Smoked salmon while pregnant

[mummy412]

Im 15 weeks pregnant and craving salmon canapés.

Are we ok to eat these? I know NHS website says to avoid, but what exactly happens?

There's been issues re:listeria in smoked fish that hasn't been cooked. You could heat it and let it cool and then use it if you wanted to eat it.

A lot of stuff on the NHS list is due to risk of listeria, including smoked salmon. You can have it cooked in a dish but I've eaten it cold a couple of times when I've been somewhere really nice (my logic being I'm less likely to get food poisoning there... it's my logic ok 😂)

https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/food-standards-agency-and-food-standards-scotland-issue-updated-advice-to-higher-risk-consumers-on-ready-to-eat-cold-smoked-and

I feel your pain! Smoked salmon and poached eggs is my favourite treat-yo-self breakfast.

I've decided its not worth the risk.
It still tastes pretty good cooked though!

So, I am also having this craving and I'm vegan. There are some OK alternatives out there which might be worth a try. There's a brand called squeaky bean that do smoked salmon alternative and it's so realistic my boyfriend won't eat it.

I think a one off would be fine as the risk would be small but I wouldn't have stuff you're supposed to avoid regularly.

I think as long as you get it from somewhere reputable, a good date on it and don't leave it out you'll be fine every now and then.
I probably wouldn't eat it from the reduced aisle of a petrol station, I probably wouldn't do that non pregnant actually 😂

I personally wouldn’t take the risk. I would have thought the chances of listeria would be the same regardless of where you get it from. I feel your pain though, I’d love a nice big piece of brie!

You have to make an informed decision for yourself as to the level of risk you’re happy with. It’s one of your first parenting decisions in a way. As well as considering the sources/use by dates of the food etc. as others have said, I’d also suggest reading up on the effects of listeriosis on an unborn baby.
I was perhaps a bit more relaxed about what I would eat until I watched a YouTube video on the actual effect it can have and then I did a hard stop on those foods/found safer alternatives until DC was born. The way I ended up thinking about it was that it was a few months without, not forever, and there are a lot of things in pregnancy and birth outside your control, but what I chose to eat was something I could control if that makes sense. But then I suffered with pre-natal anxiety (as you can probably tell 😂), and over thought EVERYTHING. I would never think any less of anyone who made different decisions in their pregnancies though.

This is such a good idea.

Another thing to consider OP is whether the craving is your body wanting a particular thing that you’d find in smoked salmon that maybe you’re not getting enough of at the moment, and see if there’s a safer food that might contain that.

I wouldn’t take the risk as one of my friend’s friends had a very disabled DD from listeria during pregnancy. It’s not the volume, you only need one part with the bugs living on it.

Well after reading @GoldenDoor I now also wouldn't, that's very sad what happened to your friend ❤️