Eating in France

[Frizzy1986]

Hi all,
I feel fairly clued up on what I can and can't eat and have followed NHS guidelines throughout my pregnancy.
I'm off to France on holiday in 2 weeks and will be 34 weeks pregnant. It's a silly question but im wondering if I still need to be very cautious about the foods that are commonly eaten in France.
I miss things like brie which I presume I will most definitely need to avoid on holiday (gutted) as I've read it can cause preterm labour if it has listeria and I'd like to avoid having a baby on holiday if possible. Is this the same for cured meats?
I've lasted this long without things so I'm fine if I need to avoid things in France, but just want to make sure I know what the risks are before I go and wasn't sure if it becomes safer at this late stage as baby has already developed so much.
There'll be plenty of things I can still enjoy (breads and pastries) even if I'll miss out on some of my faves, but this is what happens when you book a holiday and then find out you are expecting.
Thanks

I think I actually would be more wary in France as I feel like they are more likely to have untreated and therefore risky foods. It's a shame as France to me equals cheese, rare meat and wine, all of which are not pregnancy friendly!

I’d just make sure you re wash fruit with bottled water- and ice cubes - I wouldn’t get them in drinks as might not be treated drinkable water. Except for that... enjoy!

I went to France last week and still followed the NHS guidance.

Cru means raw, look for it on packaging for milk & cheese as it means it's unpasterised and on menus for meat/fish.

It's just unpasteurised cheese that's common there, they do have babies in France you know! They have the same standards as us so no worries about ice as suggested above. Do ensure you have insurance just in case of early labour plus your ehic and carry your notes

Thanks for this. I did worry that they are more likely to have unpasteurised cheese that maybe wouldn't be over here, but I'll have to make sure I am stick with hard cheeses maybe as NHS says all those are safe regardless.
I have specific pregnancy cover through Ravenhall as well so am covered in case I go into labour.
Good heads up on the word for raw. Any other words that I should watch out for so I can avoid.
My main aim is to survive on croissants, fresh bread and patisserie cakes.

You don't need to be more cautious than you would in the UK. As PP has said, they have babies in France too and it is a developed country with generally good food hygiene. I'd just continue to avoid the same things you do in the UK - unpasteurised dairy, cured meats, raw egg (watch out for chocolate mousse), booze - and drink bottled water.

Having said that, I went to Paris when six months pregnant and had a small amount of brie, charcuterie and two glasses of wine with my dinner one night, and we all lived to tell the tale!

No you don't need to wash fruit with bottled water. It's France, not some third world country where drinking water comes from watering hole for buffalos. Here are the French recommendations, they are not that different from UK ones. www.doctissimo.fr/html/grossesse/pendant/en_forme/gr_3962_alim_eviter.htm

Unless you're immunised against toxoplasmosis (by having already had it) you need to avoid salads, and unwashed fruits. I gave birth twice in France and was toxoplasmosis negative so had blood tests every month to check I hadn't caught it.

My Dr told me I could have cooked hams etc if they were bought in supermarkets and in packets. I had to avoid the deli counter.

Also had to ask for my steak to be well done (bien cuit). If they know you are pregnant they take extra care.

Just to clarify, I wasn't suggesting France's hygiene standards were lower than ours just meant they are more likely to have unpasteurised cheeses etc, which is what you are supposed to avoid. I wouldn't go as far as avoiding ice or salad...

I don't think you need to avoid Saladin France!! You can have brie as long as it's cooked.

Oops, salad in France

Thanks.
I'm not worried about standard things as it's France, just making sure I dont accidentally get something (mainly cheese and cured meats) that I'm not supposed to have.
Any other helpful French phrases I'll be able to use? ☺

Err you should avoid salad (that you havent thoroughly washed yourself) if you arent immune to toxoplasmosis. My friends' DD was born deaf cos her mum got it whilst pregnant. Its the one thing that French Drs really lay on the line (hence state paid monthly blood tests to check you dont get it whilst pregnant)

You can have any cheese if it’s cooked. So no need to avoid brie just have it baked.

Watch for hard cheese. I ate loads of comte before checking the packet and realising it said Cru on it 🤦‍♀️ wish I'd just not checked 😂

Also don't let anyone tell you you cant eat moules et frites! Cooked seafood is fine

Unpasteurised hard cheeses are fine. Check the NHS guidance

Re toxoplasmosis- you can get that here too, it's just that it's not something we worry about but people in France (among other places) do.
So French women who are not immune to toxoplasmosis avoid salads too. If you did get it, in the third trimester you'd be fairly likely to pass it on to the baby, but the baby would be fairly unlikely to suffer any consequences. It's not likely you'd get it, but then it's pretty unlikely you'd get listeria either.
I'd be more worried about the heat in August. You may just want to lie down in a nice air conditioned hotel room for the duration...

Teddybear45 is quite right. Ignore me!

Yes, the heat. I'm hoping it's not awful. We are going to Normandy so hoping for sunshine with a breeze. I'll be taking some items to fan myself and rest while dh plays with dd in the sand.
Glad moules frites is ok as I love them in France.

I think all the French think the brits are silly for not earing certain foods Inc brie. I had unpasteurised goats cheese. I understand, of course, you don't want to take thir risk. But isn't listeria more common in salad these days- esp the salad in hospital sandwiches!

I have had listeria poisoning from unpasteurised cheese so wouldn't eat it while pregnant personally. I agree it's a very small probability but the potential consequences are pretty tragic i.e. miscarriage

If you’re having a burger, or steak hache you may have to ask for it to be well cooked too (bien cuit). They are generally quite pink in the middle otherwise

OP, I'll try and find a link layer but listeria is as common in pasteurised cheese as unpasteurised. I did my uni dissertation on it but basically listeria grows on outside of soft cheeses and in the blue of blue cheese. There is an argument that actually unpasteurised is safer as all bacteria are left and the guys keep the bad in check.

It's best to avoid any cheese that is blue or where the find is an intrinsic past of the cheese (like brie/camembert etc) whether pasteurised or not. And where a solid distinct tube (Emmenthal/Comte/cheddar etc) is fine. Pate is another Biggie too, and some would say raw/cured meats but I think slightly less risky than cheese.

Have a lovely time