[Primigravida]

All but the liver & beer.
My friend who is 2 weeks behind me consumes the beer.

:

I'm sorry but I'm having hard cravings for beef and I just have to have my steak medium. I need to feel the meat juices. And the sushi bar that I frequent is under new management and they give you huge slices of fish! 1 piece of yellow tail fits across my hand; and I have very big hands.

I also have a craving for liver but I'm reading conflicting info on it's safety.
I read that it causes birth defects, but then I read that it's good for pregnant women to consume organ meats. I want some liver & rice so bad.

 

[oregongirlie]

I didn't know beef was a problem. I've been having medium rare beef all along. I'm avoiding fish, except for fish oil supplements.

 

[phoebemommy]

I did the naughty, too, for a while -- tons and tons of salmon. I couldn't get enough. It was wild Alaskan red salmon, which is supposed to be on the very safe end of fish, and the state of Alaska takes issue with the FDA warning, and blah blah blah. But it was still taboo.

Oh, also, sunny side up eggs, as runny as I can make them, every morning for breakfast! I've been living on the edge.

 

[Primigravida]

Yes, we are supposed to eat all meat cooked well done.
I'm not even going to talk about how I eat my bacon.

 

[Rico'sAlice]

Everyone has different comfort levels. And different DRs will say different things. Personally assuming that it is coming from a very trusted source I will continue to eat sushi and rare beef during pregnancy. I will also continue to eat soft boiled eggs and drink raw milk.

I also believe that modest consumption of alcohol (like 1 beer or glass of wine a couple of days a week) is not a problem. Just look at the FAS rates for Europe. And those women don't stop drinking.

Liver depends on what else you eat and your multivitamins. There is some concern about birth defects with excess consumption of vit A. However, most studies have been done with synthetics, or topical creams like rentinA.
Different studies point to different toxicity limits. 30,000iu seems to be reasonable. Perhaps you could skip the CLO (if you're taking it) on days when you eat liver. What they call "vitamin A" in your prenatal-vit is probably Beta-Carotene and therefore not a problem. Same with eating carrots and stuff. Also if you really like liver but are nervous just use a small (1-2oz) amount to flavor your rice.

 

[Herausgeber]

I regularly eat steak medium-rare, to no negative effect. Well-done steak tastes like charcoal, IMO.

I also eat sushi prepared by reputable chefs. I wouldn't touch the stuff from a cheap place.

My eggs are over easy. I like to sop up the yolk with my toast. I also eat raw eggs in the form of cookie dough and cake batter.

I've had raw oysters a couple of times as well. (Turns out oysters are a good iron source, which explains that craving.)

I've had minor amounts of beer and wine, no more than half a serving, with food, at celebratory events.

I've also been craving liver lately, so I'm hoping to have some for dinner later this week. I'll just skip my prenatals for a couple of days so I don't overdo it on the vitamin A.

I do feel like a lot of these "rules" are bullshit. I'm more likely to get food poisoning from cheap takeout than to get sick from any of these foods prepared in my own home.

 

[MrsTC]

I thought you meant all in the same meal, and I thought, WHOA! That baby is HUNGRY!!! (and thirsty!)

If you're craving liver, your body needs something that is in it, I'd say. It's hella high in fiber, and as far as I know, if you eat it cooked (which I'm sure you would) it should be fine. I'd advise you to do your best to find organic or at the very least natural beef liver to do it, especially since it is organ meat...

And...I drank real alcohol, in small amounts when I was pg with ds, and will again with this pregnancy, after the first trimester. I wouldn't worry about a drink here and there.

T

 

[arlecchina]

sushi is actually safe as long as the fish had been friozen prior to consumption. google for that, I cant find my source but I can if you need it.

 

[MommyTeesa]

What about soft cheeses - aren't most available in the U.S. pasteurized, so they are OK? I craved feta a lot last pregnancy and ate it - figuring it was pasteurized and cooked (ate it in omeltes with spinach YUM).

 

[colobus237]

Yeah, but who wants to eat frozen sushi

Seriously though, I thought the point of sushi was to have it as fresh as humanly possible. Why I rarely eat it in Indiana.

Honestly, I think if babies were as fragile as all that, the human species would not have survived. Not that I'd go getting drunk and smoking while pregnant, but I wouldn't freak out about a medium-rare steak, or really fresh sushi, or eggnog, either. Ya gotta eat. Keep it clean and fresh and you're good.

There's no evidence that one drink a day does any harm to a fetus; FAS has more to do with binge drinking and hardcore alcoholism. Nonetheless, personally I'm more comfortable abstaining during pregnancy.

If you want liver, try to get organic, since it's the body's filtering mechanism. I wish I could stomach it, cause clean organic liver is vitamin&mineral-rich superfood kind of stuff (Brewer said you should eat it once a week). I can't do it, though.

 

[arlecchina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccohenou Yeah, but who wants to eat frozen sushi Seriously though, I thought the point of sushi was to have it as fresh as humanly possible. Why I rarely eat it in Indiana.

no no

if the salmon (or whatever) was frozen 24 hours previous to defrost and then use. not perfectly fresh but safe

but yeah, it's not liable to kill anyone either way.

 

[Summerland]

I've had the medium steak and eggs benedict a few times, I also eat feta as long as it is pasterized. But i havent had any sushi in over 8 months and im about to go mental since it's my fav food ever!! Seeing how alot of you have had it makes it very tempting!!!!!!!!!!!