"Are you allowed to eat that?"-weird food advice you've received when pregnant

[ChickenMe]

Hi

I've noticed that people love to tell us pregnant ladies what we can and can't do and no more so than when it comes to my favourite subject, food.

MIL, soon after being told I was expecting, exclaimed in a panic "eggs! You mustnt eat eggs!". Conversely she says it's fine to drink booze "so long as you don't get really drunk". Lol.

Upon mentioning tuna, prawns, fish, seafood in general Ive had "are you allowed that?" from several people. Poor condemned fish!

The funniest one was chatting to a woman at work and she says "grapefruit" in a rather stern way. Apparently it's not allowed.

I find it amusing that the above proscribed foods are all pretty healthy yet no one would blink an eye lid if I were to inhale Haribo or mainline Fanta for nine months (just don't eat eggs).

What ridiculous or hilarious food advice have you received from anxious well wishers?

My personal bugbear is the idea that because you're preggers you must automatically want to drink herbal tea. To me it all tastes like pond slime or bath product. Plus I absolutely love coffee and tea, why would I switch to something that is totally unlike either? It's especially at work I get this. "Oooh, off for a herbal tea are you lovely?" No, you bastard, I'm off to rub espresso into my eyeballs ha ha ha (or at least make a decaf coffee!) I know caffiene is a big no, but I always watch my intake and switch to decaf. Which isn't as lovely as real but at least it's not made of bloody HERBS!

But monkeymamma this is what I don't understand - caffeine in reasonable quantities isn't a big no! You can have 3 normal cups of tea, 2 cups of instant coffee or 1 real coffee per day. It says so on the NHS website.

I don't really understand where the 'pregnant, must give up all caffeine every day' mantra comes from!

PMSL mainlining Fanta OP!

Oh my, I'm doing it all wrong then. This morning I had scrambled eggs, a side of raspberries and half a grapefruit. Luckily I redeemed myself with lunch, I had a Fanta!

My dh's nana always asks me if I fancy a full english when she sees me, whatever time of the day because she craved it massively during her pregnancies. This is my second pregnancy and she fed me loads of them during the first one!

Hehe Journey it was actually San Pelligrino Limon for me, very Waitrose so baby is now bound for Oxbridge of course....only the best.
Very amusing anecdotes.

Poor Mil (she means exceedingly well but gets muddled) says that Im so lucky I can eat what I want (she's dieting so she can't). But I'm like, really? I'm not going to start snorting KFC for the next few months - not because I'm "allowed" to be a bit fat but because it's not good for you (and I don't want baby to come out looking like the Colonel cos the Colonel looks a lot like Rolf Harris)

I don't mind official NHS advice that I read on their website, in my book and from my midwife. It's being told what to eat/not eat by random people that gets to me. Some one nearly knocked the nuts out of my hand "sorry but you shouldn't eat them" -I explained patiently how the advice had changed.

My main problem is that to not get bad indigestion/heartburn I need to eat regularly and small amounts mainly carbs. Fine at home but staying at my ILs it was so difficult, despite the fact I'd stashed some cereal bars. She'd say we were going to have "a light lunch in a bit" and then go and do gardening for a couple of hours. I sent DH to enquire about lunch (he's not allowed to enter the kitchen) and she thought he was nagging her -but I got fed so that's okay :)

I was at a formal dinner last week. Waiter asked everyone at the table did they want wine but skipped over me.

I hadn't intended to drink but would have liked to have been given the opportunity to refuse, rather than have the decision made for me

I got told that I must eat liver every week as it's good for the baby and if I didn't then my baby would have a vitamin A deficiency. Despite me being told to avoid liver due to the chance of overdosing on vitamin A (and me hating liver with a vengeance)

My Hellmans mayo in my sarnie was deemed to be me being uncaring.
Grapefruit juice meant my baby would have a sharp tongue.
Think the best one was being told that me eating raisins during pregnancy would mean there would be a whole raisin in my baby's "first" nappy. That was true as it happened to a neighbour's friend.

Most of this "advice" came from women who didn't have and didn't want children. I just learned to smile and nod and ignore them.

I reemeber going to a conference at a campus (out of city) university when pregnant: the conference dinner, for which I'd had to buy a formal maternity outfit at more than I wanted to spend, was seafood, followed by chicked stuffed with soft cheese, followed by a chocolate mousse made with raw egg. Based on the official advice at the time I could eat none of these things. There was nowhere else to get anything to eat so I had the choice of eating the banned foods or going to bed hungry and nauseous as I was just at that stage when I needed to eat regularly to avoid sickness. I was so PFB that I left the dinner and spent all night in the foetal position on my bed drinking water and retching from hunger. Idiot. By the time I was expecting YD I did whatever was necessary to get through it: and would have eaten not only my own chicken, but anyone elses in my eyeline if I were hungry enough.

I was asked by a lady at work if I should be eating the Moroccan chicken cous cous. WHY NOT?? Bizarre!

Rebecca, didn't you see the warning on the news? Your baby will grow into a moroccan chicken!!

A friend asked me if I was allowed cake. One of the major food groups around here lately!

I despise people treating me like public property when pregnant, I save up all my hormonal rage just for them.

nothing is totally banned in pregnancy or breastfeeding. even if it was it's not a criminal offense and you won't have SS on your door. as long as everything is eaten or drunk in moderation use your common sense!

btw eggs are safe in the UK, ours are laid by lions I think it's US ones that aren't that you need to watch.

Smoked salmon, a burger ('did you ask for it well-done?') and, personal favourite, an Oreo milkshake.

Omg Oreos milkshake! A thing of beauty. Not banned. (It's that fear of soft ice cream isn't it? The soft ice creams they are on about probably contain zero dairy anyway and certainly don't stretch to a raw egg)

Lmao at ours are laid by lions confuddled. Mil would believe that so I might mention it.

Stealthpolarbear and momb does this mean I can eat peanut butter? I can't keep up with the latest advice

Oh dear now I want an oreo milkshake :)

but it's true! lion eggs are safer.

A chocolate eclair, as a TFIF treat. There was a sharp intake of breath by my workmate, as I was going to make the baby fat.

Blimey Panda, if one choc eclair is going to make the baby fat, lord knows what size mine will be when it arrives!

I get more annoyed by people saying 'oh, just one won't hurt'. Mainly referring to booze. Thanks, it probably won't, but no thanks all the same - I don't fucking want any!!