eating out when pregnant

[Hopex3]

hi all,

just out of curiosity - where do you stand on what you avoid when eating out? not sure if its over the top but as an example we went to a hungry horse for lunch and I ordered a chicken sandwich. I picked all the salad out because I cant get it out of my head that they might not of washed it properly. so I was just curious as to what level you've taken precautions etc. or have you just been carrying on as you were before? x

I have read the expecting better book it's great.

I still avoid salad I haven't washed myself. But have eaten sushi, subway and medium-well steak.

I've eaten out a fair bit while pregnant and the only things I've been cautious about is egg yolk (in mayo), cheese and meat being nuked. I've probably erred on the side of caution with the mayo as I know the major brands use pasteurised egg but I'd rather be safe. Oh McFlurries too... None of them!

I have gone to the doctors for anxiety, the waiting list is incredibly long for cbt sadly :( I dont think it helps that I've felt under the weather since Monday (sore throat, cough, super tired) that I know realistically are a virus but of course I already know from early excessive googling that toxo or listeria can cause these two although I am actually being realistic about this as fairly certain I've not been exposed and these two are usually asymptomatic 😴 ah only 13ish weeks to go now hoping the anxiety settles a little in that time if I've still not managed to be seen for therapy x

Try and not worry, I've literally just stuck to the NHS guidelines so keeping away from pate, rare meats, cured meats and the certain cheeses. I've kept away from undercooked eggs while eating out as well as I can't be absolutely certain that they're British eggs (and therefore no salmonella) but they probably are. Not bothered about runny eggs when at home as we buy British.
The NHS guidelines are probably technically abit over the top and are a lot of time, worst case scenario but they're there for a reason and while I try and relax about things like this where I can, I'd never forgive myself if something went wrong because of something I'd eaten. It's just not worth the risk but it's also trying to find a balance so you don't overthink these things and suck all the joy out of eating out 😊

Literally didn’t change anything about how I ate.

When I was 5 weeks with dc1 my gp just told me to use common sense and it would be fine. She said just avoid anything that could potentially give you a tricky stomach, but beyond that the likelihood of something you ate causing any issues would be absolutely tiny.

With dc2 I accidentally ate a shit tonne of Brie at Christmas and it was incredible.

@Hopex3
Don't read any American sites. Their food hygeine standards are HORRIFIC so they say basically "go vegan, and also don't eat melons or anything green and leafy". In the US 14.7% of people will experience food poisoning in a year compared to 1.5% in the UK. Huge cultural difference in expectation and acceptance. www.sustainweb.org/news/feb18_US_foodpoisoning/

I didn't ask for any anxiety treatment and said mine was better since conceiving (no easy journey), but got an appointment set up anyway (after 4 years unable to access regular (non pregnant) treatment here). Haven't had it yet (it's at 17 weeks, I'm at 16), so don't know how it will go, but they seemed very keen to make sure I saw someone - might depend on your locality? I'm in Oxfordshire.

@Hopex3 you've never had listeria before? Or botulism? The chances are minuscule
I'm not pregnant but I am severely immunocompromised and I eat everything. My consultant occasionally eye rolls but he admits I never have stomach issues and to carry on as I am
Technically I'm not meant to eat any raw fruit or veg at all but I ignore that completely - I've never been ill off it in my entire life and it's unlikely to start now

I've been very lax.
The only two big changed I've made are limiting to one, maybe two coffees a day.. no alcohol and I quit smoking straight away.

Other than that, I've eaten cheese, cured meats and everything else in moderation. The rules seem to be getting stricter and stricter and part of me thinks for good reason, the other part of me thinks it's getting silly.

I'm 20 weeks into a normal healthy pregnancy, had no sickness or horrible symptoms other than a slight bit of constipation.

And j know what you mean with the anxiety OP. I had CBT for mine, but then my therapist left and I didnt go back. It really did help alot though, on much better now than I was. I'm still a worrier and it gets the better of me some days, but most days I'm able to breathe and control the panic attacks and anxiety attacks.

I just followed NHS guidelines.

I won't eat pate or mould ripened cheese unless heated through. Have also avoided Spanish cured meats since the recent listeria outbreak in Spain. But other than that anything really....don't want to be obsessive about it.