is thai food safe to eat during pregnancy?

mcarreira282 · July 2015

hey friends,

this might seem like a silly question, but is thai food (pad thai, drunken noodles, etc.) safe to eat during pregnancy? I know that we should avoit bean sprouts, but without those, are the other thai dishes safe? whose eating/eaten thai food while prego?

any insight is appreciated, as i LOVE thai food but am hesitant at 21 weeks ;/

spottedginger · July 2015

Yes.

rockinmathchic · July 2015

Other than uncooked bean sprouts, which you mentioned, and unripe papaya, I don't know why you wouldn't be able to eat Thai food.

ammnam14 · July 2015

I love seafood pad thai! I only have it every so often because of the seafood but in general it should be safe.

That is the only Thai dish I know of though.

yl1m32015 · July 2015

What do you think Thai women eat when they're pregnant?

That's what my OB says to me when I ask him food questions lol. I don't know Thai food, but I'd think it's safe as long as you're following what PPs have said.

Birthinrox · July 2015

I craved Thai food my entire pregnancy with my son, now 2 I are it at least 3 or 4 times a week! Go for it! I've never heard of not eating unripe papaya during pregnancy so I wouldn't worry about that other than the grossness of unripe papaya

spottedginger · July 2015

yl1m32015 said:
What do you think Thai women eat when they're pregnant?

That's what my OB says to me when I ask him food questions lol. I don't know Thai food, but I'd think it's safe as long as you're following what PPs have said.

Embuzz for the win.

LauraSmarterSpam · July 2015

I'm half Thai, and I am always eating Thai food especially when I'm at my mom's house.
I even eat bean sprouts too. Did the same thing with DS. My mom is Thai and never even heard avoiding bean sprout when she was pregnant with both my sister and me.
Then again, I'm not eating bean sprouts every time. Every now and then I'll have them in my spring rolls or kuai tiao. I HAVE to have them in my kuai tiao, but my mom and her friends don't do soup day all too often.

rockinmathchic · July 2015

Birthinrox said:

I craved Thai food my entire pregnancy with my son, now 2 I are it at least 3 or 4 times a week! Go for it! I've never heard of not eating unripe papaya during pregnancy so I wouldn't worry about that other than the grossness of unripe papaya

Unripe papaya can trigger uterine contractions and potentially pre-term labor.

https://www.babycenter.com/0_12-worst-foods-for-pregnancy_10395224.bc

whit3183 · July 2015

"Thai food" is kind of a broad category . . . kind of like asking if "American food" is safe to eat. It might be more helpful if you asked about certain dishes, as the menu from one Thai restaurant to the next can vary, just as with every other kind of food.

MGB123 · July 2015

Should be safe unless it's got any of the general things you can't eat like raw seafood, high mercury, bean sprouts, etc. I love it! Also 21 weeks.

beccabeeee · July 2015

I didn't know bean sprouts were a no no during pregnancy :-S I don't eat them, but was curious, why are they off limits when they aren't cooked?

rockinmathchic · July 2015

beccabeeee said:

I didn't know bean sprouts were a no no during pregnancy :-S I don't eat them, but was curious, why are they off limits when they aren't cooked?

Bean sprouts are prone to bacteria before they even grow because they have cracks in their shell. Since most aren't cooked, there is a potential that they have unwanted bacteria in them. Similar to eating produce without washing them first, however you can't wash it out from bean sprouts because it's from within the bean.

mcarreira282 · July 2015

Thanks everyone who answered.

I'm not sure what Thai women ate, as I am not from Thailand. Thai food in America is VERY different from Thai food from Thailand. This is why I thought to ask and get feedback.

ChiccoBeanz · July 2015

This can help you in the future: https://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/

You're fancy for me. I just want pizza and velveeta shells and cheese with broccoli...cheesecake...ohhh Stir fry. Now you have gotten me hungry lol

mrs14678 · July 2015

Crap. Now I want Thai food! I lived in Thailand for a while... Green papaya salad (Som Tam) is the best thing ever. I wish I could find it here in America!! Especially with deep fried soft shell crab......

VesperLove · July 2015

Thai food is fine in general. Im going tomorrow! Same terms apply as any other food with what to watch out for. But thai food in general doesnt have any ingredients specific to those recipes that you cant have.

I lived in Thailand and would die if i couldn't eat it while pregnant. My hubby and I make it at home all the time!

@ArielleRene where do you live? We can get som tam at restaurants all over up here (Seattle) and can find the papaya in markets to make it at home. If you wanted to make it at home, check out importfood.com. everything you need for Thai food and often fresh green papaya shipped right to your door!

ETA: looks like they do have it in stock right now https://importfood.com/freshthaiproduce.html

And also, this is my favorite website for thai recipes. Heres a specific page for som tam. https://highheelgourmet.com/2013/08/30/authentic-spicy-thai-green-papaya-salad-som-tam/

mrs14678 · August 2015

@kyleneum13 looks fantastic!! I'm in Waco, Tx, where we have no Asian markets at all.... I do make a trip to Austin weekly, and I noticed an Asian grocery store, so I may be able to find stuff there!

TacoSarah · August 2015

rockinmathchic said:

beccabeeee said:

I didn't know bean sprouts were a no no during pregnancy :-S I don't eat them, but was curious, why are they off limits when they aren't cooked?

Bean sprouts are prone to bacteria before they even grow because they have cracks in their shell. Since most aren't cooked, there is a potential that they have unwanted bacteria in them. Similar to eating produce without washing them first, however you can't wash it out from bean sprouts because it's from within the bean.

In 2011 there was an outbreak of E.coli that killed 22 people and infected over 2000 and it was traced back to beansprouts.