Hi all,

I am 11 weeks pregnant and I must admit I am getting more and more confused about what you are allowed to eat and what you aren't allowed to eat. At first it was the simple things: Alcohol, cigarettes and coffee (which seemingly is ok after all) plus raw meat and fish and unpasteurised cheese.

But now it's on to herbs and spices and it seems cinnamon can be dangerous and later on ginger as well.

I'm just wondering now, is a little of these spices ok or should I avoid them completetly (no more chai masala for my tea?)?

What do pregnat women eat in countries that use loads of spices, e.g. in India (I love Indian food, but I'm not too fond of the creamy type, i.e. korma etc.)?

Very confused and therefore grateful for any pointers!

Cheers!

BlackForestJules

Hi BlackForestJules, welcome to the site !

Your question is really a medical question and wouldn't be "safe" for people to commment on as fact.

In my own personal opinion, things that are bad for you are bad for the baby! So booze and fags should be gone (and to be honest shouldn't have been there in the first place! but like I said thats my personal opinion)

As for herbs and spices I've not heard any research about it but it doesn't mean it hasn't been done. I'd guess a little in moderation as with everything would be the way to go but please don't take my answer as medical fact and go against any instructions from your doctors or midwife.

Again in my opinion the human race has survived for thousands of years without being told not to eat cinnamon or don't put this or that bean in your food (maybe this is why there are so many food alergies about now ?).

Please consider very carefully any answers you are given and good luck with the baby.

Steve

As you might guess I've been doing a quick google search for food during pregnancy and this site seems well informed.

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/#cat226049

It suggests not eating raw meats, eggs, fish due to bacteria it might have in it, plus avoid foods with lots of vitamin A (like liver) as too much can be harmful to the baby (but you do still need some vit A in your diet).

It also mentions about avoiding caffeine and not just in the obvious with coffe and tea, but in things like cola and chocolate (and anything made with them).

However that site does say things you don't need to avoid and amongst other things "spicy food" is listed.

As I said in the original post we aren't medically trained and can't take the place of your own medically trained staff. If you have any concerns about what you can and can't eat during pregnancy then I suggest you speak to your doctor or midwife and see what they think.

After that I'm sure we can help with any specific recipes or problems you might want to ask about. Should you be told not to eat nuts and a recipe uses them ask if it can be made without or if something could be used in its place etc....

Steve

Hi Steve,

thanks for your welcome (I posted here a couple of times before, but admittedly I'm more of a reader than a writer..) and for your efforts. I'll certainly have a close look at the site.

Just as to avoid any misunderstandings: I'm not using this forum instead of getting advice from my doctor. I'm just interested in other parents' experiences or ideas, so next time I see her I can ask her about specific ingredients I might not have thought of asking about before and that I would use as a matter of course in my few Indian dishes (I have already quizzed her about the most obvious things and according to the latest European study coffee in moderation is fine, even though it seems that Americans tend to disagree. Americans and Europeans seem to disagree on quite a few things in this area...).

Nuts??? I've never heard about that one. Neither my books nor my doctor mentioned it. It just keeps getting better and better. :-(

Also, I am curious about the the diet of expecting (and breastfeeding) mothers in India. Does it deviate radically from the every-day diet? It's hard to imagine onion-garlic-citrus fruit and (virtually) spice-free Indian dishes.

Cheers,

BFJ

I think the problem with all this info and research is each person/company doing it is out looking for a reason.

Suppose "A Company" have an interest in selling peanuts, they might have a study conducted in how great they are for you. This would then result in other people picking up on it and saying how great they are in your diet and how you should eat so much a week etc.

The week after "B Company" who have another product that contains similar nutrients as nuts might decide to have a study done about the bad effects of eating nuts..... etc etc....

you have to take it all with an open mind and do your best to make educated decisions based on as many facts as you can find.

Steve

Hello BFJ

All Indians continue to eat Indian food throughout their life, including pregnancy ;-)! It has spices, but not overly spicy towards the end, because women tend to get a little hyperacidity problems. Apart from the general advice about soft cheeses, alcohol, smoking etc. there is no different advice for Indian food eaters.

Have a healthy pregnancy and enjoy it!

There are certain things one should avoid when breast feeding, for example certain dals and beans etc. that cause flatulence for mum as well as baby. Highly spiced and deep fried food, pickles should also be moderated.

Basically, healthy food cooked healthily is good food for pregnant women, whatever it is.

Thanks to both of you!

Maybe I should just stop stressing over it (difficult, it's the first...), leave ot the confirmed and certified 'bad stuff and have the rest in moderation, including my beloved masala chai and spicy Indian dishes. The only way to stay sane!

I rediscovered a good alternative to coffee: Caro coffee made from barley, rye and malt. It's what my granny used to make for us when we were kids and it's not half-bad!

By the way, my new "mummy book" suggests nuts as a good source of protein. Just goes to prove your point, Steve.

Cheers,

BFJ

PS: I have difficulties posting replies. My text just disappears when I hit 'Send'. This is why I haven't replied earlier...

Nuts are generally healthy foods, specially almonds. Indian way is to eat 5 almonds every morning for your entire life :-)!

I don't know why you are having problems, unless you forget to write your user name and subject at the top. If you are a registered user and you have logged in, it comes automatically. If you are not or you have not logged in, failure to fill your name and subject at the top makes the posting disappear. I discovered it when I was in India and sometimes did not log in! It might be better if you type your postings in 'word' and then copy and paste them here.

Do not stress. You will be okay. As my Gynaecology professor was fond of reminding us all the time, "pregnancy is a normal state of health for women, do not treat them like patients" :-) LOL!!

Mamta

Your gynaecology professor was a wise man :-) I'll try to remember it when I start stressing again!

As for the replies not appearing: It seems that I wasn't logged in, so that's that mystery solved. Cheers!

Yes indeed, only it was a wise woman, our professor ;-)!

Ah, sorry! English IS confusing sometimes! And after so many years I still fall for the ambiguous endings... ah well...

I can remember during my wife's two pregnancies reading and hearing a lot of conflicting advice. On a few foods, eg peanuts, liver pat? etc, generally recommended advice between our two countries' government-contributed websites (UK and Denmark), the advice given directly conflicted between the two countries. We therefore stuck to common sense.

Interesting to hear about the possible flatulent properties of certain dals. My Indian mother always insisted thatI use plenty of 'hing' (asafoetida) in the spiced seasoning of dals as a way of counteracting this. My Danish, dal-loving wife therefore experienced many dals during her pregnancies with no ill-effect. She swears that she detests the smell of asafoetida, but has no real idea of the large extent to which I use it in our Indian cooking.