankfully. think he realised he was skating on thin ice after i spent entire day christmas eve cooking and cleaning then couldnt find a space for anything in fridge due to there being enough fucking tonic to drown his entire family in there.

i had lovely smoked salmon on boxing day, practically an entire piece of st agur, and recently cracked open an unpasteurised goats cheese camembert (which was gross, actually).

if i didnt dislike eggs so much, i would have taken to drinking them raw by now.

PenguinsDontEatStollen · 30/12/2013 21:31

Yes, is it a US book?

Smoked salmon is fine.

Most of the food prohibitions - like 'deli meats' in the US are about reducing risk of listeria.

However, the fact is that, whilst horribly scary and potentially life threatening for the feotus, how you catch it is really rather random (and it is very, very, very, rare). You could get it from melon, salad, deli turkey (all sources of past outbreaks in various countries).

The issue is that it flourishes in moist environments even at cold temperatures. So ready made food always carries some kind of risk (though, as I said, listeriosis is very, very rare).

The bottom line is that you could reduce your risk of listeria more by following good hygiene rules and avoiding buffets, dodgy takeaways, etc (and, actually, hospitals and care homes) than by avoiding every 'listeria' prohibited food on the NHS list.

Ilovekittyelise · 30/12/2013 21:37

penguin i actually love you. i get so sick of hearing all the generic "dont eat this or that" advice as i personally believe that you are WAY more likely to get listeria from the crappy salad bar at pizza hut, than some lovingly prepared contraband cheese, but everyone just spouts on about these few items which are just soooooo unlikely to cause an issue.

Original poster

qazxc · 30/12/2013 21:39

Well at least it has stopped him sharing every symptom with DMIL. Like the time he came off the phone from her to announce that my "farting so much is entirely normal, Aunty Therese had that!", I didn't know who to be mortified for on that one!

OP posts:

PenguinsDontEatStollen · 30/12/2013 21:42

KittyElise - I don't agree with everything she says (I think her alcohol advice goes a bit far on the permissive for me, even though I have the odd glass and her birth chapter is very American slanted) but Emily Oster's Expecting Better has a good explanation of listeriosis, salmonella, etc.

I personally eat just about everything (am expecting no. 3) and my past research had come to much the same conclusions as her book (it wasn't out with no1 and no2). I eat proper parma ham (after reading an article which I think was in the New York Times or similar) about it being ok. I drink in very careful moderation. The only things I really avoid are sources of food I'm not happy about and liver.

PenguinsDontEatStollen · 30/12/2013 21:43

Oh, and I re-wash pre-bagged salads, spinach, etc. But I do that when I'm not pregnant.

Ilovekittyelise · 30/12/2013 21:59

penguin i pretty much stick to same eating principles as i normally do: that being i avoid processed foods, artificial sweeteners, processed meats (ie pate ham anything reformed, because i dont like the taste or knowing what went in); im also careful about anything where heavy metal toxicity could be an issue (im a scientist by training and find this scary).

iv not ready either of the books being discussed. i dont think we will ever get reliable information about alcohol though. nobody is going to take part in a study that potentially causes damage, and people tend not to be honest in what they report. to me it is significant that my body tells me alcohol is repulsive during the first trimester and to be avoided. subsequently i may feel like it, but the reality rarely lives up to my expectation and i tend to feel a bit dehydrated and yuch after half a glass; im a bit old school but in the same way as my body tells me to eat lots of kale and watercress (mental cravings this time!) its self limiting as far as wine goes (which believe me is far from what im like normally).

PenguinsDontEatStollen · 30/12/2013 22:22

Oh yes, metal toxicity too (but don't really eat anything where it might be an issue).

My body is really keen on mango and kiwi this time. First time I've had a craving...

Ilovekittyelise · 30/12/2013 22:24

i want roast beef (medium rare, with horseradish and green things) all the time. amusing since up until this time last year i was vegetarian!

Wuxiapian · 30/12/2013 22:28

Both Salmon and Stilton are fine to eat.

talulahbelle · 30/12/2013 22:28

I've had runny yoked eggs, smoked salmon, Brie... First pregnancy and I only knew about avoiding caffeine alcohol and pâté. Everything seems fine so far.
I'm craving shreddies with ice cold milk, kiddie comfort food but at least there's some fibre in there. I rather like tomatoes too right now.

FastWindow · 30/12/2013 22:29

Agree far too much is made of it all. I avoided pate, hate blue cheese anyway, and swordfish isn't really on our menu...!!

So are all these women in say Iceland or Norway where fish is a big part of the staple diet, going hungry? Thought not.

Rattitude · 30/12/2013 22:32

Have just watched the documentary I mentioned above.

The conclusions I mentioned are valid. However, the farmed fish is fed on fatty fish products from the Baltic sea (rather than shrimps from the Aral sea).

The Baltic sea is pretty polluted too, and fatty fish end up concentrating dioxins, PCBs, pesticides...

VJONES1985 · 30/12/2013 22:33

Love this. A friend told me the other day that she and her dh are going to start ttc soon but she has doubts because she couldn't cope without eating pate for nine months...

PenguinsDontEatStollen · 30/12/2013 22:34

Liver pate is one of the few things that you should genuinely avoid...

Plateofcrumbs · 30/12/2013 22:45

Couldn't agree more with penguins attitude to this!

Ilovekittyelise · 30/12/2013 22:53

liver pate is just so wrong and so gross....its so funny to me that someone would like pate so much it would factor into their life decisions!

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