Foods to avoid during pregnancy?

Question

I was reading through questions & read that u are not suppose to eat deli meats when pregnant unless u heat it up.

deli meats as in the pakages of turkey/ham/balogna/chicken slices that u can put into ur sandwhiches? because i sometimes just eat them by itself!...

I also read u shouldnt eat pre-made salads. Ive been eating that too! Ive probably bought 3 to 4 bags of those pre-made salads & eat them with my meal or by itself. Ive even ordered one at Mcdonalds. How come ive never heard of this before?!

The little pamplet i got at drs says to avoid peanuts & peanut butter if theres a history of peanut allergies. I dont think we have peanut allergies so can i eat Pistacios. I can eat a lot at a time.

What food contains Artifical Sweeteners? Does Kool-aids?

Answer 1

my doctor told me you can basically eat anything u want except raw fish

Answer 2

Its to do with a disease called Listeria - which if you get can be fatal to the baby if you get it..   This is the info my doctor gave me...

What is Listeria Infection?

Listeria infection or listeriosis, is an illness usually caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria known as Listeria monocytogenes.

People who are at particular risk of infection include:

Anyone whose immune system has been weakened by disease or illness, for example:

Cancer

Leukaemia

Diabetes

AIDS

Liver or kidney disease

The elderly

Pregnant women and their unborn babies

Anyone on medication such as prednisone or cortisone as this can also suppress the immune system. This includes organ transplant patients

Newborn babies

In pregnant women, Listeria infection is usually a mild illness. A high temperature before or during labour may be the only sign. However, even a mild form of the illness can affect the unborn baby (foetus) and can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth or a very ill baby at birth.

Where is Listeria found?

Listeria bacteria are widespread and commonly found in soil, silage and sewage. They have also been found in a variety of foods, including raw meat, raw vegetables and some processed foods. Sometimes, it is not possible to identify which particular food caused a person's illness as symptoms may not appear for 3 to 70 days after eating contaminated food.

Outbreaks of Listeria infection due to foods such as soft cheeses, milk, coleslaw, hot dogs and pat? have been reported in Europe, America and Australia.

People at risk from Listeria infection can reduce their risk of infection by:

Saying no to high risk foods

Always handing food safely (see safe food handling and storage)

Avoiding contact with any animal afterbirth (placenta) and with aborted animal foetuses, as listeria infection has been known to cause illness and abortion in animals.

High risk foods

These foods should be avoided:

Ready-to-eat seafood such as smoked fish and smoked mussels, oysters or raw seafood such as sashimi or sushi

Pre-prepared or stored salads, including coleslaw and fresh fruit salad

Drinks made from fresh fruit and/or vegetables where washing procedures are unknown (excluding pasteurised or canned juices)

Pre-cooked meat products which are eaten without further cooking or heating, such as pat?, sliced deli meat, including ham, strass and salami, and cooked diced chicken (as used in sandwich shops)

Any unpasteurised milk or foods made from unpasteurised milk

Soft serve ice-creams

Soft cheeses, such as brie, camembert, ricotta and feta (these are safe if cooked and served hot)

Ready-to-eat foods, including leftover meats, which have been refrigerated for more than one day

Dips and salad dressings in which vegetables may have been dipped

Raw vegetable garnishes

Safe foods

These include:

Freshly prepared foods

Freshly cooked foods, to be eaten immediately

Hard cheeses, cheese spreads, processed cheese

Milk - freshly pasteurised and UHT

Yoghurt

Canned and pickled food

Hope this helps..

Answer 3

here's the guidelines I was given..

NO raw or undercooked meat

Deli meats are ok if I heat them up.. if I want cold deli meat, I can heat it up and cool it back down.

avoid or limit caffiene

no alchohol/tobacco/drugs

Eat at least 3 servings of dairy (for some reason they focused on this!)

I was given guidelines on the food pyramid to eat a balanced diet.

I also got a pamphlet about seafood and murcury.. but I dont eat seafood, so I didnt bother to read it.

I wasnt told anything about pre-packaged salads or artificial sweeteners by the Dr or nutrionist.. I dont like artificial sweeteners anyways tho.  Anything labeled "diet" or "sugar free" has artificial sweeteners.  Koolaid has them if you get the "sugar free" kind.