food questions - ok or not?
- Thread starter matemate
- Start date
I'm a Westerner... and I had no problem with eating these products during my first pregnancy, and still going on with my second one, though I'm not a big fan of abalones 
Ginger is great against nauseas and to prevent colds, unless you have acidity, there is nothing wrong there. Fish and any sea food should be well cooked.
Enjoy !
Ginger is great against nauseas and to prevent colds, unless you have acidity, there is nothing wrong there. Fish and any sea food should be well cooked.
Enjoy !
u should avoid fish that has high mercury content, such as : king mackerel, swordfish,tilefish,shark,etc . And there's also recommendation from FDA on how much tuna one should consume.. see this link: Is it safe to eat fish and other seafood when I'm pregnant? | BabyCenter
carang
Registered User
as far as i was concerned, every culture has their own "do's & don'ts" for pregnant women.
western: NO sushi
Japanes: huh? what do you mean, no sushi?
etc.
so, for my own sanity (my mil is chinese), i ate what i want, when i wanted it within reason.
i did not stop eating seafood. i just ate it in moderation.
ps. i have also heard that ginger is GREAT to help with nausea. didn't work for me, though.
western: NO sushi
Japanes: huh? what do you mean, no sushi?
etc.
so, for my own sanity (my mil is chinese), i ate what i want, when i wanted it within reason.
i did not stop eating seafood. i just ate it in moderation.
ps. i have also heard that ginger is GREAT to help with nausea. didn't work for me, though.
Gataloca
Registered User
Ginger is good for nausea. But of course, with moderation. Too much can cause uterine contraction, same as unripe papaya, and pineapple.
Fish.. the issue is with the mercury level, so as NDDomer mentioned, king mackerel, swordfish, tilefish, shark, etc should be avoided... And the issue about sushi is that it may not have been handle correctly, and may have parasites or viruses.
Don't know about abalone, shrimp or crab...
Fish.. the issue is with the mercury level, so as NDDomer mentioned, king mackerel, swordfish, tilefish, shark, etc should be avoided... And the issue about sushi is that it may not have been handle correctly, and may have parasites or viruses.
Don't know about abalone, shrimp or crab...
carang
Registered User
yes, i understand what the issues are, but as i said everything in moderation....
(ps. would never consider eating mackerel, swordfish, shark when i'm not pregnant, so never a consideration when i was~ did eat prawns, crab, lobster etc... two beautiful, healthy kids later....)
(ps. would never consider eating mackerel, swordfish, shark when i'm not pregnant, so never a consideration when i was~ did eat prawns, crab, lobster etc... two beautiful, healthy kids later....)
starbucks2
Registered User
I understand that prawns/shrimp etc are usually advised against as they can cause listeria. Agree re unripe papaya can cause contractions early.
It is all a risk assessment for each individual. One person can eat all the foods in the world and have no problems in pregnancy and another can catch listeria and lose the baby. All about risk assessment and what you are comfortable with. When I was pregnant there was a terrible story about a woman who lost her baby at 8 months due to eating sushi (which is advised against in my home country - not just for the raw fish but also for the rice which has been sitting around warm/cold in the open). I never ate store bought sushi as a result.
There is a good article on seafood on the Baby Center website (and this website is also great to answer these kinds of questions) see below but agree that "the foods to avoid in pregnancy" change a lot depending on the country you are in and the culture associated with that country:
Is it safe to eat seafood during pregnancy?
It is all a risk assessment for each individual. One person can eat all the foods in the world and have no problems in pregnancy and another can catch listeria and lose the baby. All about risk assessment and what you are comfortable with. When I was pregnant there was a terrible story about a woman who lost her baby at 8 months due to eating sushi (which is advised against in my home country - not just for the raw fish but also for the rice which has been sitting around warm/cold in the open). I never ate store bought sushi as a result.
There is a good article on seafood on the Baby Center website (and this website is also great to answer these kinds of questions) see below but agree that "the foods to avoid in pregnancy" change a lot depending on the country you are in and the culture associated with that country:
Is it safe to eat seafood during pregnancy?
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Gataloca
Registered User
I would say that moderation and common sense are the key. The risk of listeria is in most of the cool cooked food, and on deli food.. like ham, and specially soft cheese.... However, I do eat ham, and pepperoni and salami, provided that it is well packed, or is from a reputable place.
About sushi, I have heard (from other forum) that it is safe to eat sushi when it comes from fish that has been previously frozen. Seems that the freezing the fish kills the parasite that it may have. But the problem is of course, how the fish have been handled on the restaurant after it got thawed, and how the remaining ingredients have been stored.
About sushi, I have heard (from other forum) that it is safe to eat sushi when it comes from fish that has been previously frozen. Seems that the freezing the fish kills the parasite that it may have. But the problem is of course, how the fish have been handled on the restaurant after it got thawed, and how the remaining ingredients have been stored.
I join Gataloca about the listeria. It can exist in a lot of products like non pasteurized cheese, non dry meat (like ham, but not supposed in salami as it's dry), sea food or raw meat, and every vegetables should be cleaned properly. As soon as the product has been frozen or is properly cooked, or the cheese is with pasteurized milk, it's ok.
starbucks2
Registered User
And listeria is also why deli foods (salami, ham etc) are also warned against in my home country so I avoided those when I was pregnant too. Maybe my home country is extra cautious but I still followed it as would have felt terrible if what I had eaten could have caused the loss of the baby. Having said all this, I still got terrible food poisoning at about 8 weeks along with our first one and even though I was violently ill, I still managed to keep the baby inside which was heartening!
carang
Registered User
i guess my problem was that i was suffering from such terrible "every-bloody-minute-of-the-day" sickness (lost 20lbs in the first trimester) that if i thought i could stomach it, i ate it.
it actually got to the point where the doctor recommended that if i wanted junk food to go ahead and eat it as i just wasn't putting on any weight. (was only 5 lbs/2.2kg heavier the day i gave birth than the day i got pregnant!)
as for deli meats etc. i figured i'd never been sick eating it over the past 35 years, the chances of my getting sick while pregnant were pretty small.
for me, same went for drinking things like nestea & diet coke. water made me feel so sick that i had to have something with flavour and/or bubbles. the chinese women at the hospital freaked out when they saw me drink diet coke, but didn't think twice about their MSG-laden instant noodles.
it actually got to the point where the doctor recommended that if i wanted junk food to go ahead and eat it as i just wasn't putting on any weight. (was only 5 lbs/2.2kg heavier the day i gave birth than the day i got pregnant!)
as for deli meats etc. i figured i'd never been sick eating it over the past 35 years, the chances of my getting sick while pregnant were pretty small.
for me, same went for drinking things like nestea & diet coke. water made me feel so sick that i had to have something with flavour and/or bubbles. the chinese women at the hospital freaked out when they saw me drink diet coke, but didn't think twice about their MSG-laden instant noodles.
Gataloca
Registered User
Yes. I have also read that if you really have problem eating, even junk food is better than starving... But there is a difference between junk food, and dangerous food.
But I do agree with your about deli meat and stuff, as long as it is well packed and it comes from a reputable place. If you know that the ham has been seating there for long time, then better not take the risk.
Actually I haven't had much appetite myself either, so I just eat whatever I want (luckily I don't have craving, so mostly I eat healthy stuff).. I eat banana, watermelon, orange, salad (luckily my mom is not in HK either, otherwise, she would have freaked out!).
But I do agree with your about deli meat and stuff, as long as it is well packed and it comes from a reputable place. If you know that the ham has been seating there for long time, then better not take the risk.
Actually I haven't had much appetite myself either, so I just eat whatever I want (luckily I don't have craving, so mostly I eat healthy stuff).. I eat banana, watermelon, orange, salad (luckily my mom is not in HK either, otherwise, she would have freaked out!).
FutureHKmom
Registered User
I don't think ginger is a problem. I drank lots of tea with ginger and lemon when I felt naseous. Fish - just avoid the types with high mercury content and eat in moderation. I did eat abalone during my pregnancy. As for shellfish like prawns and crab, I actually avoided it but it's because I have a history of ezcema and was worried that my baby would have bad ezcema also. Not eating the shellfish was actually more for me than it was for my baby though because I wanted to avoid using hydrocortisone cream during my pregnancy.