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« WTSIM ... Easter basket! - ROUNDUP | Main | Watercress soup with Easter nest »

Apr 04, 2007

Comments

robin

Oh Johanna, now I know what we're having for dinner either tonight or tomorrow! We have a lovely Asian market nearby that sells fresh seafood & produce. And I have a 15-year old son who loves to cook curries & Asian-style foods ... What an inspiration (I mean the food - but once in a while, also the teenaged son).

Anne

Thank you, that was really refreshing to read! I'm not pregnant - yet - but we're tentatively thinking about it. And everything I read is don't eat this, don't eat that, definitely never ever eat that.. and so on. Sure, some things I get. But many seem completely irrational!

And the dish looks fab, by the way :)

Sophie

I reckon one of the things that puts people off is that us sciencey types keep changing the list all the time! I think the Food Standards Agency site is good as it is straightforward but all based on current scientific knowledge so nothing whacky (http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/pregnancy/whenyrpregnant/). It might be useful for Jeanne if she's reading as it says which foods it is suggested people avoid because of food poisoning risk and which because of possible allergies, if she wants to decide anything on that basis. Anyway, they say go ahead to cooked prawns which is a good job for anybody taking the cautious approach to things because they sound fantastic! Sorry Johanna, I'll be going back into my corner to try and stop being a nutrition bore now :-)

Jeanne

Eeeeeek nooooooo! It's not Jeanne who's pregnant - I just took the photo!! :o) LOL!

And I can vouch for the fact that these prawns were totally heavenly - for pregnant women and the rest of us ;-)

Susan from Food "Blogga"

What an interesting post! I've never been pregnant, but I've read about these many forbidden foods. It makes you wonder what happened before women knew all this. This is a delicious recipe for anybody!

Bea at La Tartine Gourmande

Very entertaining post Johanna! ANd I agree with you! There are too many people afraid of too many things relating to food!

Sophie

Ooohh, sorry Jeanne!!!! I'm definitely going back into my corner now :-) I thought the Johanna had made the prawns for the person who took the photo. If I could do a blushing smiley I'd put it right *here* !

Freya

Great article! The prawns look delicious!

johanna

oh no, sophie, don't withdraw... i find it all very interesting, i like to hear another pov as well, but reserve the right to decide what's right for me, and when to err on the cautious side and when to go for it despite warnings - i still gotta live, you know, and i've so far been in good hands trusting my intuition... touch wood!

Baking Soda

"Too posh to push", love it! The way we deliver our children in Holland has been frowned upon in certain other parts of the world ;-), we used to do it at home, in our own bed, no sedatives other than your husband and the mid-wife.... girl power! Modern times are sneaking in epidurals, baths, we even have birth-hotels! Great write-up, very refreshing!

Deborah Dowd

I am totally with you- the idea that you can't eat certain cheeses, tuna, salmon,etc. seems a little crazy to me. While I think you should be careful to eat a well-balanced diet, I think all these rules are not benefitting baby or mother. During one of my pregnancies, I drank so much chocolate milk (I craved it) that I thought my daughter would be born dark brown like a little chocolate bunny! I guess the pendulum is swinging back to induced births and bottle feeding, but I think its best to let the baby come when its ready (with the exception of medical reasons, of course)and nursing at least for a few months!

BTW, your prawns look wonderful!

robin

I made the prawns for dinner and they were FABULOUS! My teenager & I had a blast cooking on a gloomy rainy day. And our Thai dinner (Tom Ka Gai soup, Johanna's prawns, Thai chicken with basil) was outstanding.

As for pregnancy, years ago I had a very wise obstetrician advise me on all things in moderation. In his African accent, he said, "I don't care if you have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee, just don't drink 5 of them. Women have been having babies since time began. Exercise moderation and you'll be fine." His advice was liberating because it eliminated the "forbidden fruit" that drives everyone crazy for 9 months.

johanna

Hi robin,

I am so pleased to hear that the prawns were a success… and the rest of the meal sounds just wonderful, too!
I would agree on you’re doctor’s advice, I kept drinking coffee as well, but had no alcohol to speak of, maybe a sip with a good meal but no more.
But it’s true… have everything, but don’t overdo it. Best advice ever!!!

Sophie

Everybody is just so laid back over here :-)
Robin your Doctor sounded great!

sandi @ the whistlestop cafe

Good advice! Things have not changed that much in 14 years. It starts the same and ends the same...happy baby.

Jeanne

Sophie - no worries, and no need to retreat to your corner! I just wanted to head things off at the pass before I started getting congratulatory e-mails from fellow-bloggers...! The whole pregnancy and food debate is really interesting. On the one hand you want to do what conventional wisdom says is best for the baby, and on the ohter hand you have to ask yourself how the world got to be so overpopulated when the vast majority of women don't have access to information telling them what not to eat. I mean, two generations ago, this information was unheard of - and food allergies were less common. All very complicated!

Margaret Wise

My daughter is about to give birth again, shortly. Too much emphasis is placed on the food she can/cannot eat! Give her a break, let her have a happy pregnancy. I am with Johanna on this one.

Jerry

My wife just recently gave birth as well. Trust me, they're just as hitler-esque in the U.S. about what a woman is... or is not, supposed to eat during pregnancy.

No caffeine, no alcohol (funny, they used to suggest a glass or red wine per week. And the syndrome it's supposed to save your child from generally occurs only in the first trimester, not after, but I digress)

No honey (It might have bacteria). Only meat well. (yeah, stuffit Doc. I have a meat thermomiter, and all the lil' germies were long gone at medium rare)

More power to you for making your own choices!

Monika Korngut

Good post, Very good timing for me, I just found out that I'm pregnant. I'm so tired of people telling me what I can or can not eat or drink. I can understand alcohol but coffee. Most books say you can have 2 coffee cups a day, not huge but nevertheless. I think women should be smart about having a healthy and diverse diet, and allow ourselves to follow cravings.

Foodfreak

Sounds and looks to die for (not literally, of course) - just put it on my ever growing to-try list! and a great read, too.

Anna

australia is just as food phobic so your thoughts are very refreshing! whenever friends of mine are pregnant they are aghast when i tell them to ignore all the scare tactics.

i keep pointing out that people have been having babies for forever without worrying about all that mumbo jumbo - i mean our mother's didn't have to worry about all these food laws, did they!?!? and we're alive!!!

i'm not pregnant and i've never had a baby, but i'm ashamed to admit i'll almost certainly be "too posh to push".

but i'll eat everything . . . does that make up for it?

johanna

maybe it's me who's the whimp as i'd rather die than undergo an operation... i am scared at the mere thought of a needle going in my spine or somebody cutting me open - so having my babies naturally was an easy option for me ;-)

i had forgotten about the honey - true! how ridiculous is that! people seem to forget that we need bacteria to live, they're not all killer bugs!

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