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.

Regarding the wild boar sausages. Depending on where they were made, they probably were passed through a metal detection machine before hitting the shelves. I work for a food manufacturer and we have to pass everything through before they leave site.

Unless you are already quite overweight there’s no need to cut down on sugars or carbs. The rest is mostly just common sense.

Thanks for all the advice. I’m feeling a lot better.

I was getting a bit overwhelmed and emotional trying to process all the guidance and the advice to avoid sugar and refined carbs (after my decaf pumpkin spice latte this morning) was the final straw!

Looking into it after some of the replies here, it seems that this is not necessarily accepted practice. I’m waiting for another midwife appointment for my bloods, so I will ask then if this advice is specific to me because of any risk factors. My BMI is 24.5 and she made a comment that it was “acceptable” but obviously close to being overweight, so perhaps that was the reasoning.

And for anyone invested in the wild boar sausages, I have emailed the butcher they came from to ask if the wild boar is farmed or game. 🤣

@BoudiccaVibes 😂👌

I had much higher BMI for both my pregnancies and the midwives never made any suggestions to me about my weight or diet. Once I'd had a fasting blood test and passed it then no other comment or intervention was made. It's quite odd that your midwife has mentioned anything about your weight and diet.

I'm truly gutted about the game.

We went out for dinner the other day and had to be very selective of the restaurant. So many had pate, smoked salmon or camembert starters.

The wild boar Sausages I imagine will be fine. I think the problem with game is it can contain lead but also, it's often cooked pink in the middle.

I'm just dying for a rare, chargrilled steak at the moment and I can't stop thinking about it.

Just follow the NHS guidance and before you know it...we can eat what we want.

Has anyone recommended Emily oster book expecting better yet? It goes through rules and the evidence supporting them.

It's important to remember that the advice is based on risk, it's not like a mouthful of something and you suddenly fall through a trapdoor of doom.

So for example the unpasteurised milk thing. I don't know the figures but say there's a 0.5% risk products like that contain listeria, then there would be a percentage risk you could be ill and a percentage risk it would harm the baby. Not the same as a single mouthful = instant horror!

It's almost impossible to do scientific studies on pregnant women because it's unethical to expose a group to something to see if it's harmful. So many rules err on the side of caution, which is why rules vary around the world.

You can never get your risk to zero, it's about working out what level of risk is acceptable to you and what's not worth it. So if you're not bothered about cheese, that's a no brainer. If liver is your favourite thing, have it in moderation.

Fascinating fact - the flavours you eat reach the baby in the womb and influence future food preferences. The same is true if you breastfeed, your milk will have different flavour depending on what you've been eating. Bonkers.

@Dogtooth the problem with listeria (unpasteurised milk and soft cheese, smoked fish) is that is is low likelihood but high consequence as I have said upthread. So yes it's super unlikely that one sip of unpasteurised milk will lead to listeria. But if it does, listeriosis carries a roughly 30% rate for miscarriage or fetal death. So the overall risk (likelihood and potential consequence combined) remains low but for me the severity is not worth the chance

Gosh, im 27 weeks and to be honest ive not noticed much difference in what i can eat. The only thing ive had to turn down is brie

@Glera smoked salmon is fine it says on the NHS website! You just have to be careful not avoid completely. Careful means make sure its pink, in date, smells fine etc. Camembert is also fine so long as its hot/baked. Ive had both in my pregnancy

I've still had cheeses, tuna and deli meats. I've not really changed my diet at all other than alcohol. Then again I don't eat rabbit, liver, sushi or wild boar..

@IWillBeWaxingAnOwl as I understood it from the NHS website, smoked salmon should be cooked too. Most places serve it raw. I'd rather not run the risk. Wishing everyone a healthy pregnancy.

@Greeneyegirl the advice around smoked salmon has been updated recently due to listeria being detected in a load of it. So current advice is to avoid.

Yeap @Glera . I hope it's clear @Piggieinthemiddle I'm not trying to make you or anyone else feel more nervous, I'm trying to validate that we worry for reasonable reasons and support you in saying that it is a bit hard to navigate!

@Greeneyegirl as I said upthread smoked salmon has been recently updated, I ate tonnes in my last pregnancy in 2020 and was surprised and sad) to see it’s now a no go. It’s also taken out supermarket sushi because most of those include a mix of cooked and smoked fish. Can’t wait for a sushi starter, rare steak & red wine!

Its only 9 months max - so for that time just avoid game, avoid goats cheese that hasn’t been cooked, leave the wild boar sausages in the freezer and who eats more than four cans of tuna a week anyway??… why do you keep going to things you potentially shouldn’t have? You’re making it more difficult for yourself surely. Too much sugar isn’t great at the best of times so that’s not new either. Just eat generally healthy and if NHS guidelines say avoid then avoid if you’re worried.

@BeanieTeen I don’t necessarily have a problem with not being able to eat things, it’s more that I am struggling with the mental headspace of working out what I can and can’t eat. Especially when eating out or in someone else’s home. I’m not sure why I’m finding it so tricky, but I am!

it’s more that I am struggling with the mental headspace of working out what I can and can’t eat. Especially when eating out or in someone else’s home. I’m not sure why I’m finding it so tricky, but I am!

But what I’m saying is if you’re in a restaurant why um and ahh about eating rabbit or goats cheese - you’re right, if it’s been shot then not a good choice, if it’s not pasteurised or cooked then also not a good choice - you’re free to ask the staff for details, but I personally would just go for something I’m more sure of to avoid the faff of wondering, there will be other things on the menu, you’re not giving these things up forever. The guidelines aren’t ambiguous in my opinion - if you’re so easily confused then for the next few months just go for what you know for sure is safe, which is pretty much most things. Obviously if your usual diet consists of mainly rabbit, partridge, pheasant, raw milk produce, pâté, raw fish and ample amounts of tuna plus marlin and swordfish then that’s a big adjustment. But seriously, who eats like that??

I would be careful about cutting out carbs switching to wholegrain carbs yes but make sure you still take at least a fistful of carbs in each meal. I have GD and the diabetic team have advised that if I cut out carbs it causes ketosis in the body which is not good for baby. So fine to cutdown but don't cut out!

Well the rabbit example was a set menu, and the alternative option was goats cheese. But my point was that it didn’t initially occur to me that there would be an issue with the rabbit, but then I realised it could be game and consequently I am worrying there are other things I’m missing, so I am second guessing everything I am considering eating, and find myself googling “can I eat X in pregnancy” to double check.

I'm eating pretty normally but then I tend to only buy food from Aldi that my daughter will eat too so nothing too extravagant 🤣 I eat everything except pate and don't get too hung up on it all. As for sugar and carbs etc, as long as it's part of a healthy diet I wouldn't be too concerned. The most important thing is that you're happy and not stressed and anxious ❤️

2nd pregnancy here and now do have gestational diabetes - and the diabetic team made it very clear that i was destined to get it with this pregnancy because it’s my placenta blocking my insulin from working properly - it was always going to happen

it’s absolutely not caused by anything i had been eating - and tbh I don’t even eat many carbs or sweets anyway (although some)

but now I’m diagnosed, I do have to avoid all refined carbs and sugars and obv that’s hard -

so in your position you can eat most things really -the advice is to avoid liver due to vitamin a, moderate caffeine, avoid alcohol, avoid raw fish unless from a good chain where they freeze the fish (so itsu is ok), avoid unpasteurised or uncooked blue cheese, and reduce tuna and certain fish due to mercury, eat red meat medium/well done

that’s it really - it should be manageable

and read Emily oster - expecting better - which will make you feel better too