Holiday foods: What to indulge a little, what to avoid?

[WonderfulStuff]

DH and I are heading to my parents' for the holidays for over a week, and I'm wondering what might be okay to eat in small quantities, and what I should avoid altogether?  I'm 21 weeks.  I mostly eat organic, so I'll already have to make some concessions because my parents don't.  I know some foods are on the no-no list for risks of bacteria, but aren't some just to limit exposure to toxins?  Typically holiday fare includes:

- Christmas ham (from the supermarket, how much of an issue are nitrites?)

- crackers and cheese

- raw veggies & dip

- cookies

- shrimp cocktail

- swedish meatballs

- cream cheese dips with crackers

Am I going to have to pack a bag of things I can eat?  I'm particularly freaked because I had sprouts last month on a Jimmy John's sub, and they just came out with a salmonella scare in my area.  I dodged a bullet - it could have just as easily been me.  I've already decided not to eat any raw veggies because of this. 

What are you having?

[EllisH]

Sprouts are not like other raw vegetables, but they contain a special risk for salmonella (don't ask me for the details: I think it's to do with the bacteria settling in on the inside of the sprout, even homegrown sprouts, making it impossible to clean properly).  So as long as you properly wash the raw veggies, they should be fine.  I'd just avoid sprouts of any kind.

I'd be a bit concerned about supermarket prepared meat, not (just) for the nitrites (esp. if you don't eat it regularly), but because you'll be dealing with bulk meat (for the meat balls), so one infection goes a long way.  I also avoid (prepacked) supermarket cold cuts for their listeria risk (and for the potential bulk risk mentioned above). 

I am also avoiding deli salads (you never know how long something has been sitting in the deli counter), but I think you should be fine with a creamy salad that was prepacked.

Home-cooked meat & veggies would be my favourite choice of food.  Nuts, fruit and cheese (it's only the unpasteurized soft cheese that can pose a risk) are also a good choice: satisfying and easy to get.

And please note that I am on the careful end of the spectrum - my strongest beliefs (concerns) concern pre-cooked supermarket meat!

[lillymonster]

hmmm...I am not one to stress about foods. The only thing I put on my "no" list like you said are sprouts. I don't feel like those are washed properly, and they always seem like there are too many nooks and crannies. Otherwise, if you are okay with eating it normally when not pregnant, then I think it's okay.

[weliveintheforest]

I eat whatever I would normally eat.  My dh, sil and mil once got food poisoning from sprouts but I didn't eat them because they smelled and tasted funny.  I try to listen to those little feelings, especially with foods like sprouts, salads, eggs, meat.

[Peony]

I don't ever eat sprouts as well, I did get food poisoning from them a few years. Other then that, I do not change what I eat while pg.

[OkiMom]

Im sitting here eating sushi so obviously I don't listen to the recommendations! If Id eat it when Im not pregnant Ill eat it when I am. 

[javilu]

I assume the ham will be well-heated, so I'd eat a bit of that if I felt hammy at the time.  I don't see any problem with the crackers and cheese apart from the usual, you know, fat and it could be constipating, but I'd consider them SAFE.  I think cream cheese is okay, too, but some people are squeamish about things like that being left out.  Swedish meatballs, I'd eat if they were well-heated.  I'd eat things like baby carrots and whole baby tomatoes since they don't have a lot of crevices and are easily washed.  I'd have no qualms with cookies.  I would offer to help with the prep if I were worried about things being cooked through or left out too long.  I'd probably also make some deviled eggs.  =D

[Aliy]

Um...... i eat everything. i have even had brie. I don't buy into all the yes and no's when it comes to food.

[erigeron]

Brie is fine as long as it's pasteurized. Where I am I'd have to make an actual effort to get unpasteurized Brie, so I feel free to eat all I want. :D

[MrsBone]

honestly, I wouldn't worry about any of that stuff. The ham will be cooked and if you normally don't eat nitrates, you indulge a little it's not going to hurt your baby. I personally eat local, organic smoked and cured bacon about once a week and it's got nitrates. I'm not worried about my weekly indulgence. Also, I don't understand what's wrong with cream cheese? It seems like if you can eat pasteurized milk, why can't you eat pasteurized soft cheese? I don't know. But, I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I drink raw milk and don't stress about undercooked beef, mostly because I have a local organic safe source that I trust. I wouldn't eat sushi simply because I don't care for it that much, so why risk something you don't care about? If you really want to have those foods, go ahead. If it's something you don't care about, then forego it! :) Oh and raw veggies are fine. Sprouts are completely different.

[FoxintheSnow]

I eat whatever I want while pregnant for the most part. I did get food poisoning once in my first pregnancy after eating a questionable vietnamese restaurant, but it only lasted a day and my ob didnt get too excited about it.

[Twinklefae]

Yum!  Sounds delicious, not worrisome.

Avoiding all raw vegetables is a bit silly.  There are risks to everything, but it's a bigger risk to not get enough nutrients.

I don't follow most of the 'rules' of pregnancy either.  And TBH, I've never been told to by any health care provider, so maybe the risks are overblown.  Keep in mind that even if you contract food poisoning it's still only a RISK, not a guaranteed bad outcome.

[tourist.]

I think the issue with brie is not with the cheese but with the outter "rind" layer and how that is created (post pasturization, iirc).  I could be wrong though, but I remember reading that because I was disappointed.  I just did a search online and couldn't find anything concrete about brie so...enjoy it using your best judgement, or something like that.

I think your menu sounds yummy!  Last weekend we had our first holiday meal.  I bought a nitrate free ham (that was pretty pricey), but I made split pea soup with it after and knew I'd be eating more that just a single serving of the ham.  Usually nitrates aren't a huge concern for me, because I don't eat them daily, but I avoid them when I can.

[greenmulberry]

I eat all that stuff during my pregnancy, as long as I feel the people who prepared it used some common sense. You know, like didn't let the cream cheese ball sit out overnight, kept the shrimp on ice, ect.

When I am not pregnant, I really will eat anything and never get the slightest tummy upset. If I have ever gotten food poisoning, I might be more careful, but food poisoning doesn't seem like a realistic threat to me (just my perception, I know others have different experiences). I feel like I am taking a bigger risk driving my car to work every day.

I am surprised to hear homemade sprouts still have the salmonella risk! I was making my own sprouts and feeling rather smug about the pure wholesome uncontaminatedness of them!

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by greenmulberry 

I eat all that stuff during my pregnancy, as long as I feel the people who prepared it used some common sense. You know, like didn't let the cream cheese ball sit out overnight, kept the shrimp on ice, ect.

When I am not pregnant, I really will eat anything and never get the slightest tummy upset. If I have ever gotten food poisoning, I might be more careful, but food poisoning doesn't seem like a realistic threat to me (just my perception, I know others have different experiences). I feel like I am taking a bigger risk driving my car to work every day.

This is me as well - I would eat all of the above.  The only changes I'm making during the holiday season due to my pregnancy is skipping the alcoholic beverages (DH will make a batch of booze-free homemade egg nog) and eating a little less because I get full so quickly.  Other than that I really don't stress over it - brie, sushi, and certainly raw veggies are a-ok in my book.  Though as a PP said if something looks/smells odd, like it's not fresh or has been sitting out for too long then it's a good idea to skip it.

[penstamon]

I eat everything while pregnant that I would eat not pregnant.  Use your common sense.  Most likely people prepared or purchased most of these items recently so there is not much worry.

[MommaMoo]

I'm always surprised at how frequently these threads pop up, and I always see foods that are supposed "no-no's" that I would have never thought of. What's wrong with raw veggies? As long as they are washed, I suppose the only other issue would be pesticides, which I avoid as well. IDK, personally, I have never avoided any food while pregnant. I was heavily into raw foods with DS1 and consumed hundreds of raw egg yolks and many gallons of raw milk. (Never had so much as a tummy ache with those foods,) We only eat raw cheese, although it's cheddar and not the soft kind. I would eat all the foods you listed and it would not occur to me to worry about their safety. I just wouldn't really like the non-organic aspect of it, but my family is the exact same way. I just have to go with it, because I'm not going to bring my own Christmas dinner with me! I do bring snacks, though, so maybe you can bring a few of your favorite things to munch on?

[ebegreen]

My big concern would be not so much about the kind of food but how it's prepared and then put away.   I agree with javilu that if you can offer to help cook then you at least know its been cooked or handled properly. I am a little fanatic about serve safe, I will not eat anything that I think may have been left sitting on the table for over 2 hours unrefrigerated. I offer to help clean up after the meal is over and get the leftovers in the fridge. 

Along with everyone else I'd say not to worry too much about cheese, most cheese you buy in the grocery store in the US is pasteurized. Unless imported then you might want to check it out or avoid it.  Just follow your instincts.  I noticed my sense of smell since being pregnant is heightened so I've been "following my nose" if it smells good to me I eat it, if it doesn't I get as far away as I can before I feel nauseous.