balsamic vinegar...Lead...birth defects?!?

Baby2Love4ever

So...

I hear (according to the state of California Proposition 65) that balsamic and red wine vinegars have lead and can cause birth defects if a pregnant woman consumes it.  What my question is... is this true... is it like cigarette smoke that will seriously harm a fetus or is it because some woman sued someone and now we all have to see this terrifying sign in the grocery stores? I ask because I LOVE salad... especially with balsamic vinegar dressing. It is seriously all I ever eat for my lunch, so is it healthier for me to give that up? or is it just some silly legal jargon that the rest of us are stuck decoding? Obviously I expect to ask my OB when I see her when I'm pregnant... but just thought I'd ask you ladies...

Also... apparently these signs are only in California... other states dont appear to have them. thanks all! 

tbmadeamistake

I take everything I hear like that with a grain of salt.  It's like someone saying you shouldn't have soft cheeses...except that they are fine if you get the pasteurized kind.  I tend to look at food recommendations (obviously I follow the chemical ones: smoking, drinking) as what the people in those regions would do.  I highly doubt that French women give up brie, so neither did I.  I also doubt that Italian ladies give up their balsamic vinegar, so I don't feel a need to.  There are lots of healthy French and Italian babies around . 

huskymomma94

I've never heard of this before.

MNgirl326

Um never heard that one- I cook with balsamic vinegar all. the. time. including when I was pregnant.  Never had any issues and LO is perfectly fine.

supermorena

I'm in California also and those signs drive me crazy. They are on my apartment building, at the gym, and now on my freaking grocery shelves. It would be 1 thing if I could trust that it was a legitimate warning for something that is going to cause me great harm, but I'm not sure that's the case. Talk to your doc when you're pregnant and trust medical advice and your instinct.

Twinkie0612

GhostMonkey:

Everything causes cancer and birth defects in California. In the rest of the world it's perfectly safe.

 

::giggle snort::

OP, according to the website below, it is because balsamic vinegar could possibly contain trace amounts of lead.  But so do about a thousand other things and like the site says you will likely consume more lead in your tap water than you will in balsamic vinegar.

https://www.livestrong.com/article/493139-is-balsamic-vinegar-safe-during-pregnancy/

gogadgetgo

GhostMonkey:

Everything causes cancer and birth defects in California. In the rest of the world it's perfectly safe. nbsp;

This exactly. Don't worry about it too much. Unless you're drinking it by the gallon, a tablespoon here or there is fine.

MrsRustyGriswold

GhostMonkey:

Everything causes cancer and birth defects in California. In the rest of the world it's perfectly safe.

 

Word.

My homestate makes me a bit crazy.

Baby2Love4ever

"Everything causes cancer and birth defects in California. In the rest of the world it's perfectly safe. "

ha ha ha.. this totally made me laugh!!! LOVE it!!! I thought so too... that it would be fine. But my mother in law was trying to tell me otherwise. I've been hearing of more women saying that ate it and it was fine - and only have the sign at the store to say its not! lol

Oh well. I'm just going to continue to enjoy my greek salad then! thanks Ladies. 

MrsRustyGriswold

Baby2Love4ever:

"Everything causes cancer and birth defects in California. In the rest of the world it's perfectly safe. "

ha ha ha.. this totally made me laugh!!! LOVE it!!! I thought so too... that it would be fine. But my mother in law was trying to tell me otherwise. I've been hearing of more women saying that ate it and it was fine - and only have the sign at the store to say its not! lol

Oh well. I'm just going to continue to enjoy my greek salad then! thanks Ladies. 

Greek salad?  Watch out for the great feta debate!

Anyone have a fingernail handy?

Jampar

We bought new door stops to update in our home the spring thing that keeps the door from hitting the wall... It had the same warning. It stated in the state of California this product could cause birth defects. I found it very strange.