Food

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

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.

Cmkm,

Thank you so much for your advice.

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

Thank you,

Jess

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

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.)

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!

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

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!!