Smoked salmon a nono during pregnancy?

[twiceadopt]

Finally a food that is less nauseating than everything else, but i've read there's some small risk of listeria... anyone know more about it? thanks in advance-

[SNORCHY]

I have not heard that about salmon...but check with your Dr.

[CrystalO]

I've heard smoked products are at risk for listeria...check with a doctor...Salmon itself is not a risk during pregnancy.

[emma10]

Isn't salmon a risk for mercury? Does anyone have the fish list?

How about honey?

[cutiemama]

You're correct that smoked salmon a.k.a lox should not be eaten during pregnancy.

[Facere23]

Honey carries a risk for botulism....if i spelled it right.  I learned that a little while back....and I LOVE honey!!!  It stinks!

[Adevotee]

honey is safe if you are over the age of 1. Here is some info

How can botulism be prevented?

Botulism can be prevented. Foodborne botulism has often been from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets and corn. However, outbreaks of botulism from more unusual sources such as chopped garlic in oil, chile peppers, tomatoes, improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, and home-canned or fermented fish. Persons who do home canning should follow strict hygienic procedures to reduce contamination of foods. Oils infused with garlic or herbs should be refrigerated. Potatoes which have been baked while wrapped in aluminum foil should be kept hot until served or refrigerated. Because the botulism toxin is destroyed by high temperatures, persons who eat home-canned foods should consider boiling the food for 10 minutes before eating it to ensure safety. Instructions on safe home canning can be obtained from county extension services or from the US Department of Agriculture. Because honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum and this has been a source of infection for infants, children less than 12 months old should not be fed honey. Honey is safe for persons 1 year of age and older. Wound botulism can be prevented by promptly seeking medical care for infected wounds and by not using injectable street drugs.

and the website I got the info from:

http://www.cdc.gov/NCIDOD/DBMD/diseaseinfo/botulism_g.htm

The FSA website says to avoid these foods:

There are certain foods that you should avoid when you’re pregnant, because they might make you ill or harm your baby:

Some types of cheese
Avoid cheeses such as Camembert, Brie or chèvre (a type of goats’ cheese), or others that have a similar rind. You should also avoid blue cheeses.

These cheeses are made with mould and they can contain listeria, a type of bacteria that could harm your unborn baby.

Pâté
Avoid all types of pâté, including vegetable. This is because pâté can contain listeria.

Raw or partially cooked eggs
Avoid eating raw eggs and food containing raw or partially-cooked eggs. Only eat eggs cooked enough for both the white and yolk to be solid. This is to avoid the risk of salmonella, which causes a type of food poisoning.

Raw or undercooked meat
Make sure you only eat meat that has been well cooked. This is especially important with poultry and products made from minced meat, such as sausages and burgers. Make sure these are cooked until they are piping hot all the way through and no pink meat is left.

Always wash your hands after handling raw meat, and keep it separate from foods that are ready to eat. This is because raw meat contains bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Liver products and supplements containing vitamin A
Make sure you don't have too much vitamin A. This means you should avoid eating liver and liver products such as pâté and avoid taking supplements containing vitamin A or fish liver oils (which contain high levels of vitamin A). You need some vitamin A, but having too much means that levels could build up and may harm your unborn baby. Ask your GP or midwife if you want more information.

Some types of fish
You can eat most types of fish when you’re pregnant. But there are a few types you should avoid and some others where you should limit the amount you eat.

Avoid eating any shark, swordfish and marlin. Limit the amount of tuna you eat to no more than two tuna steaks a week (weighing about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna a week (with a drained weight of about 140g per can). This is because of the levels of mercury in these fish. At high levels, mercury can harm a baby's developing nervous system.

Have no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Oily fish includes fresh tuna (not canned tuna, which does not count as oily fish), mackerel, sardines and trout.

But remember that eating fish is good for your health and the development of your baby, so you should still aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.

Undercooked ready meals
Avoid eating ready meals that are undercooked. Make sure you heat them until they are piping hot all the way through.

Raw shellfish
Avoid raw shellfish when you’re pregnant. This is because raw shellfish can sometimes contain harmful bacteria and viruses that could cause food poisoning. And food poisoning can be particularly unpleasant when you’re pregnant.

Alcohol and caffeine
You should drink no more than 1 or 2 units of alcohol, once or twice a week.

A unit is half a pint of standard strength beer, lager or cider, or a pub measure of spirit. A glass of wine is about 2 units and alcopops are about 1.5 units.

You should limit the amount of caffeine you have each day, but you don't need to cut it out completely. Caffeine occurs naturally in a range of foods, such as coffee, tea and chocolate, and it's also added to some soft drinks and 'energy' drinks.

It's important not to have more than 300mg a day. This is because high levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight, or even miscarriage.

Each of these contains roughly 300mg of caffeine:


3 mugs of instant coffee (100mg each)
4 cups of instant coffee (75mg each)
3 cups of brewed coffee (100mg each)
6 cups of tea (50mg each)
8 cans of cola (up to 40mg each)
4 cans of 'energy' drink (up to 80mg each)
8 (50g) bars of plain chocolate (up to 50mg each). Caffeine in milk chocolate is about half that of plain chocolate
So if you eat a bar of plain chocolate and drink 3 cups of tea, a can of cola and a cup of instant coffee in a day, you'll have reached your 300mg limit.

Remember that caffeine is also found in certain cold and flu remedies, so always check with your GP or another health professional before taking any of these.

Should I avoid peanuts?

Serious allergies to nuts and nut products and some seeds affect about 1 to 2% of people in the UK. Your baby may be at higher risk of developing a nut allergy if you, the baby's father, brothers or sisters have certain allergic conditions such as hayfever, asthma and/or eczema.

If your baby is in this higher-risk group, you may wish to avoid eating peanuts and peanut products when you're pregnant and breastfeeding.

Foods you don't need to avoid


It can be confusing trying to work out which foods you can eat and which foods you should avoid when you're pregnant. You might find it helpful to look at this list of some of the foods you don't need to avoid:

Shellfish, including prawns – as long as they are part of a hot meal and have been properly cooked

Live or bio yoghurt
Probiotic drinks
Fromage frais
Crème fraîche
Soured cream
Spicy food

Mayonnaise, ice cream, salad dressing – as long as they haven’t been made using raw egg. Generally, mayonnaise, ice cream and salad dressing you buy in shops will have been made with pasteurised egg, which means it’s safe to eat. But it’s better to avoid home-made versions if they contain raw egg. If you're not sure about any of these foods when you're eating out, ask staff for more information

Honey – it’s fine for pregnant women but honey isn’t suitable for babies under a year old

Many types of cheese including:
Hard cheese, such as Cheddar and Parmesan
Feta
Ricotta
Mascarpone
Cream cheese
Mozzarella
Cottage cheese
Processed cheese, such as cheese spreads

sorry this is so long, I just wanted to make everyone aware!

[sierradane]

Oh man, I hate honey!  And my dad had his own bees.  He processed over 3 ton a year.  And I hated it!  Plus, I was allergic to the bees and the honey made me sick.

Smoked salmon DOES sound good, as do oysters and sardines.

[mpde]

Just reiterating what Adevotee said: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/foodstoavoid.html

[sherryroberson]

I ate salmon just the other day!

[twiceadopt]

yeah, i did too :) i think if you get it at a reputable place that keeps it stored properly and its vacuum-sealed, the chances of it having listeria are pretty slim. with all these 'recommendations' it can get pretty extreme... like, i'm sure pregnant women in Japan eat fresh sashimi, and I'm pretty sure pregnant women in France eat soft cheese. you can do the best you can do.

[greenpixie]

Salmon is actually good for you during pregnancy b/c it is full of omega fats.  The issue is that you should not have SMOKED salmon b/c it has not been thouroughly cooked.  Most smoked foods, for that matter, are a no-no during pregnancy.  Mercury is not a concern with salmon.  There is concern that there are high levels of PCBs in salmon (another toxic pollutant) so you are better off eating wild caught salmon as opposed to farm raised, which tend to have higher levels of toxins.

[toyml99]

If it makes you feel any better I was so worried about listeria. I wanted cold cut sandwiches so bad.  Doc said have them we have never seen one case of Listeria.  Now this was in the United States...he did say other countries have Listeria cases more often.  I still did not eat lunch meat unless it was heated.

[HIS GIFT TO US]

I've never ate it smoked, but I love salmon & catfish so I just make a rule while pg that I never eat any fish more than 2xs in a week. :)

[happypancake]

According to http://www.*****************.org/pregnancyhealth/foodstoavoid.html

Smoked Seafood -Refrigerated, smoked seafood often labeled as lox, nova style, kippered, or jerky should be avoided because it could be contaminated with Listeria. (These are safe to eat when they are in an ingredient in a meal that has been cooked, like a casserole.) This type of fish is often found in the deli section of your grocery store. Canned or shelf-safe smoked seafood is usually OK to eat.