Listeria

[misty]

can someone please tell me what i can and cannot eat. my dr warned me about listeria and then said to avoid foods like soft cheeses, cold meats, basically anything that had been cooked but was now at fridge temperature. but now i'm all confused.

for example i know i cann't eat soft cheese, does cheese spread fall in that catagory?? (i really want some)

what about macdonalds - the burgers have cheese slices and also i've also been told that listeria can be found in salads that aren't fresh - is that true?

does anyone have any or know where i can find information about this?

also on a seperate but related note, can i eat rasberry liqurice??? i love that stuff.

[Mumma2three]

My doctor told me that soft cheeses in Australia are pasturised therefore safe. It is wise to check labels, if the cheese is pasturised it's safe. Hard cheeses are fine, and so are slices. I personally am not going to eat Brie etc because I will turn into a huge person!!
Yesterday I accidentally ate a McDonalds soft serve ice cream (well I meant to eat it but forgot it's not allowed) VERY frustrating. However Im now thinking maybe the dairy in it is pasturised. Im not going to worry though as I can't do anything about it.
I would avoid all processed meat (ham, salami, turkey etc) and packaged salads at woolworths (unless you wash them very well). I just wash everything well.
Remember when our parents were having babies, no one knew about this, so it's probably best not to worry TOO Much if you slip up. It's hard to avoid everything. ALso no raw eggs (some mayonnaise,).
I would think raspberry licorice is fine, just not in too huge amounts!! ONly because you don't want to be on the toilet all the time. But check with a Dr.

[BellyBelly]

Check out this article on BellyBelly: https://www.bellybelly.com.au/pregna...eria-pregnancy

[AJ]

there is a lot of information out there and a lot of is contradictory...You should have a Food safety site in australia.. I also have a number of pamphlets etc if you would like me to send you some. Mostly all dairy in Australia and NZ is pastuerised... I know definately in NZ everything must be...The problem with the theory of our parents and grandparents eating everything back when is that all of the ready to eat meals etc were not available back then - they made their own- todays society makes it entirely too easy to take something prepared earlier and that will not go through a "kill" stage before eating....Sorry in case you couldn't guess i am Food Safty auditor and so deal with all of this on a daily basis...

[Hayseed]

All cheeses in Aust are pasteurised. France is trying to get food laws changed to import some forms of blue cheese that have been made with unpastuerised milk, but haven't got the ok yet.

Anything that has been cooked once and then refrigerated, should be bought back to really hot temp before eating (eg left over stews, soup casserole, etc etc..)

I'm surprised your dr hasn't given you a little blue pamphlet on this - mine did. Ask at your local hosptial (to the midwives) they'll have HEAPS of literature I would expect.

A search on Google might also turn up some helpful info.

Hayseed

[bertie]

Most soft cheeses are fine as they have been pasteurised - my OB told me to avoid eating ricotta, boccocini, mascerpone etc too much, but every now and then should be ok - the risk is pretty minimal anyway. I have read that you should not eat 'rindy' (brie, camembert etc) or 'mouldy' (blue etc) cheeses - with these it is not that the milk is pasteurised / unpasteurised, but more that the rind / blue mould is developed from bacteria (i.e. bacteria has been added to the cheese).

On the processed meats side, I've been trying to avoid ham, salami, sliced turkey etc, but it is quite hard if you eat sandwiches etc! I've read the main thing I think is to be careful not to eat food that has been lying around too long - the packaged meats (i.e. meat in packaging on a shelf, rather than in trays at the deli counter) is generally safer (as long as you watch the sell/use by dates carefully!

With mayonnaise - shop bought mayo is generally ok as they have preservatives added - best to check the label. Home made mayo, or anything else with raw egg in it, e.g. mousses etc, are out.

Basically, the age old rule - everything in moderation - applies... at the end of the day, if you avoided everything they told you was risky to eat, you'd hardly be eating anything at all!! Just be aware of how food has been prepared, and how long it has been sitting around.

Bertie