Food

[Jessir]

Hi Ladies,

Please help, I need to know what I can and can't eat during pregnancy?

I know the basics like soft cheeses, sushi, sandwich meat. Just want to get all bases covered.

What about left overs cooked at home? Anything else you think I should avoid?

We have struggled through IVF and PGD to get to this point and we really want to make sure I do it all right.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jess

[CKJ]

Left overs at home - I was told to heat the crap out of it and you're all good. I often took left overs to work for lunch and was fine.

Also apparently McDonald's ice cream/thick shakes are a no go due to listeria. And I did hear something about BBQ chickens

I basically wouldn't eat anything that wasn't freshly cooked (if eating out - ie nothing from those Chinese places in food courts where food was sitting out). And if I was to reheat it would be piping hot.

Not sure about anything else as staying away from cheese is easy for me (I'm allergic) and I did have the odd ham/cheese/tomato toasted sandwich.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

[Jessir]

Cmkm,

Thank you so much for your advice.

Adding soft serve ice cream to the don't eat list.

Thank you,

Jess

[Amy_jellybean]

Hi love,

I'm in the same boat, having gone through IVF and 4.5 years to finally fall pregnant with our little one. I am picky with what I eat but I dont rule everything out.

I still eat ham - However I don't buy it from the deli section of the supermarket, I buy it in the individual sealed packs and use it as soon as I open it. I also don't eat it 'fresh'. I will only eat it in a toasted sandwich, toasted crossiont so it is hot.

I still eat all the hard cheese - I just stay away from the usual soft cheeses. If you google safe cheeses during pregnancy it will come up with a list of ones that are ok to eat.

Left Overs - If I have cooked them myself and it is only the day after, then I will eat it but I heat it piping hot. If it is more than a day old then I dont eat it.

Food court food - I steer clear, I dont eat anything from them as I never know how fresh they are.

Pate - Not sure if you even like it, I love it! Def a no no when pregnant as it is full of vitamin A.

Aim x

[k4t]

One thing I found confusing was salads. Definitely ok to eat salad you've prepared fresh at home yourself and I've been steering well clear of anything pre-prepared from a supermarket chiller or food court cabinet. But I've never really been sure where to draw the line on something from a nice cafe or restaurant - I figured if it was somewhere I trust and that has a reasonable turnover it should be almost as safe as at home. (Not really sure if I've been doing the right thing though, just my best guess.)

[Frangipani Lou]

Hi Jessir,
I agree with all the previous posts. The guide that I found most helpful and reliable is the nsw food authority.
I think it's ok for me to put the link for you in here cause its a government site.

http://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/_Documents/consumer_pdf/pregnancy-brochure.pdf.

The better health Chanel website is also a reliable source of info.

Here's the best info that i found on listeria...

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/scienceandeducation/factsheets/factsheets2005/listeriacommonlyaske3115.cfm

Initially I didn't have ham but missed it so now I have it sometimes really hot like in a pasta dish or toasted sandwich.

Hope that helps!

[Jessir]

Hey ladies,

Thank you for all the helpful advice.

I will definitely check out those sites.

I would love to ask my girlfriends what they have all done but as we are just shy of 5 weeks we are still not telling any one.

I think the only food I will really struggle with is soft cheese and fresh prawns. Everything else for this little miracle will be a walk in the park.

Jess

[Frangipani Lou]

Fresh Australian prawns that are bought raw and cooked to order or cooked at home are fine ( and delicious!) the challenge is finding a supplier or restaurant that doesn't use imported seafood!!