What can I eat at Xmas?

[vic261]

I have been thinking about Xmas day and what I can and cant eat.

I know I cant have cold cooked prawns (like in a prawn ****tail) but can I have them hot on a BBQ?

And am I right in I cant eat cold chicken?

What else do I need to know?

I will be 12 weeks on Xmas day and plan on telling my family that day but will need to be cautious when we are out and about.

Any advice appreciated

[jellybean88]

I hadn't thought about the seafood or cold chicken depends how fresh they are

I microwave the ham to eat it and careful with salads with mayonnaise generally I eat most things but just am sensible with time left out ie when you have been sitting around the table chatting all day it's prob iffy mainly I just microwave anything I want that's iffy just to kill anything

[Aussiegirl777]

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Your family will have an extra special Chrismtas this year when you let them all know

With regards to what you can eat, If the chicken was fresh cooked that day and served cold I would eat it. I wouldn't eat the prawns hot or cold but that's just me, I'm sure there are some people that would say hot cooked prawns would be fine. I ate all the fresh fruit platters and the fruit cake. I skipped the triffle because it had alcohol in it. I heated my ham to hot and ate it that way. I ate most of the salads, because I knew my family had made them all fresh, but none of the soft cheeses and none of the dips.

Just use common sense and anything you are not sure of then just skip it. The good thing about Christmas lunch/dinner is there is always alot of choices on the table.

Have a great Christmas.

[little_O]

Congratulations!

My doctor had told me that as long as they are fresh Australian prawns you should be fine. Ham cut straight off the bone is ok.
As long as the chicken is cooked and cooled straight away it should be ok.

Just make sure the salads haven't been out for too long and be wary of desserts that may have raw egg in then.

Everyone is different but my doctor had said a random glass of champagne would be fine too. Not that I did.

Just eat as you feel comfortable. The gp should be able to give you a pamphlet about what to be careful of too.

[Saffy]

I'd eat freshly cooked prawns, ( and am planning to this Saturday lol) just not ones been sitting around for ages.
I'm looking forward to a lovely glass of champagne on xmas day as I haven't had a drop of alcohol this pregnancy.
Mayo out of a jar ok, just not home made.
I hope you have a great xmas Vic!

[Pholi]

I ate freshly cooked prawns, last year, but I wouldn't touch those bought cooked already. Same thing for the ham, etc - keep an eye on how long it's been out of the fridge and microwave it. As for salads... Personally I wouldn't unless I could ask the contributor when they made them. Some people would happily make the salad the night before, and dress it on the day, and although normally I would consider this to be fine, I didn't eat things prepared more than a couple of hours before when I was pg. If you feel the same way, I would just make your announcement early in the day so that it becomes acceptable for you to ask contributors about the history of their particular salad.

So pleased to see you counting the weeks... so happy for you still!

[LimeSlice]

Just a note on the fruit platters... One of the biggest area of food prep hygiene failure, is fruit preparation. Many people are good at washing their hard-skinned or hand-held fruit and veg, most do not wash whole melons, grapes, berries or mangoes, kiwis...
The knife carries the bacteria or soiling through the fruit as it is cut and peeled and it is also usually cut on the same board.

So please be just as wary of fruit platters and rice salads as you are of mayonnaise and cold prawns,

[Marley&Me]

I was going to start the same thread Vic.

So to be clear, ham cut straight off the bone cold is ok?
And I thought mayo was a no go? Jar mayo that is (there is egg in the ingredients)

I am making the fruit platter so that is ok. But i also want to make a potato salad mmmmmmmmm. But all the potato salad dressings have egg in the ingredients and i hate boring old sour cream potato salad, yuck.

Do you have to steer clear of condiments with egg in them from jars?

[k4t]

It's a no to cold ham from me. I would only eat piping hot just cooked ham. I think jar mayo should be ok if the jar has just been opened but I wouldn't eat it if it had been in the fridge open for ages.

I ate all sorts of seafood so long as it was fresh cooked.

[LimeSlice]

I was going to start the same thread Vic.

So to be clear, ham cut straight off the bone cold is ok?
And I thought mayo was a no go? Jar mayo that is (there is egg in the ingredients)

I am making the fruit platter so that is ok. But i also want to make a potato salad mmmmmmmmm. But all the potato salad dressings have egg in the ingredients and i hate boring old sour cream potato salad, yuck.

Do you have to steer clear of condiments with egg in them from jars?

Sour cream, greek yoghurt, chives, garlic, lemon juice and seeded mustard... Keep it cold and you will be fine.

While there may be egg listed as an ingredient, they are generally heat treated (pasteurised) so not a concern for the most part. It is fresh (raw) egg mayo that is the problem.

[Marley&Me]

Thanks K4t. But i love cold ham off the bone Who eats hot ham????
I have instructed the family to wash everything thoroughly And I hate seafood anyway so that's not a problem

There will be roasted chicken that will be refrigerated after roasting and then served, will that be ok?

ETA: Thanks limeslice! i use the kraft bottle potato salad dressing and add bacon, wholegrain mustard and spring onions. It's delish. But your recipe sounds awesome too, may give it a go

[Krikkit]

hellmans mayonnaise (whole egg) is definitely pasteurised - its the only one I ate last pregnancy, as the rest don't actually state it on the ingredients. the out-laws have decided to do a "buffet" at a popular joint this christmas.. double whammy for me, I guess I will be eating breadrolls for christmas!

[vic261]

I have been told not to eat cold chicken

Krit -that sucks about the buffet. Can you order a meal?

Xmas day food is turning out to be hard work. Its always my favourite day to eat too.

[Amy_jellybean]

I know im further along than most of you girls, but I plan on eating as normal.

My family have always been massive seafood eaters and there is no way im missing out!!! We are having chilli crabs and mussels, fresh fish and prawns on the bbq. Salads are being made by me so I know there is no drama there. My mum is glazing the ham and as long as its fresh off the bone and cold then I will def be eating it!!!

To be honest the only thing I have stayed away from while pregnant is Pate (which I love but ofcourse it is a big no no when pregnant!), I've had the odd slice of camembert here and there (when it was fresh out the fridge and I had the first slice out the wheel). I've still eaten Deli meats and just asked for them to be sliced fresh rather than buying the presliced stuff sitting there. I eat mayo out of the jar that is made in Australia, I dont eat fresh mayo made in a restaurant etc because they all include egg.

I think at the end of the day you have to go with common sense and what you are comfortable with. My mum and dad have owned Deli's, lunch bars etc since I was 10 years old and are very very food and hygiene aware so I know anything I eat with them is totally fine. You can definately take things too far while pregnant. Go with your gut (pardon the pun!) and what you feel comfortable with.

Have a wonderful xmas Vic! xxx

[murraycod]

Hi Vic!! It's great to see that everything is going well with you, and how exciting for your family to find out your news on Xmas day how wonderful
I guess food is a personal preference to most, I stay away from all cold meat including seafood.
Anything cooked fresh is fair game
Have a fantastic day!!!!

[AliBaby]

I am the same as Amy jellybean. I have eaten everything mentioned in this thread through pregnancy. Just made sure things were fresh. Only steered clear of pate.

[Beatrix]

I eat most things at Christmas. I plan in enjoying cold ham off the bone and prawns as well. As long as they are defrosted/ prepared correctly I trust my family.