Food Restrictions

[artmusiclife]

Mar 29, 2016 9:26:35 GMT -5 aggiebug said:

Mar 29, 2016 9:14:34 GMT -5 starbuck27 said:

correct me if I'm wrong...the conditions the animal(s) are raised in have a lot to do with the potential for listeria, right? So if you're getting eggs from a farm where the chickens are in filthy, cramped conditions the risk of listeria and other pathogens goes way up. So by high-quality I am reading that both in terms of the nutritional quality of the egg and the farm conditions.

The human element (handling, worker cleanliness, etc), will also play a role of course.

That's my understanding, at least.

 Also there is no evidence that farm fresh, Organic, antibiotic free (ha all are antibiotic free when they get to you), are any healthier. Do I think farm fresh taste better? Yup but I don't consider them healthier

And actually most food born illnesses are considered to come from small local farms, but since they are regionally based it'such harder to pinpoint and you don't get the national recalls and negative media attention.


Food education may be a soap box of mine sorry.

I disagree.  The farm-fresh eggs I get from my friend's mom have beautiful rich almost orange yolks because these chickens eat the food they were meant to eat (an omnivorous diet that includes bugs and a variety of plants, legumes, and grasses).  Hens in a cage (organic or not) often eat mostly corn.  Common sense tells me this is not going to produce the same quality egg with the same quality nutrients.

Study showing pastured eggs may be more nutritious:

news.psu.edu/story/166143/2010/07/20/research-shows-eggs-pastured-chickens-may-be-more-nutritious

I've found this website to be extremely knowledgable, and it sites many useful scientific references: 

www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=92

"What many consumers do not know is that virtually all egg yolks contain omega-3 fats and that by providing hens with a natural, pasture-based diet their omega-3 levels can be naturally increased. Pasture feeding can provide the hen with clover and alfalfa, two examples of legumes that are rich in omega-3s; in fact, pasture feeding can double the amount of omega-3s in an egg yolk. Omega-3s are far too low in the average U.S. diet, and eggs from pasture-raised chickens can provide significant amounts of these anti-inflammatory fats."

[artmusiclife]

As for the original question:

I am avoiding alcohol, meds, & caffeine. I have been an on and off coffee drinker, and it tends to have a huge jittery impact on me. I don't want to pass that feeling on in any way. But many people don't have that feeling and many of my friends drink a cup of coffee every day throughout pregnancy. Haven't seen any jittery kids (tweek on South Park style) as a result.

I am going lax on the cheese thing. Even if I don't know if it's pasteurized. I have a favorite bleu cheese that is local and raw, and I would probably eat it while pregnant. They are an excellent business with good food standards, and it's never made me sick in the past.

I'm also ignoring the pasteurized thing when it comes to my super healthy green juice from farmer's market. I buy a gallon a week, and I've never been sick. It is doing a huge job of helping me consume iron-rich leafy green vegetables when they otherwise sound really really gross to eat.

[aggiebug]

@artmusiclife I started this conversation because there seemed to be a perception that farm fresh eggs are safer which they inherently aren't. That is my main purpose for this discussion. I am sorry it dragged off topic. I am happy to discuss the benefits of traditional agriculture vs organic and local in a different thread.

To your arguments that second website is awful and not scientifically based from my cursory look. Second yes their are differences in Farm fresh vs traditional agriculture but those benefits vary greatly from farm to farm and time of year (ie what's available to forage) and are in general relatively small. Animal nutrition is a science! Trust me! And I have said multiple times for eggs are yummy. I wish I had an easier source. You eat what you prefer I don't care but I will educate on the importance of traditional agriculture because it is important we understand it better as a people.

[hangry]

So in terms of the original question, I guess I am more conservative than most.
I am avoiding soft cheeses, uncooked deli meats, and sushi with raw fish. At least for the first tri, when your risk of m/c if you get these illnesses is highest. (I remember reading this somewhere, though I don't have a source).

I am still drinking a tea a day. And will probably enjoy some wine in the later 2nd tri and 3rd tri.

[ClassyMrsA]

I really just avoid deli meat and wash everything really well. I'll still eat a bit of medium steak, but hamburger must be well done. I don't drink more than one cup of tea and I don't really like coffee so caffeine isn't an issue. Eggs I only eat scrambled anyway.

Right now it's pretty easy to follow all the rules since ms has made me want nothing to do with most foods, particularly eggs, meat, and cheese.

[sophiegrace]

Mar 30, 2016 12:00:13 GMT -5 ClassyMrsA said:

I really just avoid deli meat and wash everything really well. I'll still eat a bit of medium steak, but hamburger must be well done. I don't drink more than one cup of tea and I don't really like coffee so caffeine isn't an issue. Eggs I only eat scrambled anyway.

Right now it's pretty easy to follow all the rules since ms has made me want nothing to do with most foods, particularly eggs, meat, and cheese.

+1 My ms and food aversions won't let me be bad even if I wanted to be.

[goldenlove3]

aggiebug Just curious but do you work in the agriculture business?

[aggiebug]

Mar 30, 2016 16:43:27 GMT -5 goldenlove3 said:

aggiebug Just curious but do you work in the agriculture business?

I am a SAHM now, but my education was more on the food safety side. I have always had a passion for agriculture and pursued learning about it in various ways.

[raechay]

Hi guys - dirty lurker from O16 here, I sometimes read these food threads because food. And also because I really really want someone to justify sushi for me...I haven't had the cojones yet despite living near some of the best sushi places on the West coast. Yep, it's a crying shame.

But now that I'm here I'm way super curious about 2 things: aggiebug, I would love to know more about the benefits of traditional farming vs local/organic. See I basically live in Portlandia and EVERYTHING is buy local, pasture-raised, organic, grass fed etc. So I'm curious about your angle - can you link it or PM me if you have it in another thread/don't want to derail this one?

And then I'm also curious about why you avoid pasture-raised pork? Is it due to the crap an unsupervised pig can eat? Or something else? See my H is super into the humane side of it & won't eat pigs due to them being smarter than a lot of smart dogs, so he will only eat pasture-raised pig.

So many questions. TIA if you decided to take the time!

*dirty lurker out*