Diet taboos in early pregnancy

There are only three categories of food that are completely uncontroversial and must be 100% avoided - unsterilized dairy products, raw/half-cooked meat, eggs, and aquatic products, and any alcoholic beverages. The rest of the commonly heard statements such as "cannot eat crabs, cannot eat hawthorns, and cannot touch coffee" are all controversial options due to personal physiques and different medical systems. There is no unified standard for "absolutely not to eat", so don't be overly anxious.

Not long ago, I found out that I was 6 weeks pregnant. The elder of my family confiscated half a box of ice cream and a pack of soft-boiled eggs in the refrigerator. Even the hairy crabs she ordered in advance were all given to a neighbor. She came to me with a sad face and complained, saying that now she has to wait for half an hour to even drink milk tea. Does she have to eat boiled vegetables when she is pregnant? In fact, it’s really not that exaggerated. First, explain clearly the three sure things to avoid pitfalls, and you will have a clear idea.

Let’s talk about unsterilized dairy products first, such as imported soft cheese usually sold in online celebrity stores, fresh milk in bulk from farmers, and raw milk drinks that have not been sterilized by high temperatures. They may contain Listeria. This bacteria is not afraid of cold and can survive even if it is kept in the refrigerator for three or four days. Ordinary people can only have diarrhea for two days after being infected. However, the immunity in early pregnancy is low. In case of serious infection, it may lead to miscarriage. This is a pitfall that obstetricians and gynecologists all over the world are required to avoid, and there is nothing to discuss.

Then there are raw or half-cooked meat and eggs, including sashimi, medium-rare steak, soft-boiled eggs, and tender beef that has just been blanched for 10 seconds in a hot pot. If these ingredients are not fully cooked, they are likely to carry Toxoplasma gondii and salmonella. Infection in early pregnancy is not only easy to cause severe acute gastroenteritis, but may also affect the development of the fetus. Even if you have eaten Japanese food for more than ten years without any problems, try to tolerate it in the first three months, and wait until the fetus is stable before eating. Oh, by the way, some people also asked whether half-cooked soft-boiled braised eggs can be eaten. As long as they are confirmed to be completely sterilized and can be eaten raw, it is actually fine. However, if you are not sure about the source of the eggs, it is safer to eat fully cooked eggs.

As for alcoholic drinks, needless to say, the WHO has long made it clear that no matter how much alcohol is consumed during pregnancy, it may affect fetal neurodevelopment. No matter whether it is low-alcohol fruit wine, rice wine, or the so-called "sweet wine for pregnant women," don't panic if you add a spoonful of cooking wine to stir-fry. The alcohol will basically evaporate after high-temperature stir-frying, so there is no need to throw away the entire dish because of this.

After talking about these uncontroversial red lines, the rest of the statements are not so unified. For example, crabs, hawthorns, and longans are most talked about by the elderly. According to traditional Chinese medicine, these foods are cold in nature and have blood-activating effects. Eating them when the fetus is unstable in early pregnancy may increase the risk of bleeding and miscarriage. Especially for pregnant women who usually have a cold uterus, have a history of miscarriage, or have symptoms of abdominal pain and bleeding, it is indeed recommended to avoid them as much as possible. ； But the view of Western medicine is that as long as the ingredients are fresh and thoroughly cooked, and one or two crabs and two or three hawthorns are eaten at a time, as long as there is no allergic reaction, there will be basically no problem. I met two pregnant mothers before during prenatal check-ups. One was 7 weeks pregnant and ate two steamed hairy crabs, but nothing happened. The other had brown secretions after eating half a bunch of candied haws. To put it bluntly, it was the difference in body constitution. If she was really greedy, she just took a small bite. If she didn't feel uncomfortable, she would be fine. If she felt uncomfortable after eating, she would be done without eating. She couldn't suffer from anxiety and insomnia because of one bite.

There are also caffeinated drinks such as coffee, milk tea, and cola that everyone asks about most, and they are also controversial. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that it is safe to consume no more than 200mg of caffeine per day during pregnancy, which is about the amount of a medium cup of regular American coffee. ； However, many domestic obstetricians will recommend as little as possible in the first three months. After all, everyone metabolizes caffeine at a different rate. If you used to drink coffee every day, and suddenly quit it and you suffer from headaches, insomnia, and poor mood, then it is okay to drink half a cup a day. If you have rarely touched caffeine before, it is better to tolerate it for the time being and switch to decaf coffee or freshly squeezed juice. As for milk tea, the main problem is that too much sugar is added. It is perfectly fine to drink a cup occasionally to satisfy your cravings. Drinking it every day can cause blood sugar to spike, so just control the amount.

Speaking of which, when I was pregnant with my eldest son, I was vomiting so much that I couldn't eat any folic acid or bird's nest, so I wanted to eat home-pickled sauerkraut with white porridge. My mother said that pickles had high nitrite content and I was not allowed to eat them. Later, I went to the prenatal check-up doctor. The doctor said that as long as it is not a daily meal, eating once in a while is better than not eating anything at all.

You really don’t need to check the taboo list on the Internet one by one. I once saw a pregnant mother eat two mouthfuls of iced watermelon. She was so nervous that she went to the emergency room in the middle of the night. After checking for a long time, nothing happened. Pregnancy is a natural physiological process. It is not an illness. You don’t need to walk a tightrope with your diet and step on the three core red lines. For the rest, listen to your body’s voice. Eat when you feel comfortable and don’t touch anything if you feel uncomfortable. This is more useful than any rules and regulations.