Salad dressing

[Anonymous]

"I'd feel about the same as if I got in a car accident or I slipped and fell--that things happen, but it's not like I'm not going to drive or walk out of complete and utter fear.

Moderation, people. Including in panicking yourselves."

Perhaps you should calm down...

A car accident is an accident, choosing to go out for sushi is a choice. Choosing to cut out certain foods for 9 or 10 months has nothing to do with fear or panic. It shouldn't be a big deal unless you truly have no self control whatsoever.

Your advise about moderation is not medically accurate. Certain foods carry risks for listeriosis which is very, very common. You probably have encountered it many, many times as an adult without ever knowing it. During pregnancy, you are much more suspectible to it and it can hurt the baby. Why risk it? Is your life style really being so altered by not eating a hot dog or a piece of brie for a few months that you can't cope?

[Anonymous]

9 calendar months and 1 week.

[Anonymous]

Also, people don;t always agree on the actual restriction (e., deli meat v. uncooked deli meat; soft cheese v. unpasteurized cheese)

I had a baby 2 months ago and was not warned away against some of these items (hot dogs? all caffeine?)

[Anonymous]

I find it kind of curious that most people haven't addressed the OPs question, so I'll give it a stab. You aren't supposed to eat salad dressing with raw eggs in it like caesar salad dressing because of salmonella. However, if you buy bottled dressing from the grocery store like Kraft dressing that is on the shelf, this would be pasteurized, so it wouldn't have raw eggs in it anyway. I think you just have to ask if you go to a restaurant whether or not the caesar salad dressing is made with raw eggs.

The other kind of dressing to think about is blue cheese because some blue cheese is not pastuerized, so you could be at risk of listeria. Again though Kraft brand is fine. Read the labels and see if it's pastuerized, and then you're ok.

[Anonymous]

Ok, just curious, why no splenda? I used it all pregnancy over other sweetners. My dr said it was safe...

[Anonymous]

No Splenda because chemically speaking, it's one molecule removed from plastic. They also recently came out with a number of studies that started linking it to an interference in brain development.

I just try to stay away from the things that are really, really chemically processed (basically, if a box says it's made from 30 or more ingredients = bad) or, on the other hand, are really, really unprocessed and one person's bad handwashing could make a huge difference (anything really raw).

As for the hot dog drama queen, there are 2,500 estimated cases of listerosis in the U.S. per year. As of July, there were 301 million U.S. citizens. It is estimated that every day, 50 million hot dogs are eaten in the U.S.

So I think you're panicking a weeee bit.

Now if you'll excuse me while I have a half a glass of wine and a half a Hebrew National for dinner.

[Anonymous]

...and the "self control" you refer to also applies to judging others. A little of that and you might have a few more friends, I'm thinking.

[Anonymous]

re: hot dogs. But they are cooked. Is someone suggesting listerios in hot dogs survives the grilling process?

[Anonymous]

I'm two back and I take that back, as it was uncalled for. No need to stoop--this is just a discussion over hot dogs. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

wow, such hysterics. I am preg with #3 and while I don't eat hot dogs and lunch meat regardless, I do eat sushi and soft cheeses. Better than fast food. Here is the def of Splenda btw, which all reputable sources will say is safe.

What is it? A compound made by combining sucrose (table sugar) with three chlorine molecules. The body doesn’t digest or derive calories from sucralose.

[Anonymous]

I think that was kind of my point. I choose not to eat splenda based on my own reasoning. I'm certainly not going to judge you for your choices.

We all have our own issues, all of our doctors tell us different things--no need to insinuate that I'm--or anyone else is--a bad mother for making decisions that are important to us based on the information we have.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to the person who answered the OP's question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one thing I have seen fairly consistently: people who are completely uptight during pregnancy tend to have pretty uptight babies. And they tend to teach their children this regimen right from the getgo.

I saw a mother FREAK OUT because her daughter had a bite of a peanut butter cookie last week. Like made her spit it out and was like OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD.

Except she was 4. Not allergic, no history of problems, no family history of problems, but she "is a child so she might be so I'm not taking any chances and to do that is ridiculous and I don't know how anyone could you ever do that to their child (condescending look at me/my child who was munching on her second cookie)."

They were delicious, btw.

Needless to say, both she and her daughter are a Real. Pleasure.

So anyway, don't be that person with your fetus and you probably won't be when it's outside. And we'll all like you a whole lot better.

Sorry for the rant.

OMG, that you for the laugh! Really, very funny, and I'm not being sarcastic. Why did the woman freak over the cookie? B/c she didn't want her child to have a cookie, as in cookie = junk food, or b/c she thought, at 4, that she's be allergic to peanut butter??

[Anonymous]

Yeah, calm down is right.

Good for you if you decide to forego any and all foods on the "don't consume while pregnant" list. Good for you.

And - good for you if you decide not to follow that list for your own reasons.

I had a glass of wine now and then, definitely drank coffee each morning, ate plenty of Caesar salads, hot dogs, cold deli meats, etc.

And now have a happy and healthy baby girl. It's all good.

[Anonymous]

Below is info from the CDC website on foods and Listeria.


"How can Listeria affect my unborn baby?
Listeriosis can be passed to an unborn baby through the placenta even if the mother is not showing signs of illness. This can lead to:

Premature delivery
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Serious health problems for the newborn

How can I protect my unborn baby from Listeria?
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provide the following advice for pregnant women:

Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
Avoid getting fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces, and wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, and deli meats.
Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses such as "queso blanco fresco."
It is safe to eat hard cheeses, semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella, pasteurized processed cheese slices and spreads, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.
Do not eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads.
It is safe to eat canned or shelf-stable pâté and meat spreads.
Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood unless it is an ingredient in a cooked dish such as a casserole. Examples of refrigerated smoked seafood include salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, and mackerel which are most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." This fish is found in the refrigerated section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens.
It is safe to eat canned fish such as salmon and tuna or shelf-stable smoked seafood.
Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.
Use all refrigerated perishable items that are precooked or ready-to-eat as soon as possible.
Clean your refrigerator regularly.
Use a refrigerator thermometer to make sure that the refrigerator always stays at 40 °F or below."