BBC Good Food

• gen84

  25 August 2010, 9:18AM

  gen84

  I've never had children so perhaps I'm not qualified to say, but I can't help but think that I'd be quite offended if people began telling me what I could or could not eat if I were pregnant. The very suggestion that people doubt your own instinct to protect and provide for the child you're carrying could be quite insulting. I realise that people like to contribute, and feel inherently invested in those around them who are pregnant, but the idea that someone might stop me as I reached for a bite of food seems to overstep the mark! Other nationalities have very relaxed attitudes to dos and don'ts during pregnancy, and I can't help but wonder what difference our 'fear factor' actually makes - aside potentially stressing out mums-to-be! All of this aside, I think I would be lost if I had to go 9 months without unpasturised cheeses...

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• Quiltercook

  26 August 2010, 7:45PM

  Quiltercook

  Ive had three children, I ate what I felt like the whole way throughand that included red wine (in moderation!) lots of french cheese(unpasteurised and even the odd G and t when it was a hard day. I know that you may feel I was just lucky but reaally I feel the nanny state has made life a misery for most young women . No one goes round telling people about their high risk smoking or other activities why should anyone tell you what to eat!

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• purplelila

  28 August 2010, 3:49PM

  purplelila

  You're not the first woman in the world to be pregnant. Eat what you like , as long as it's not uncooked meat , seafood or blue cheeses. Aside from that get stop dramatising !

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• Stavros

  29 August 2010, 8:25PM

  Stavros

  I think the problem is that so much food is uneccessarily ruled out for women by hyper-sensitive, fussy British rules that just don't apply in other countries, in Greece almost nothing at all is restricted if it is in moderation. When my wife was pregnant we found it a minefield at first, but gave up trying after the first three months. We also found the English to be very judgmental about my wife having the odd half glass of wine on a meal out when pregnant. I think you will find purplelila that it is much more complicated that simply not eating uncooked meats and cheeses.

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• cheryl

  1 September 2010, 7:07AM

  cheryl

  Generally eat what like just in moderation is the key and follow your own instint i would say. Re allargy i hate milk & egg so never had it but both my boys where born milk and egg intolerant. But it could have happened anyway

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• cheryl

  1 September 2010, 7:18AM

  cheryl

  Generally eat what like just in moderation is the key and follow your own instint i would say. Re allargy i hate milk & egg so never had it but both my boys where born milk and egg intolerant. But it could have happened anyway

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• Hel - Brit in Beijing

  3 September 2010, 9:34AM

  Hel - Brit in Beijing

  I'm pregnant now and I haven't had a single comment from friends about what I should or shouldn't eat. The ONLY things I'm avoiding are cheeses with mold, more than a glass of wine - which I've had probably once a week - pate and raw seafood. I've been having rare steak, shellfish (probably twice since getting pregnant), and everything else. I think the key is everything in moderation, eat good quality food and ignore those who judge! I would LOVE to give some busy body a piece of my mind but so far they've all avoided me!

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• Mary

  3 September 2010, 10:30PM

  Mary

  I've always maintained that 3 G&Ts and a chinese takeaway brought on my first baby when he was three weeks overdue! he arrived at a healthy 8 and a half pounds and is now a chef.

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• Wendy

  4 September 2010, 2:51PM

  Wendy

  I ate nuts (peanuts and cashews) through my first pregnancy as the advice not to didn't come until shortly after my daughter was born. As my husband is asthmatic, I breastfed and weaned very slowly and carefully with no dairy products until 12 months as this was supposed to reduce the risks. At 12, she was diagnosed with a nut allergy - she is allergic to walnuts, cashews, brazils and hazelnuts but not peanuts. I understand that there is now a school of thought that says excluding nuts leads to allergies - you just can't win. Avoided nuts totally with second baby - remains to be seen if she will turn out to be allergenic. I think that the advice to eat a healthy diet and to keep things in moderation is probably the correct route. Avoiding unpausturised milk/cheese etc is probably sensible because of the risk salmonella etc but this is about risk and up to the individual to decide whether the risk is worth taking.

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• Mama Bee

  22 September 2010, 4:35PM

  Mama Bee

  I am currently pregnant with my second child and as well as the obvious alcohol avoidance, my mum was astonished to discover that I can't/shouldn't eat shellfish, undercooked meat (steak), unpasturised cheese, mould ripened cheese, undercooked eggs, whippy ice cream... the list goes on! I can't honestly say that I've never had any of those things during pregnancy, but I have only had odd mouthfuls. People are incredibly judgemental about this kind of this and really it's none of their business. Everything you are advised to avoid is really "to be on the safe side". Personally I think it's personal choice - generations of women gave birth to healthy babies without these regulations anyway!

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• Maz

  26 September 2010, 12:28PM

  Maz

  I have one child, and when I was pregnant I was lucky enough not the be given too much advice on what I should and shouldn't eat.. The thing to remember is that it's your body!! Yes, you are carrying the most precious gift, but you will always do whats best for them.. and your're natural instincts will kick in. I never ate raw eggs.. but did have runny yolks, Mr Whippy (small tub) and a prawn or two! My little lass is perfectly happy and healthy.. and loves prawns! I think it was the spicy chinese mushrooms I ate that finally brought on my labour, and they were delicious.. and she loves them too!

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• Jenny

  27 September 2010, 3:31PM

  Jenny

  I stayed off alchohol, soft cheeses, pate, runny eggs etc all through my first pregancy. Then one evening I had a fried egg sandwich, with runny yolk. My daughter was born in the early hours of the next day, seven weeks premature. All I could think about during labour was the fried egg! As I have just packed her off to university, it obviously had no long term damage! My advice is listen to your body, and do what you think is best for you.

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• Lisa

  28 March 2011, 1:48AM

  Lisa

  When I was pregnant for the first time with my twins, I heard about the ricotta cheesecake recipe from my mother. I must have made it at least 100 times. Amazing! Lisa http://pregnancy-miracle.org/

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• purplelila

  24 July 2011, 1:08AM

  purplelila

  Stavros I made my comment based on the fact that I've given birth not so very long ago . Your comment as a man on this is unqualified and patronising. "I think you will find purplelila that it is much more complicated that simply not eating uncooked meats and cheeses."

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