Hi all, I've heard that the following foods are not allowed to be taken during pregnancy.. do you all have anything to add on? It really suffers for not being able to eat Salmon

1. Coffee (will cause miscarriage)
2. Pineapple (will cause miscarriage)
3. Cold Drinks & ice creams
4. Banana (long ones)
5. Longan
6. Chinese foods that contain wine
7. Papaya, Honey Dew & Watermelon
8. Wintermelon soup
9. Lotus Root soup
10. Bak Ku Teh soup
11. Kang Kung
12. Cabbage
13. Sze Chuan vegetable
14. Wine / Liquor / Beer
15. Raw Salmon
16. Japanese Fish Roe
17. Lala & cockles (avoid Hepatitis A)

Uncertain (please share)
1. Guava
2. Assam Powder
3. Ginger
4. Milk & Yogurt
5. Lemon + Honey drinks
6. Prawn Crackers
7. Cheese
8. Crab
9. Grapes
10. Fast Foods

This is from my Western Background...

1. Coffee (will cause miscarriage) - Most people agree that you can have a little coffee/tea but just don't over do it, if you are used to a morning coffee it should be ok but if you want to be safe switch to caffine free.
2. Pineapple (will cause miscarriage) - You have to eat a lot of pineapple to cause a miscarrage so you don't have to not eat it, just limit.
3. Cold Drinks & ice creams - never heard this one before and to be honest living in Asia i wouldn't go without Cold drinks or oce cream for 9 months!
4. Banana (long ones) - again never heard of this before. Potassium is important (just not too much as it can interfear with absorption of something else, forgot what)
5. Longan - no idea
6. Chinese foods that contain wine - I wouldn't see why, it is the alcohol content of wine that isn't so great but if it is cooked the alcohol is gone so not to worry.
7. Papaya, Honey Dew & Watermelon - I don't know a medical reason why not
8. Wintermelon soup
9. Lotus Root soup
10. Bak Ku Teh soup
11. Kang Kung
12. Cabbage - again don't see why not apart from the fact it doesn't contain much of anything
13. Sze Chuan vegetable
14. Wine / Liquor / Beer - I would stay away from Liquor but the other 2 as long as you don't bonge are actually ok. A glass of wine a couple of times a week is actually ok as long as you don't over do it.
15. Raw Salmon - Agree
16. Japanese Fish Roe - Agree
17. Lala & cockles (avoid Hepatitis A) -Agree

Uncertain (please share)
1. Guava
2. Assam Powder
3. Ginger
4. Milk & Yogurt - As long as it is pasturised you are fine.
5. Lemon + Honey drinks - Don't see why
6. Prawn Crackers - I supposed as it is deep fried, but a little every now and then should be fine
7. Cheese - Only avoid soft cheese/ or those with a 'shell' (like Brie) regular chedder and other hard cheeses are fine
8. Crab
9. Grapes
10. Fast Foods

The most important thing (from a Western point of view) is to make sure you have a balanced and complete diet during pregnancy. You should increase your Protein intake by around 30% (for the baby) and also increase carb intake (for you). Lots of fresh fruit and veg will provide most of the vitamines and minerals you and baby need. You should also increase the amount of (pasturised) milk you drink to give baby enough calcium to grow strong bones (if you don't like milk you can take calcium suppliments instead).
You can still treat yourself every now and then (I still have McDonanlds or some chips occasionally) as staying happy is important as well, but try to avoid eating too many 'empty calories' (foods that contain a lot of calories but not much nutrients) as they will give you extra weight gain without any usable goodness.

Hope that helps. There are loads of websites with suggestions for balanced healthy meals during pregnancy which help a lot.

Thanks Divas for sharing all the information i guess i can be a happier mommy-to-be if I do not have to follow all the list..!

As for Pasturised milk, what does it really mean? Is HL milk consider pasturised?

What are the foods that contain empty calories?

I've been trying to search for the information through the internet but I'm facing difficulties bcos I do not read and write chinese.. all I can search is by using english.. of which, majority are talking about western cultures.. which are very much different from Asia countries.. so I'm confused whether to follow or not..

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Added on March 29, 2011, 12:56 pm7. Cheese - Only avoid soft cheese/ or those with a 'shell' (like Brie) regular chedder and other hard cheeses are fine =====> are the cheese sold in supermarket ok? i.e. Nestle brand / Australia cheese / NZ cheese (does not know the exact name of the cheese)

This post has been edited by veggie_green: Mar 29 2011, 12:56 PM

that's a long list to you got there.. but for my case right... here's what I can input:-

1. Coffee (will cause miscarriage) : I don't know about miscarriage but I do read that coffee/tea will somewhat "absorb" the calcium from our bones... so try to avoid/limit yourself if you can.
2. Pineapple (will cause miscarriage) : agree with Divas. Unless you take a whole lot of pineapples. LOL. but don't know how true the statement is.
3. Cold Drinks & ice creams: I can't live without cold drinks. Been taking them since my 1st trimester til now (last trimester). Ice cream yes, occasionally I do take them. But of coz, moderation is the key. =)
4. Banana (long ones) : Never heard of it before...
5. Longan : I do eat them during CNY .. but not a lot. Maybe it is "cold".. but I still eat them once in a while when I have the cravings.
6. Chinese foods that contain wine : No idea... but I doubt it will do any harm unless they use the whole bottle of wine....
7. Papaya, Honey Dew & Watermelon : I do take them, on and off. But I don't take them in large quantities, just one or two piece will do.
8. Wintermelon soup : No idea
9. Lotus Root soup : This is my fav! I still take them now. Don't think there's any problem with the soup.. unless you mean taking the soup everyday?
10. Bak Ku Teh soup : I still take them occasionally. Like once in a bluemoon.
11. Kang Kung : No idea
12. Cabbage : Still take them. No idea why it should be avoided..
13. Sze Chuan vegetable : No idea
14. Wine / Liquor / Beer : I don't take wine/liquor/beer. So no idea...
15. Raw Salmon : I skip them during my first two trimesters. But now I do take them, but only occasionally when I need my usual salmon sushi.
16. Japanese Fish Roe : Still take them during my sushi cravings......
17. Lala & cockles (avoid Hepatitis A) : Maybe not in large quantities. I did read up somewhere that cockles do help for those who are low in iron.. or blood hb.. (don't remember).. as for Lala, I still take them when my MIL cooks them.

Uncertain (please share)
1. Guava : No idea.. still take them
2. Assam Powder : err.. no idea..
3. Ginger : Not sure if it's me, but I do feel eating ginger does help my appetite during my first trimester....
4. Milk & Yogurt : Milk is a source for calcium.. why skip them.. I took fresh milk during all my trimesters though..
5. Lemon + Honey drinks: Still drink them... occasionally
6. Prawn Crackers: No idea.
7. Cheese : No idea. but I still take cheese... occasionally. but heard people say should skip cheese for those pregnant ladies who are near to labour.. not sure why though...
8. Crab: Not idea
9. Grapes : I take grapes every weekend during my pregnancies.. xD
10. Fast Foods : I don't skip them. Still indulge in McD .. especially now.. not sure why there's a certain crave for it.. but of coz, moderation is the key again.

Anyway, don't stress yourself too much on what to eat and what to skip. I would say moderation is always the key to everything.

I can see from the list is that i'd assume you are a chinese? I do know lots of my chinese friends advised me to not eat most stuff..especially cold drinks!! How not to lar?? it's super hot! The only thing that i refrain is coffee and raw food. I ate pineapple during the first trimester..lots of it. I, of course, refrain from my favourite liquors/wine/beer (not that i'm alcoholic ).

I up on my calcium intake - milk and yoghurt.

Based on my logic and practise during my pregnancy.

Salmon - I seldom eat this and not sure it contains mercury. But 1-2pcs won't harm.
1. Coffee (will cause miscarriage) - won't drop your baby if just a cup or 2 per week. I am daily coffee drinker so I limit to 2 cups per week.
2. Pineapple (will cause miscarriage) - I avoid this and again 1-2 pcs in a mth or so won't drop bb immediately.
3. Cold Drinks & ice creams - I avoid this because I don't want any possibility to catch cough or flu, as to avoid medicine to cure it later.
4. Banana (long ones) - never concern bout this
5. Longan - never concern but recall eat a few tin longan
6. Chinese foods that contain wine - I won't drunk my baby, so no eat
7. Papaya, Honey Dew & Watermelon - didn't eat watermelon which is more easy to contaminate and trigger diarhea/stomach. Papaya and honey dew good and ease your toilet time.
8. Wintermelon soup - all this is not frequent intake
9. Lotus Root soup - eat less but still eat
10. Bak Ku Teh soup - eat less but still eat
11. Kang Kung - still eat but less
12. Cabbage - stil eat but less
13. Sze Chuan vegetable - no concern
14. Wine / Liquor / Beer - u wanna take this??
15. Raw Salmon - raw food is prohibited
16. Japanese Fish Roe - this is raw too
17. Lala & cockles (avoid Hepatitis A) - u already know.

Uncertain (please share)
1. Guava
2. Assam Powder
3. Ginger
4. Milk & Yogurt
5. Lemon + Honey drinks
6. Prawn Crackers
7. Cheese - for me, this is good
8. Crab
9. Grapes
10. Fast Foods

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Hardly go over all your list. In short, you don't purposely avoid the food because you are not eating it frequently. Basically take everything in moderate.
But avoid raw food and sea food (other than good fish). Those food that can easily cause food poisoning should be avoid. My gynae advise not to eat half-boil egg. Because it could contains germs. Salad also, unless you can be very sure it is well clean.

During my pregnancy, basically I mostly eat food that are good for young kids. I eat lots of potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, green vege, chicken, cheese... but all well cook. As long as you are eating thing that you know is good for kids, then you are eating right. I don't drink milk, so I compensate with soya.

Throughout my pregnancy, I gain 11kg right before I deliver and 3-days after deliver baby, I measure a 10kg drop. My newborn weight at 4kg, guess the other 6kg is water and bag. So basically I guess he grab all the food that I ate, since I am eating kids food.

oh my.. u have listed almost all the nice things abt food... ok for me i avoid:
pineapple & papaya - becos i hv experience in them causing my period flow to be extra strong...

try to avoid caffeine in the form of coffee or soft drinks (this one is hardest for me).. and i dirnk tea like all the time.

and i dont take alcohol ever since preggy.

and they say to avoid big fish eg mackerel due to content of mercury.. and raw seafood is a big no-no for the same reason...



This post has been edited by qarezma: Mar 29 2011, 03:15 PM

EnPoiNte: Thanks for sharing I see u guys taking it in a relaxing way.. I will learn from you Good luck for your delivery!

phythia79: Thanks Ok now I can take milk & yogurt with an ease of mind..

cc980024: Thanks u plan well for ur baby.. I cant believe that your weight gain just minus off completely! Its a rare case isnt it? My friend gained 20kg during pregnancy and only able to get rid of 10kg after delivery.. the rest maintain in her body.. and noted on the half boiled eggs will take more potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, veges.. but recently have a lot of cravings for Mc D.. sometimes really cant help it.. cannot live without the breakfast meal

Qarezma: Noted on the mackerel thanks!

Anyway guys, thanks very much for sharing.. I'm a little paranoid because I've gained 3kg when my baby is only 10 weeks old.. I think I'm eating the wrong stuffs.. Now I have a better understanding..

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Added on March 29, 2011, 3:58 pmBtw do u guys know whether the 'swimming pool' that protects the foetus.. how much does it weight in the first trimester?



This post has been edited by veggie_green: Mar 29 2011, 03:58 PM

weight gain and loss is individual. Even with my normal eating habit i gained 18kg during my 1st pregnancy, i suspect its due to my low BMI

Yeah. I think is pretty hard to say how many kg should gain in whichever trimester.
But as long as you eat calories for your baby and not for yourself, you won't need to worry about weight gain.

As for food craving, it take lots of effort and family support to cast away the food craving. My mum being a wacker, have warn my husband before hand. Therefore, whenever I get cranky for "yau char kueh" I never get a pcs.
Basically I never had a chance to eat food that I crave for.

Durian - baby may born with rashes

I've been doing so much research and it is really confusing as everyone has different opinions on what you can/can't eat and how much of it you can/can't eat. From what i can tell in general, as long as you take things in moderation and make sure that overall your diet is balanced and healthy, you will be fine.

Pasturised milk will usually say that it is Pasturised on the carton but i think pretty much any milk you buy in supermarket is.

Empty calorie foods and things like candy, white bread (gardinia and such), cookies... pretty much anything that doesn't contain much nutrition but has a lot of calories. Fast food could also be considered 'empty calorie food. Again, this isn't to say you can't have them, just make sure it doesn't interfere with your regular meals and that will be fine.

The most important change i made to my diet was to eat a lot of small meals (almost just constant snacking) rather than 3 big ones. I found all through my 1st trimester that by evening i was really bloated and uncomfortable, but after i switched to a lot of smaller meals i feel a lot more comfortable. I'm 4 months in now and eat a small breakfast (usually a yogurt and a small bun or cereal) then a morning snack (usually nuts), lunch (sandwich), second lunch (another sandwich or some meat with rice), afternoon snack (more nuts), dinner (this is usually a proper meal but smaller portion that i used to eat, spaghetti or something like that) then supper (this is when i am usually bad and have a cookie or something not so nutritious) then if i am having a longer day i will have something small to eat before bed so i don't wake up hungry in the morning. So far this is working well for us.
I gained a lot of weight (almost 10kg) since the beginning of my pregnancy but i started out pretty underweight for my size so it is considered ok. Some people say you should only gain 10kg during the entire pregnancy but it really depends on how you start out. If you are underweight, it is good to gain extra so you have plenty of energy for the 2 of you, if you are very overweight it is probably a good idea to monitor your food intake so you don't gain too much extra padding. Generally go by how hungry you are, if you need to eat more, eat more, of not then don't. Everyone is different and no one can tell you how your body should be working.

For cheese, doesn't matter where it comes from, as long as it is a hard cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, gouda, if it is hard when you press it) it is fine, if it is a soft cheese (brie, camembert, most goats cheeses, but not including creme cheese) limit it as much as possible (some times the mold in certain soft cheeses, especially the harder rind on the outside can cause some complications but it isn't that common). Pretty sure Nestle only has cheddar and 'plastic' cheese which are both ok. Avoid too much plastic cheese (like the kind you get in a McDonalds burger) in favor of more natural cheese like cheddar (Bega is the brand you usually see in most supermarkets).

I ate everything on number one to 17 except for raw fish. Ate lots of watermelon, yogurt, and grilled salmon. Gynae advise not to take Chinese herbs. I will finish one big pot of barley/loh hon kor once a week.

Coffee? Everyday one pack of 3 in 1 nescafe. Pineapple? Never like it but I do take those canned ones.

One more thing, in your 3rd trimester, drink coconut water. Heard that it helps to prevent jaundice.

I drank 2-3cups coffee in a week but I don't touch any tea during my pregnancy, can't recall why.

I have malay frens told me that don't eat kunyit during final trimester as it may coz jaundice. Anyway I seldom eat kunyit even I am not pregnant.

But make sure you take good care and if possible avoid any chances that could make you sick. Cause I don't think you want to take any medicine during pregnancy.
I got a friend who is quite plump. She was pregnant with her 4th child and had quite frequent cough and flu. She told me is the pregnancy make her like that. And she see doctor and get medicine to take care of her sickness... well, due to that .. her appetite also not strong. She delivered a boy less than 3kg. And miracle is... she is thinner than before pregnancy.

No matter is like my fren who gets thinner or like an average women get a few extra pounds after delivery. Best if you don't need to change your whole closet to new clothes. As you need $ to buy for the bb already.

Again, look for nutritious food for the unborn first. Don't take too much sugary or salt thing that could affect your sugar level and also BP when you comes to final trimester. And yes, I bring my own water whenever I ate outside. Because I avoid sugary drinks and there were once asked the waiter to serve Barley without sugar... it taste as plain as water. Guess best to bring my own and save up because it's not worth to pay.

This post has been edited by cc980024: Mar 30 2011, 08:40 AM

depending on the type, tea has the same if not more caffeine compared with coffee... and I drink both when I was pregnant, in moderation most of the time. in excess some of the time, depending on my hormones (yup, I gladly blame my hormones for ANYTHING. Commit murder? Hormones )

I also avoided pineapple, kinda just logical to me -- 'tajam' right..?

Appreciate for sharing all these useful info.. I have the same problem as u.. I get bloated after each meal (3 square meals).. so now I've started to take more meals but all in smaller portions.. but I'm having too much cravings.. I think I'm taking pregnancy as an excuse and opt for more foods.. I'm not very sure what is the limit of my stomach.. I could just eat anything anytime! Before I got pregnant I'm a health conscious person.. normally I will not be taking fried foods, fast foods, etc.. and taking more of soup based foods.. but now I'm craving for unhealthy each every few days.. please tell me how to control Personally I do not really like nuts bcos nuts causes a lot of pimples on my face.. can I eat biscuits, cookies, chee cheong fun, chips, snacks etc?

I'd suggest that you limit those chips and snacks as they are empty calories. You can eat..just limit them.

Try to eat healthily..like someone said earlier.. eat as though you are feeding your child..

I limit my intake on the snacks and chocs and surprisingly, i don't crave for them now compared to when before i was pregnant. I guess eating healthily totally 'groomed' my urges for chips and chocs.

I'm plump too.. and I've gained way too much of weight I suppose I'm considered a standard size but chubby.. so I must learn how to control on my food intake.. I also bring my own water outside.. to prevent drinking unecessary sugar contents.. outside drinks i.e. barley & lo han guo are sometimes not boiled.. they bought it from China in cubes and just throw into the glass to mix with the water.. so u will notice that the drinks they serve do not have the barley seeds and necessary items in it..

Where do u buy your pregnancy clothes? How many is sufficient? What is necessary? When do we really need it? Is it when our clothes can no longer fit us.. I need to get some pants.. any idea?

Thanks

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Added on March 30, 2011, 10:21 amOk.. I shall learn from u guys.. but how to stop the cravings.. it's killing me

How did u manage to do it?

This post has been edited by veggie_green: Mar 30 2011, 10:21 AM

Not sure if this is true, but I heard some people say if you try to tahan your cravings, your baby will tend to leak more saliva when they are born. keke. Not sure if it's just some joke or what la.. but my SIL told me every baby of hers (5 of them already) also like that because she tend to hold on to her cravings. LOL.

I don't hold my cravings but I'll tell myself that a piece or one serving is good enough... coz' my weight has been increasing (quite termendously) since my second trimester.. now already 15kgs.. (38 weeks ") .. doc say baby only about 2.6kg.. so can imagine where the weight lies onto.. ish !

Anyway, for clothes, I don't really buy maternity clothes. just bought one to two size bigger so that it wont "bungkus" my body. As for pants, I get those leggings where you can get them from Jusco..

HTHs!

pants..i got those stretchable yoga pants type..from jusco.. for tops..i got from this shop 9 months at The curve and pavilion. alternatively, there's this Baby Bump Maternity online and they have a shop in BV2. These are the ones that sells nice and modern maternity wear. I'm on the chubby side too..i gained about 15kg during my pregnancy.

Surprisingly, i didn't have much cravings and thus just ate normally but i really don't know where the weight came from.