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Pregnancy

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

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Original poster

Smoked Salmon. Can you eat it while pregnant?

25 replies

nickymorris · 20/03/2009 16:00

Does anyone know if Smoked Salmon is ok while you're pregnant? Does it count as raw? or cooked fish?

A friend asked me and when I said I'd eaten it while I was pregnant she was SHOCKED and thought it was not allowed.

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WibblyPigRocks · 20/03/2009 16:08

I'm not a medical expert or a chef of any kind, but I think smoked salmon counts as raw fish and therefore isn't technically 'allowed' while pregnant.

I accidentally ate some while I was pregnant (don't even like it that much but I did it without thinking when someone served it up before I'd told anyone I was pg) and the midwife said it wasn't the end of the world - especially as I'd had no ill-effects - but probably best to avoid for the rest of my pregnancy.
HTH.

Tamlin · 20/03/2009 17:53

When I looked it up, the US seemed to think 'Hell no' and the UK seemed to err more on the 'Sure, provided you're getting it from a reputable source...' side.

CompareTheMeerkat · 20/03/2009 17:54

I did in both pregnancies

ilovemydogandMrObama · 20/03/2009 17:56

Hmm - wonder if Japanese women eat sushi while pregnant?

MegBusset · 20/03/2009 17:57

It's fine, the smoking process in effect 'cooks' it and kills off the bacteria.

I lived on smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels in my first trimester -- yum!

llareggub · 20/03/2009 17:59

Smoked salmon and smoked trout form a major part of my diet. I'm 32 weeks and have had one or t'other a couple of times a week. I've got gestational diabetes and if I had to give up smoked salmon as well as cake I'd be miserable. Anyway, I ate it in my last pregnancy and apart from having a similar fondness for smoked trout etc, DS is fine!

LynetteScavo · 20/03/2009 18:00

I did. But I think you're not supposed to. But then you're not supposed to eat canadian cheddar either, aparently.

(Come to think of it Canadian cheddar is wrong anyway)

MrsHappy · 20/03/2009 18:02

Ah, your friend might have a silly midwife working at her GP practice who told her it was a banned substance. Mine did (to my horror because I want some) but the Food Standards Agency says it's fine. I always go with whatever the FSA says as they seem pretty sensible and non-faddy.

christiana · 20/03/2009 18:05

Message withdrawn

Jackaroo · 20/03/2009 20:24

FSA is great - theirs is the most sensible site anywhere I think...... tells you what to avoid, AND, what you don't need to avoid.

Kept me calm in the face of hysterical others!

www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/

Good luck (and wish I'd known about the smoked salmon last time!)...

Original poster

nickymorris · 21/03/2009 07:26

Interesting it seems to be one of those 'grey area' foods. But if the FSA says it's ok then I'm happy.

Interestingly I did a quick survey of my NCT group and of the 6 of us 4 had eaten it during pregnancy and two hadn't. Probably totally non-scientific but the two who hadn't were the two who got to 42 weeks and had to be induced. Of the rest of us (the smoked salmon eaters) one was a planned cesarean and the other three of us went into labour naturally. I'm sure that smoked salmon wasn't the reason for this though!

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brettgirl2 · 21/03/2009 08:31

I think if you cut too many things out it can be harmful (not least for your sanity). People have told me I can't eat loads of things that are absolutely fine.

I hadn't heard about it being good for bringing on labour though - may have to send DP to Sainsbury's to get some then! (Not that I believe the theory, but eating smoked salmon is hardly a hardship so worth a try)

DevilsAdvocaat · 21/03/2009 08:51

can you eat crayfish?

brettgirl2 · 21/03/2009 08:54

Shellfish is fine if it is cooked. To be uber-safe freshly cooked.

BoffinMum · 21/03/2009 09:04

I eat everything in pg because I am a rebel who has noticed these lists of supposed suitable foods change every five minutes, BUT on my list from the mw smoked salmon is not one of the 'banned' foods. I have heard that UK salmon is fine, but to be a bit wary of the overseas stuff, if you have a choice, in case of mercury levels.

My rule of thumb is if it's from a big supermarket and properly refrigerated at all times, then most stuff is likely to be OK. I am more wary when I order things in restaurants because I can't see what they're up to in the back.

Poppet45 · 21/03/2009 13:33

Ooooh Christiana you're a sushi rebel too, I've had some a few times now, to the horror of my DH, as I just can't resist it. I think sashimi - raw fish - is the problem but I can't think what japanese pregnant women eat if sushi is also banned.
And I also scoff smoked salmon. It's just a case of sticking to the two portion limit because of the mercury risk in all oily fish.
We don't have it very often but in my third trimester I plan on eating shellfish. Apparently one portion a week halves the risk of post natal depression. Got to be worth a try...

ellenjames · 21/03/2009 19:47

i did couple of weeks ago and got food poisoning so personally wouldnt recommend it!

CoteDAzur · 21/03/2009 19:49

I eat it.

Rosa · 21/03/2009 19:52

I was told no by my doc and also no to shell fish because of toxins. However if shell fish was out of the shells and well cooked e.g in risotto then it was ok. Mussels and Clams were a no go ... Mind you this was / is Italy so suggestions might be diffeent.

Flibbertyjibbet · 21/03/2009 20:11

Good balanced diet, two healthy babies. Total rebel here too.

Smoked salmon from marks and spencer, why not?

frazzledoldbag · 21/03/2009 22:32

I've been eating smoked salmon and king prawns (fresh and from Sainsburys or Marks & Spencer) and no worries at all about it. The FSA says ok, so why not?
(3rd preg the way, have 2 DD's already who survived a similar pg diet!)

brettgirl2 · 22/03/2009 08:14

I stick to the FSA advice too frazzled. The fact is that theoretically you can get food poisoning from absolutely anything. If you wanted to you could analyse risks until you had a very narrow diet - that is not a good thing either!

I also think that it depends on what you eat normally. I eat the 'risky' cheeses very rarely, therefore would not eat them when pg because I think I would be more likely to be ill than some french woman who has Brie in her sandwiches every day.

minksy · 25/03/2009 23:31

Don't do it to yourself, it's not worth the sacrifice. EAT AS MUCH SMOKED SALMON AS YOU WANT!! I'm 28 weeks, and I've eaten tons of the stuff, as well as lots of prawns, the odd mussel, cockle etc. I can't bear life without seafood!

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 25/03/2009 23:43

My midwife was lovely and when I asked about smoked salmon said "yup it's actually rather good for you" When I asked about prawns she replied "Well technically shellfish are a no no because they contain trace levels of mercury, but unless you ate them by the pound daily, you wouldn't consume enough mercury to hurt the baby, so they are also fine imo"

Longtalljosie · 26/03/2009 07:23

Frankly if you followed all the advice you get during pregnancy, you'd eat nothing but fish fingers and never leave the house. While ensuring your hands are never above waist height and ignoring the cat.

The only reason I don't eat smoked salmon is because I was full of morning sickness around Christmas and the smell of it in the fridge did my head in. Still can't look at it.

I think the FSA website is excellent too. Totally straight with you, and non-patronising. They've even got the balls to tell you when the advice appears to be changing, and to explain why it's changing (as with peanuts)

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