No soft serve ice cream or green tea while pg? News to me!

lisap921

Someone told me you can't have soft serve ice cream while pg because there is a small risk of listeria due to the machines not being cleaned frequently?  Uh....DQ blizzards are what I survived on during my 1st tri!!!  And when I went on a cruise in March, I basically camped out in front of the free ice cream machine, LOL.

She also told me that you can't have green tea while you're pg - I googled and didn't find much about this.  I am not too worried about this bc I'm not really a big tea person....just curious as to why we can't have it.

Anyone else heard these? 

jensahokie

I haven't heard of either.... I've had quite a bit of soft serve at Costco over the past several months.

I'm not a big tea person, but I had peppermint flavored green tea my first tri.  I think.  I can't remember, but I don't remember being told NOT to have it.

JCM083009

Yup, heard of both of them.  I can't remember the reason behind the green tea though (it wasn't just caffeine though).

pierogigirl

I've heard that green tea can interfere with folic acid absorbtion.  I don't drink a lot of green tea so I never asked my doctor about it.

jnk062602

Doesn't green tea have caffeine in it?  That would be my only idea.

And I have never heard of the soft serve ice cream issue.  My ob specifically told me it is fine to eat things that you commonly hear about - like lunch meat - so I doubt soft serve can be that bad.  The things that are truly bad your ob would have told you about.

sprice88

I've heard about this....but in moderation I think everything is fine....IMO. I feel the same way about lunch meat too. I have craved Jimmy John's a lot!!! Never had a problem with it.

SusieQ1982

The soft serve risk is legitimate, however it it a very small possibility.

Some people, including me, choose not to take that risk.

408kittycop

green tea is a caffeine thing from what i have heard.....soft serve? To whomever told you, give me a break - you could get listeria anywhere from all the crazy rumors I have heard about it......i have been eating lunchmeat as well, baby is still alive.....also, im still confused how listeria would be present in a soft serve machine....hmm

wisc.bride

Wow...I don't think I'd listen to that girl anymore!!  She's a bit extreme.  The only think I could see is the caffeine in green tea but I still drink it.  I make my own iced tea and I figure it's healthier than juice or sodas.

lisap921

I just found an article about green tea interfering with the absorption of certain stuff in the prenatal vitamins, but the article said you would have to consume obscene amounts of green tea for it to have a negative effect.  Who knows? 

As far as the listeria in the ice cream machine - I don't think that's going to stop me.  My Dr said lunch meat was fine in moderation, so I'm assuming if soft serve was bad, she would've told me...

mrseggs

pierogigirl:

I've heard that green tea can interfere with folic acid absorbtion.  I don't drink a lot of green tea so I never asked my doctor about it.

Our child birth educator told us this as well.

meg1974

I hadn't heard about the ice cream until recently. But, it doesn't really concern me.

The only reason I would stay away from green tea is b/c it's usually caffeinated. 

robynlesley

I was also told to avoid both of them.  I'm not getting into the lunch meat debate here, but I didn't have soft serve ice cream (except for the time BEFORE I was told of the no-no) or cold cuts. My choice... and I'm really looking forward to having them after I give birth.

yellowfakerose

I have to tell you that who ever told you that they dont clean the machines that often doesnt know what they are talking about. I have worked at dq and jack in the box. At both places we cleaned  the machine throughly every single night. As for the green tea all i know is that the caffine in it would be the only thing.

jen-and-ryon

I eat soft serve and drink green tea.

acia

I've never heard about the soft serve thing (though I guess it makes sense - listeria is a very real concern and can cause problems with baby even if mom doesn't experience any symptoms).

The green tea thing I've definitely heard about, and it was due to the possibility of it increasing the chance of birth defects (due to interference with folate absorption). It seems like the research is unclear on how much is safe - so it's one of those things I've chosen to stay away from. Better safe than sorry!

BrideInLondon

pierogigirl:

I've heard that green tea can interfere with folic acid absorbtion.  I don't drink a lot of green tea so I never asked my doctor about it.

I think I remember reading that it's calcium absorption that green tea interferes wIverything else in life, I think it'rs ok in moderation. Just don't drink green tea at the same time as taking your PNV or drinking milk, etc.

PuppyMommy

I have only had soft serve once during this pregnancy due to the listeria concern.  I am sure not every place cleans their machines as well as the DQ and Jack in the Box where the PP worked.  I also skip green tea and I heat my lunch meat so that it's steaming. Call me crazy. It's just not worth the risk to me.  I am perfectly fine going without soft serve and green tea.

FWIW, it was my doctor who that told me to avoid green tea, soft-serve and to heat my lunch meat. 

monica93555

When I heard about the lunch meat I tried to stop eating it. But after a couple of months of not eating it I really started to crave it so I gave in. It's my understanding that it is really rare for a pregnant woman to catch listeria. I had one girl (who is a complete hypochondriac) lecture me about why take the risk. Well my response to that is... I could be driving in my car and get hit pretty bad and risk loosing my baby. I could be going for a walk and trip and fall and risk loosing my baby. But does that mean I should stay in a wheelchair and not drive at all?

Keep in mind, this is the same girl that told me that moving my hips from one side to another would contribute to a miscarriage. She also told me that she doesn't exercise because she's heard it could cause her to miscarriage. She just got back to her doctor and the doctor told her that she's put on too much weight.

wwsurf81

The green tea thing sounds really familiar but I can't remember what the reasoning was.  The ice cream thing sounds crazy- a little paranoid if you ask me.  I'd still eat it.  The same case could probably be made for fountain drinks at restaurants right?  They probably don't clean those often either.

howa0155

Never heard this.  Prob an old wives' tale.

tak2002

I think I would have gone crazy if I didn't eat soft serve. I was eating it quite a lot a little bit ago. Doctor & midwife both had no warnings about it.

ToledoDeux

408kittycop:

green tea is a caffeine thing from what i have heard.....soft serve? To whomever told you, give me a break - you could get listeria anywhere from all the crazy rumors I have heard about it......i have been eating lunchmeat as well, baby is still alive.....also, im still confused how listeria would be present in a soft serve machine....hmm

I am dumbfounded at how many have of you have not heard of the risk of contracting listeriosis during pregnancy.  It is not an old wives' tale.

Some more info:

https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/listeria.html

https://prenatal-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/softserve_ice_cream_and_pregnancy

Deanna J,

They have so many rules now for us new moms we would kill ourselves trying to follow them all. Woman have been having babies for thousands of years, however its nice to know of any precautions to take, I wouldnt drive yourself nuts over what not to do. Your body knows what its doing. I call my mom and tell her something new that I shouldnt do and she just laughs.

SusieQ1982

kdlafalam:

They have so many rules now for us new moms we would kill ourselves trying to follow them all. Woman have been having babies for thousands of years, however its nice to know of any precautions to take, I wouldnt drive yourself nuts over what not to do. Your body knows what its doing. I call my mom and tell her something new that I shouldnt do and she just laughs.

 That's true, but they didn't have all these products available thousands of years ago. Can you picture stone age moms eating deli meat and craving DQ Blizzards?

The people who clean those machines are kids making minimum wage. My husband used to manage a fast food restaurant and he's found everything from mold to unidentified goop in the machines that make ice cream. He refuses to eat it after seeing the inside. I'm brave enough to eat it when I'm not pregnant, but I won't take the chance when I'm risking my baby's health, too. Waiting for a little ice cream and cold cuts won't kill me.

Jen&Joe06

Yep, heard of both. I have stayed away from green tea (because they haven't really tested the effects of it on the baby's development) but have had the occassional soft serve icecream (I think 2 or 3).

poopteen

Being the owner of a food service management degree and a ServSafe certificate, I'll have you know that you run the risk of foodborne illness with every food, everywhere you go. Nothing is in the clear 100% of the time, and you'll make yourself crazier than Monk if you're set on avoiding every single possibility - ESPECIALLY considering the majority of food service workers are underpaid and work long hours.

Sure, the softserve issue is legitimate, but you're statistically far more likely to have e. coli-contaminated ice in your drink, or salmonella on your cantaloupe. For sanity's sake, I choose (in my personal life) to ignore a chunk of the knowledge I've gained. If I heeded it all, I would never eat anything anyone else prepared again. Ever.

408kittycop

ToledoDeux:

408kittycop:

green tea is a caffeine thing from what i have heard.....soft serve? To whomever told you, give me a break - you could get listeria anywhere from all the crazy rumors I have heard about it......i have been eating lunchmeat as well, baby is still alive.....also, im still confused how listeria would be present in a soft serve machine....hmm

I am dumbfounded at how many have of you have not heard of the risk of contracting listeriosis during pregnancy.  It is not an old wives' tale.

Some more info:

https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/listeria.html

https://prenatal-health.suite101.com/article.cfm/softserve_ice_cream_and_pregnancy

 

I didnt say i hadn't heard of it, it is just something that can be found in darnn near everything, same as salmonella (sp?) ...... spinach, peanut butter etc, look at all of the deaths and recalls from those products - everytime you shove something into your mouth that you did not personally grow or clean yourself you run the risk of getting...that is life.  Although now I know how it was present in the machines....which makes sense

IselaCid

Hm.  Damn that soft serve green tea frozen yogurt!

poopteen

IselaCid:

Hm.  Damn that soft serve green tea frozen yogurt!

Can I get mine with pureed cold cuts blended in?

pechezncreme06

Green tea works against the folic acid that you are supposed to be taking in during pregnancy. Basically, it cancels out its benefits.