Struggling with what I can and can't eat...

[Piggieinthemiddle]

It's a lovely problem to have, but I am newly pregnant and struggling a lot more than I expected with what I can and can't eat.

There is a lot of stuff I didn't know like limiting tuna, and avoiding liver and game, and I find myself second guessing everything. I spent about 20 minutes in Itsu today trying to work out if I could have the California rolls. And now the midwife has said that it is recommended to cut down (or even cut out) sugar and refined carbs in pregnancy due to the risk of gestational diabetes, so that's even more limiting.

We're out for dinner with a set menu this weekend, and I've just emailed them to ask if the rabbit is farmed or game, and if the latter, whether it was shot with lead shot, and I know they're going to think I'm ridiculous; plus the alternative dish is goats cheese, so if I can't have the rabbit I'm going to have to get in touch again ask them if that is made with pasteurised milk.

I have some Wild Boar sausages in the freezer, which I'm going to assume I can't eat because I have no idea if they were farmed or game.

I thought I would find it basic common sense what I could and couldn't have, but everything seems to be a challenge. I assume I will get used to it as my pregnancy progresses, but it seems to be taking up a stupid amount of head space at the moment.

you lost me at wild boar sausages.

You get used to it pretty quickly. I found places were quite used to being asked.

Are you using the NHS website? You can ignore a lot of stuff from the US because they don't have the same food safety standards. I found the NHS Wales website helpful too.

I would have eaten all of that without a second thought to be honest. Just don't eat liver frequently (I mean who does anyway!)

Sushi is fine

Just look at the NHS list, there's not much to avoid.

Don't google, because there are different food standards (eg in America I believe they are advised to avoid all raw/runny egg, but we can eat that if lion stamped) and I think that for every food you can think of, there is probably a website somewhere saying you can't eat it.

This!!

Haha! They are not a staple in our house by any means, but I love wild boar (from trips to Italy and France) so when I saw them on Amazon Fresh I thought they would be a nice treat. DH isn’t even a big fan, so it makes it more annoying that I can’t have them!

The NHS advice says it’s only okay if the fish is fully cooked.

In non-western countries no one does this. Japanese women eat sushi and go in hot tubs and their babies are just fine. Don’t get in a tangle with it all.

Sushi in UK should be using fish that is frozen before use, so should be fine. That said, if you ask most places panic and say they don't know.

The game stuff is on the NHS advice @Whataretheodds .

I actually agree - I originally thought the NHS list was pretty brief then we went on holiday to Portugal and there was loads I couldn't have (gelato made with raw eggs, not fully cooked shellfish, tuna steaks, swordfish, smoked fish, pate, game meat). I agree though that places are usually good with giving info.

I didnt know you should avoid carbs and sugar... 11 weeks so far and these have featured pretty highly...

Don't cut out sugar and refined carbs! You'll have a miserable 9 months 😂

I thought that it wasn’t that much, but I’m somehow still struggling to get my head round/ remember everything. I’m not sure why!

And I feel like I need to avoid runny eggs outside the home, because how will I know if they are lion stamped?

Why do you have to avoid game?

I would avoid liver as too much Vit A affects neurodevelopment.

For most things it's about avoiding food poisoning. So for me I would be happy having deep fried goats cheese or baked camembert, for example.

I've got 4 kids. I had 1 glass of wine per week, lots of Brie and blue cheese, limited myself to three tins of tuna per week, think I had a couple of venison burgers (didn't even know that avoiding game was a thing) and ate plenty of poached eggs. My kids are all grand, really healthy weights and apart from HG in first trimester with my twins I had no pregnancy illness.

The wild boar sausages sound delicious btw

All UK eggs bought from supermarkets or from catering suppliers will be lion stamped. Eggs that come direct from a farm won't be, but restaurants aren't going to use those, or at least not without warning customers.

I had a baby in July and ate sushi once a week. I always got mine from Itsu and Wasabi, as they both have an FAQ on their website specifically asking ‘can I eat ….. whilst pregnant?’ and they state that the salmon and tuna they use is high quality and from parasite-free water sources, which complies with the NHS guidelines regarding sushi. They also state on their FAQs that it is fine to eat raw and all of their processes comply with the relevant food safety regulations.

My baby boy was born a week overdue and at 9lb 6oz! Perfectly happy and healthy.

Tbh, the only thing I didn’t eat was pate!

@BigSidLittleSid The game thing is on the NHS website. It’s because it might be shot with lead shot.

I have a history of pregnancy loss, so I just can't bring myself to eat anything that "could" be the cause if the same happened again.

Soft cheeses are an all or nothing thing (as is smoked fish) - it is v unlikely you will get a bug from it but if you do the bug can cause the fetus to die. So it's super unlikely but the outcome is catastrophic.

For wine (alcohol), game meat (lead shot), tuna (mercury) the negative effects are cumulative. The more you have the worse the outcomes could be. 3 tins of tuna is in line with NHS guidelines

If the goats cheese is cooked it’s ok.
Eggs from most restaurants/cafes will be lion stamped - especially if they’re chains.

Try not to overthink.

Basic rules

• avoid uncooked fish
• limit large fish (eg tuna) to twice per week
• avoid cheese that is soft /semi soft and unpasteurised unless it's fully cooked (in which case it's fine eg goats cheese tart)
• avoid alcohol but don't worry if there's some in the cooking/dessert.
• try not to eat too many cakes/desserts/sweets but no need worry too much, in fact I was told to eat frozen yogurt because i didn't put on enough weight!

Essentially eat a healthy diet.

The game one was new to me, I wouldn't be concerned unless shot game was a frequent part of your diet

Gestational diabetes isn't caused by eating sugar and carbs your midwife is talking utter crap. The hormones produced by the placenta to support pancreas make it harder for your body to produce insulin. Your pancreas has to make more of it, about 3 x as much - gestational diabetes is where your pancreas cannot maintain the insulin production demand. You really are getting anxious over nothing, you can pretty much eat as normal unless you mostly eat raw fish, hunted game and unpasteurised cheese every day?!

I think your midwife needs to brush up on her GD knowledge ... it's not caused by sugar and carbs.

If you do develop it, it's sensible to watch your blood sugars and avoid spikes but if you are having a non GD pregnancy and are a healthy weight it shouldn't be an issue to have some!

its advised not to have sushi during pregnancy because of the rice. It’s rarely stored safely and so there’s a risk of listeria

Well this thread is absolutely blowing my mind 😂

I have had 3 kids; when I had mine it was just common sense, like don't get shit faced and cook your food properly.

This is the only list you need: www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/foods-to-avoid/

You’ll be fine with the wild boar sausages I’m sure!

the only thing I’d add contrary to some of the above, smoked fish (salmon) is currently on the avoid list, I ate tonnes in my last pregnancy and annoyed that it’s now been moved but I’ll probably be safe and avoid 😊