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thread: what foods did you not avoid while pregnant?

  1. #1
    Registered User

    Jan 2012
    Western Suburbs Melbourne
    651

    what foods did you not avoid while pregnant?

    Just something that I sometimes can't get around my head - if for example I was Japanese and a majority of my diet pre preg, was sushi etc would you/ should you stop?
    So do those who have a cultural background stop eating goods that are part of their culture while in pregnant?!!!

    I mean I'm not going to have a raw egg, Brie cheese, raw salmon sushi served with a ham salad anytime, but always makes me wonder do the French stop eating Brie?
    Do Vietnamese stop eating broken rice with egg?
    Do Indians stop eating paneer cheese?

    Thoughts, experiences please!

  2. #2
    Registered User

    Jul 2009
    2,251

    I've been told that all Australian cheeses are pasteurised and so don't carry that risk. I avoided them though.
    I'm one of those ppl that avoids everything that has a risk regardless of if I ate it a lot beforehand, so I'm no help. Good thread, I'm looking fwd to seeing what ppl have to say.

  3. #3
    Registered User

    Oct 2009
    Bonbeach, Melbourne
    7,177

    I don't avoid anything in particular except alcohol and cigarettes, which I don't use generally anyway (don't smoke, hardly drank because of BF), I just use common sense in relation to food freshness and safety
    Last edited by PumpkinZulu; June 9th, 2012 at 11:04 AM.

  4. #4
    Registered User

    Jul 2008
    summer street
    2,708

    I ate sushi, runny egg and some salami and even some Brie (Australian made therefore pasteurized)

    I was very cautious about left overs and food that had been left at room temperature (so mainly food court kind of stuff). I just focussed on freshness, and especially when eating sushi, it was at a restaurant and had just been cut and was still chilled. I think you have more danger from the room temperature rice in a sushi roll, since it is often at room temperature and sitting in a cabinet all day.

  5. #5
    Registered User

    Jul 2010
    Canberra
    1,788

    Leftovers, though I heated the heck out of them!

    Also ate runny eggs.

  6. #6
    Registered User

    Sep 2009
    Melbourne, VIC
    581

    I didn't eat runny eggs but I didn't eat those pre-pregnancy either. Alcohol is the only thing I avoided (despite major cravings for beer and red wine), and I cut right back on soft drink but was for nutritional reasons (I used
    to drink a can a day of coke). I was sensible about eating food that was freshly prepared and unprocessed.

  7. #7

    Jun 2010
    District Twelve
    8,425

    This issue comes up periodically on the forum. It almost always ends up with some very strong opinions expressed

    So my theory is this. I'll eat/avoid what I feel necessary and you eat/avoid what you feel necessary. As long as we are each prepared to accept the potential consequences of our eating/avoiding what we each feel necessary, it's all good.

  8. #8
    Registered User

    Jan 2011
    Perth
    3,268

    I ate soft cheeses. And oysters! My theory was - as long as it is fresh.

  9. #9
    Registered User

    Oct 2009
    Bonbeach, Melbourne
    7,177

    Thought I'd add, with DD's pregnancy I was super cautious. Why? Because the books/websites said so. I didn't actually look into the reasoning behind these 'rules'. Now, I know that it has more to do with food safety and common sense than particular foods being super dangerous to pregnant women. I believe I read somewhere that the risk of getting listeria is less than the risks involved in getting an induction, yet women would more readily have an induction than eat soft cheese. It was a good article, I'll try to find it. But basically, I avoided last time, and I'm definitely feeling more confident and relaxed now. But I agree with N2L, let's all eat what *we* want, not what others are/are not.

  10. #10
    BellyBelly Member

    Jan 2010
    2,793

    I avoided everything you are told to avoid. Yes, it may have been OTT, but, if something had have been wrong with DD I didn't want to always wonder if it was due to something I ate/drank....I mean, I know the chances are low, but I'm that pedantic sort of person that being said, if another pregnant person chose to eat/drink the things that I didn't I wouldn't care.

    Oh, and leftovers were always Soooo hot....

  11. #11
    Registered User

    Oct 2007
    Melbourne
    163

    what foods did you not avoid while pregnant?

    I am currently craving prawns and seafood! Yummy I eat it all, only avoid dodgy salad bars and old food that's been sitting around for ages

  12. #12
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Victoria
    7,260

    I didn't avoid anything, ate everything I was always eating/would normally have eaten. I stopped drinking alcohol and smoking. That was it.


  13. #13
    Registered User

    Jan 2012
    Western Suburbs Melbourne
    651

    what foods did you not avoid while pregnant?

    Wow what responses! Awesome.
    I wasn't aiming to create controversy, so it's great it's just been what people have done not what they think others should do.
    It was more of a cultural food question, but I certainly value the feedback, and I had learnt I will stick to what I'm doing! Eat fresh healthy food!! And enjoy it!

  14. #14
    Registered User

    Dec 2007
    Victoria
    7,260

    That's about it. The misinformation and scaremongering about what to eat and not to eat in pregnancy is absurd!
    But in answer to your question, no, they don't stop eating their *unpasteurised* dairy in France, and I have seen many a pregnant woman consume raw fish sushi and sashimi, etc. The amount of fear pregnant women are consumed with is outrageous imo, when what is really needed is some unadulterated facts and information, and informed (not feared) choice.

  15. #15
    Moderator

    Oct 2004
    In my Zombie proof fortress.
    6,449

    I mostly trusted my gut when it came to food and it served me well. If I looked at food and did not want to eat it, then I did not. I remember being 6 weeks pregnant standing only 5 meters from food going "I can't touch that". I was right, the meat was off and many people got food poisoning. I also did my research, spoke to those in the know with this type thing and asked them, rather than just talking to someone who was just going to regurgitate the info from a pamphlet

    I admit to using the pregnant food rules to my advantage though, when I was offered food I generally did not like Someone people just don't understand I am not fond of smoked salmon, it was easier to say, can't I am pregnant

  16. #16
    Registered User

    Jul 2006
    Melbourne
    4,895

    Don't avoid coffee (but I only have one per day), sushi (if the place has a high turnover), deli meat (I eat if cut fresh).

  17. #17
    Registered User

    Sep 2011
    107

    I avoided most of what we were told to avoid, but I do drink Coke.

    What other people choose to eat makes no difference to me but it's not worth the risk to me.

    The only thing that really bothered me was when others (generally older women) told me to disregard the listeria stuff...if its important to me and I'm happy to follow it, why should it matter to them?

  18. #18
    Registered User

    Jan 2009
    A Pirate Ship
    3,627

    My diet is always eating or avoiding something for one reason or another. I have been pregnant 5 times and I have only 1 child. Avoiding the foods on the do not eat list was no challenge at all and I didn't want to risk anything.

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