Help! What can I eat!?

[GreeneryGrass]

Hi all, second pregnancy but last time I was vegan and the "foods to avoid" list was so much smaller compared to now that I have a full diet.

We've only just found out I'm pregnant today 🎉 4 weeks! We're going out for a meal tonight with friends at a Greek restaurant. I have literally never been bothered by Greek food (don't like feta or olives!) but I'm just a bit lost about what I can and can't have! Could anyone please advise on what is pregnancy safe in a typical Greek restaurant?

Thanks so much!

Here’s a photo of the menu if this helps:

Whatever you want as long as it's cooked tbh

I can't see the menu too clearly on this picture, but I would assume most of it would be ok! The things that stand out for me with pregnancy foods that you can't eat are:

No unpasteurised cheese
No deli meats
No runny eggs unless they're Red Lion certified
No undercooked meat or fish
Not excessive tuna

So again I can't really see the words on the menu but I would assume that most things on there should be ok!

I can't make out much from the images of the menu but I'd probably stick to the veggie moussaka - and double-check that the milk and cheese is pasteurised. (It probably will be...but I'm a worrier.) 😊

By that i mean that some things you are told to be cautious of can be made safe by cooking e.g. mould ripened cheeses, cured meats, etc

It doesn't matter about unpasteurised cheeses, cured meats, etc if they are in a cooked dish as cooking makes them safe to eat

Anything you like. These are guidelines, not rules!

What do you fancy @GreeneryGrass ?

The cooking of the dish would make the milk and cheese safe to eat if it was unpasteurised

From what I can read (it’s really blurry) you could have the majority of the menu.

Avoid any cheese that is served cold if you’re not sure if it’s pasteurised. I know you said you’re not a feta fan but you could have it baked if you wanted to. You’re not going to get raw milk or eggs that don’t have the lion stamp in a restaurant so don’t worry about that. Cold meats avoid if you’re not sure if they’re cured vs. cooked (obviously supermarket ham is fine but avoid a restaurant charcuterie platter). Normal meat is fine if cooked through so chicken is always a safe bet especially if you’re not telling the friends yet so don’t want to draw attention to yourself by asking for beef well done when normally you’d go rare!

There’s really no need for that level or paranoia! For starters it would be illegal for a restaurant to be using raw milk. In England, Wales and NI it’s only legal to be sold direct from the farm to the consumer whilst in Scotland it’s just illegal full stop. Unpasteurised cheese you might get but even that is fine and NHS guidelines approved if it’s been cooked.

Stick to the NHS guidelines for what you can and can't eat, don't look further than that or it becomes an absolute minefield of scaremongering and ridiculous theories.

There isn't very much you actually 'cant' eat at all, more just guidance and they're only recommendations anyway, not hard and fast rules.

Things they recommend to avoid are deli counter cured meats (not hot pepperoni on a pizza, more like cold prosciutto or salami)
raw fish/ raw meat (meat should be well cooked)
Any soft cheese with a rind like Stilton or brie just make sure it's heated up first so it's melting.
Salad, fruit, vegetables should be washed.

That's it really, just have what you fancy. You shouldn't have an issue eating out anywhere while pregnant

I didn't realise that, but good to know. 😊 (I don't think I'm paranoid, just figured it was always worth checking.) But it's a good point from pp that it will have been cooked to bits so probably a non-issue.

Wow, thank you for all the help, this is so reassuring! Also sorry I have no idea why that photo has sent through so blurry! This is just a minefield at first glance so all your comments are so appreciated!

I've never tried a moussaka but that sounds pretty good - it is described on the menu as:

Moussaka
Layers of potato, aubergine and minced beef topped with creamy Béchamel and oven baked to perfection. Served with Greek salad and bread.

Does that sound alright? Thanks so much everybody honestly!

'Baked' - there's your key word, it'll be fully cooked and piping hot so no issues with uncooked meat or cheese.

Honestly, it's harder to find things you can't eat on a menu than can.

Sounds yum! Might want to skip the greek salad as the feta could be unpasteurised but if you don’t like it anyway then sounds like that’s what you normally do anyway. For future reference the NHS guidelines (assuming you’re UK based) are pretty clear so you can always refer back to those if you’re not sure. Enjoy your meal!

Thanks so much everyone! Honestly really appreciate it.

Ohh that sounds delicious! Perfectly fine to eat as well, enjoy 😋

Anything you like!!!

I read Emily Osters book and decided to take all advice with a pinch of salt. I avoided pate but other than that ate what I wanted - cooked cheese, all deli meats cooked or not, sushi, rare steak and the odd glass of wine. I did limit caffeine but not severely. both babies were healthy and zero issues

as long as you aren’t doing recreational drugs or drinking copious amounts every day most stuff barely makes any difference

I was going to say pate! That's the one thing - any offal including liver and therefore pates with liver in and too much tuna (or any big fish with high mercury) were the two I really stuck to.

Pate / offal (liver, kidneys etc) have high retinol A which your baby can't process

Fish like tuna which eat lots of little fish are high in mercury so should avoid having too much of them

Everything else is a food poisoning risk - salmonella for example. Your immune system is lower due to pregnancy and some of these can be dangerous for the fetus. However.. the risks are low so avoid them if you want to / can. The higher risk items are (as PPs have said) - unpasteurised dairy products, cured meats, undercooked fish or meat. Therefore anything which has been cooked.. is fine. Baked brie / camembert, pepperoni cooked on a pizza, red lion eggs all fine

I agree with PPs to just stick to the NHS guidelines if you're worried otherwise you can drive yourself crazy!

@Harriet1989 hi thanks so much for this, very useful! So I have tuna pasta for my lunch/dinner today, I read on the NHS it should be fine to have up to 4 tins of tuna a week (I'm not sure who is eating 4 tins in a week!!), so I should be alright with this right? Sorry I feel like such an overpanicked fool! Veganism was so easy when pregnant haha. Thanks so much

You've answered your own question - the NHS guidelines say up to 4 tins per week.

You'll drive yourself crazy obsessing like this.

@sel2223 ok thanks. Appreciate the response