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

Food in pregnancy dos and donts!

13 replies

Tdmama · 21/12/2019 13:57

Hi all,

I'm hoping for some advice on food in pregnancy. I have checked the nhs website and it seemed clear but my friend had just told me a few things different which came from her midwife.

Does anyone know definitively what we can eat???

The main areas of clarity are runny eggs, rare steak, soft cheeses, blue cheeses and cured meats.

I understand I can eat cured meats if I've frozen them first?

Can anyone help?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
owlalwaysloveyou · 21/12/2019 14:13

I used an app, i think it was the Ovia one which had a food search that i found helpful. I'm sure runny eggs are okay if they are lion stamped in UK as it's due to risk of salmonella which is extremely low with lion stamped eggs.

Congratulations!

Lulufluff · 21/12/2019 14:15

With the cheese - just check they are made with pasteurised milk.. I’ve personally had runny eggs all through pregnancy - they say that because of salmonella which is extremely unlikely with British standard eggs (with the lion crest on them)
Best advice is when you go for your MW appointment check if you’re worried about anything which is what I did.
The guidelines are frequently changing it’s hard to keep up really :-)

dementedpixie · 21/12/2019 14:17

The midwife may just not be up to date as runny eggs used to be advised against. Runny eggs ok if lion stamped. Blue/mould ripened cheeses ok if cooked. Cured meats ok if cooked or frozen for a few days first. Steak isnt supposed to be rare

dementedpixie · 21/12/2019 14:19

Some soft cheeses that are pasteurised are not advised as they have a high moisture content e.g. camembert. Conversely you can have hard cheese even if unpasteurised as it has a low moisture content

DameSylvieKrin · 21/12/2019 14:20

Use the NHS website for the most up to date list.

Jellybean100 · 21/12/2019 14:20

All info is found on nhs website.

Runny eggs are ok if stamped with lion mark.
Undercooked meat is a no no
Hard blue cheeses such as Stilton fine
Soft mould ripened cheese such as Camembert or Brie can carry risk of listeria so need to be avoided
Soft cheeses which are not mould ripened such as cream cheese and cottage cheese are fine
cured meat should be avoided unless cooked or previously frozen

JuneSpoon · 21/12/2019 14:21

Read Expecting Better by Emily Oster. It explains/debunks these food restriction myths

Tdmama · 21/12/2019 14:25

Thank you all so much! This is helpful!

OP posts:
firstimemamma · 21/12/2019 14:34

"The main areas of clarity are runny eggs, rare steak, soft cheeses, blue cheeses and cured meats."

I steered well clear of all these things. If I wanted an egg I hard-boiled it. I'm sure plenty of people thought I was ridiculous and over cautious but I couldn't have cared less. What I eat is my own personal choice.

Have you tried asking your own midwife for her thoughts?

dementedpixie · 21/12/2019 15:14

runny eggs - Lion Code eggs are considered very low risk for salmonella, and safe for pregnant women to eat raw or partially cooked. So you can eat raw hen eggs or food containing lightly cooked hen eggs (such as soft boiled eggs, mousses, soufflés and fresh mayonnaise) provided that the eggs are produced under the Lion Code.

Rare steak - Do noteat raw or undercookedmeat, including meat joints and steaks cooked rare,because of the potential risk of toxoplasmosis.

Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so it's steaming hot and there's no trace of pink or blood–especially with poultry, pork, sausages and minced meat, including burgers.

soft cheeses, blue cheeses - Don't eat mould-ripened soft cheese (cheeses with a white rind) such as brie and camembert. This includes mould-ripened soft goats' cheese, such as chèvre. These cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they've been cooked.

You should also avoid soft blue-veined cheeses such as danish blue, gorgonzola androquefort. Soft blue cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they've been cooked.

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's possible for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low.

cured meats - For ready-to-eat meats, you can reduce any risk from parasites by freezing cured or fermented meats for 4 days at home before you eat them. Freezing kills most parasites and makes the meat safer to eat.

If you're planning to cook the meat – for instance, pepperoni on pizza– you don't need to freeze it first.

Sunshinegirl82 · 21/12/2019 15:16

The NHS guidance is quite conservative so follow that and you will be fine.

Nelbert19 · 21/12/2019 15:21

The best piece of news I had (after the BFP) was that you CAN eat Brie and Camembert if they’ve been cooked thoroughly. Yay!

Also cured meats are ok if they’ve been frozen/cooked (eg pepperoni on pizza, cooked chorizo)

MustardScreams · 21/12/2019 15:26

I ate everything, only avoided liver products, booze and high amounts of caffeine.

I looked at the actual cases of toxo and listeria and they are absolutely minimal. Most listeria came from unwashed lettuce! You have to weigh up what you think is a risk and what isn’t, and then be comfortable with that decision.

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