Pregnancy Food Taboos

Ok, we all know it's taboo to drink alcohol, eat raw or smoked fish and soft cheese, among the many food taboos, but why are we restricting ourselves so much?

Hey, you don't see pregnant Scandinavians cutting back on smoked fish, the French avoiding alcohol and soft cheese or the Japanese women avoiding sushi?

Well, I got a huge craving for smoked white fish yesterday and went ahead and have a few bites. Listeria or not, I'll take my chances if the Scandanavians are willing to do so...

Who hasn't had their cup of cappucino, sip some alcohol or sneaked a puff of smoke?

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I had fresh mozzarella on my sandwich and enjoyed every minute of it!!!

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I don't restrict myself either. To me, everything in moderation is key.

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I tend to go the other way, my step-son has ADHD and Autism, which are both thought to be partially caused by environmental factors. I figure it's better to be safe so I avoid all the things I should and try to stick to organic foods. I know it's overkill but it makes me fell better.

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I started drinking some caffeine after the 20 week mark. Other than that, I don't have any soft cheeses that are unpasteurized, alcohol, sushi, cold cuts, diet drinks, etc. I figure why risk it. Even if it doesn't hurt I'm not going to risk it. I want to give her the best shot of being born perfectly healthy. I will indulge again once she arrives.

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well, I'll give one cautionary word.....

if you go to japan and eat sushi, it is FRESH... garanteed. They take the freshness thing VERY seriously...

If you go to scandinavia, once again, their fish is very fresh....

If you go to Germany, their ham is super fresh, and garanteed will not have listeria.

If you go to germany or france and eat steak tartare, it will be super fresh and prepared as carefully as japanese sushi

The US is sloppy.... The FDA has fewer inspectors than ever, and the FDA is filled with former exec's from food lobbying firms. (there were several exposees in the media about this)
Even worse, giant meat and food mills with horrible reps produce the majority of our food under a dozen different brands simultaneously . Hence the regular news reports of food recalls due to contamination....

Frankly, you can trust the foods you mentioned in japan and the EU, but over here, I am much less trustworthy of the food supply....

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I'm being overly anal ....
I won't have any unpasteurized cheeses, I will have feta though but it has to be made from pasteurized milk (which most of them are). I cut out all caffeine, aspertame, sweeteners etc...
I think I may reintroduce some caffeine after the first tri....I'm usually like this in general though..when I go down a path I usually jump head first, which isn't necessarily a good thing....
I'm DYING for a hot dog recently and I think I may just cave in...

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Posted by wannabemom

well, I'll give one cautionary word.....

if you go to japan and eat sushi, it is FRESH... garanteed. They take the freshness thing VERY seriously...

If you go to scandinavia, once again, their fish is very fresh....

If you go to Germany, their ham is super fresh, and garanteed will not have listeria.

If you go to germany or france and eat steak tartare, it will be super fresh and prepared as carefully as japanese sushi

The US is sloppy.... The FDA has fewer inspectors than ever, and the FDA is filled with former exec's from food lobbying firms. (there were several exposees in the media about this)
Even worse, giant meat and food mills with horrible reps produce the majority of our food under a dozen different brands simultaneously . Hence the regular news reports of food recalls due to contamination....

Frankly, you can trust the foods you mentioned in japan and the EU, but over here, I am much less trustworthy of the food supply....

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Posted by bicosi

I don't restrict myself either. To me, everything in moderation is key.

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Posted by pickles16

I'm being overly anal ....
I won't have any unpasteurized cheeses, I will have feta though but it has to be made from pasteurized milk (which most of them are). I cut out all caffeine, aspertame, sweeteners etc...
I think I may reintroduce some caffeine after the first tri....I'm usually like this in general though..when I go down a path I usually jump head first, which isn't necessarily a good thing....
I'm DYING for a hot dog recently and I think I may just cave in...

Re: Pregnancy Food Taboos

Posted by wannabemom

Posted by pickles16

I'm being overly anal ....
I won't have any unpasteurized cheeses, I will have feta though but it has to be made from pasteurized milk (which most of them are). I cut out all caffeine, aspertame, sweeteners etc...
I think I may reintroduce some caffeine after the first tri....I'm usually like this in general though..when I go down a path I usually jump head first, which isn't necessarily a good thing....
I'm DYING for a hot dog recently and I think I may just cave in...

if you feel guilty about nitrates in the hot dog, just buy organic ones

I did that with bacon and had the best time of my life guilt free tons of BLTS

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I'm allowed anything I want
Sushi included

He asked me to competely avoid alcohol the first tri and didnt mention it afterwards (so I still avoid it)

But I ASKED about sushi cause I love it. He said make sure its a good place, reputible and they know I'm preggers and that should do it. As long as I get a good slice I should be fine.

MODERATION

My doc says really he just doesn't want me to get sick (poisoned) But then again, he also said "who wants to get food sickness ever" regardless of pregnany.

Just be careful and that's it.

So far so good, though I've had no sushi, i've eaten Mozz and eat med/rare meats and med/rare tuna

I'm alive and the kid is doing great.

I just keep in my mind "You are what you eat" and think my poor kid has no choice on what I'm feeding it. So I try to eat stuff I want my baby's body to use to grow up strong. That's my only guideline and that means no caffine, very little carbinated drinks and no booze!!!

ETA: if my kid were sitting next to me would I offer XXXX to her to eat? If the answer is no, then I don't eat it.

Message edited 5/16/2008 3:22:50 PM.

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I have my coffee everyday. I dont know how to get by without it. But just one cup as opposed to the normal vat of coffee I used to have daily.
I had only ONE sip of wine. I miss it so very much

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the only thing I've done is eat way too much sugar I have a major sweet tooth w/ this pregnancy. I don't like anything that much to risk any problems. and my first meal after DC is born will be SUSHI!!!!

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the only thing i avoid is unpasteurized cheeses and sushi (i don't know enough to tell which places are "reputable" and which aren't, so better safe than sorry for me when it comes to raw fish). i had smoked salmon once because i was craving it sooo badly and i don't feel one bit guilty for it.

i have been flamed for this before but i don't totally avoid alcohol. a month ago, i went to a wine tasting and had what might have amounted to a 1/2 or even a full glass of wine. i've also had a small cup of beer here and there. and i plan on having a glass of wine tonight!

i also eat tuna, cold cuts, hot dogs and caffeinated drinks on a regular basis - NOT every day, but when i am in the mood for it. maybe once or twice a week. like bicosi said, everything in moderation.

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i have not had any caffeine; other than in chocolate, no artificial sweetners, no alcohol, no smoking -
no cold cuts, no hot dogs, so far

maybe if i get a real craving but for now, i am avoiding them all

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I'm really erring on the side of caution. The only thing I will allow myself to have every now and then is diet soda--and even then, it's a few small sips of DH's when we go out to dinner.

But as for cold cuts, fresh mozzarella, aspartame, ANY alcohol, etc...I am not taking any chances!!!

Someone earlier mentioned taking a "puff" every now and then...I really hope that was a joke...

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OMG I had no idea about soft cheese!!!!!!!!!! I eat cheese everyday cream cheese, mozzarella, colby, cheddar, you name it!)
Well you got me there, cheese is my vice! lol
XOXOXO
BOTB

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there is so much stuff to avoid my mind spins, i just keep it to moderation!

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I have eaten soft cheeses, processed deli meats, coffee (in moderation) and yes caffeinated diet soda products.

I think there is a difference between being cautious and driving ones self crazy. And yes, one might think I would be treating my body like the Holy Temple considering what I have been through to get to this stage, but ya know what? I am only human. When I have deli meats, it isn't every day and all the time. I don't exactly open my mouth under the udders of a cow and say "GIVE ME MORE DAIRY," and I don't exactly have the shakes because I have a half a cup of coffee every day or maybe a Diet Coke twice a week.

I think we all know our limits and most of us are smart enough to know how much is too much. It saddens me to think that someone feels they have endangered their child because of ONE serving of a "forbidden" food. It doesn't exactly happen that way.

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Posted by wannabemom


I did that with bacon and had the best time of my life guilt free tons of BLTS

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Posted by bicosi

I don't restrict myself either. To me, everything in moderation is key.

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I have a cup of tea everyday, my Dr. says it's ok. He told me 2 cups is fine.

The only thing my Dr. told me to stay away from is soft cheeses, which I do.
As far as everything else, he said everything in moderation.

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I'm less cautious this time around for sure.
I don't do artificial sweeteners but I'll have a little caffeine here and there, all kinds of cheeses (most in the US are pasturized), deli meats, hot dogs, bacon and there is no way I am eating a well done steak!
With DD in my 3rd trimester I even ate uncooked sushi. We had sushi last night but I was good and only ate the cooked stuff since I just started the 2nd trimester.