Food

eanne9812 · January 2016

Can we please talk about food? I'm reading so much about foods to eat, not eat, etc etc etc. I'm going to have to write this all down. Big question though...anyone drinking just ONE cup of coffee in the morning? I tried to do caffeine free herbal tea this morning and I just couldn't shake the caffeine headache. I've been a 2 cups a morning coffee drinker for years. I've read and have been told by other moms that one cup a day is A-ok. Thoughts? Please comment on other things regarding food too...I need all the help I can get! Thanks!

von1976 · January 2016

Experts say one 12 oz cup of caffeinated coffee per day is fine. I bought a can of decaf and I plan to make half caf for my morning 16 oz travel mug.

MrsHudson2014 · January 2016

I have been having 1 cup a day. I'm pretty useless without it. I was tempted to start a discussion about all of the things we are not "allowed" to do while pregnant. Hah!

ejmo68 · January 2016

I drank a cup of coffee everyday of my pregnancy with my DD. I am an avid coffee drinker so that was must and this time around I am doing the same. I do try to buy the half caff coffee and so I don't feel bad if I drink two cups

freckledlemonade · January 2016

I'm definitely still having one cup a day while I can. With my first once MS hit I couldn't even stomach the thought of coffee. Trying to enjoy these blissful first few weeks of symptom-free pregnancy! I believe the rule of thumb is 200mg of caffeine a day. I may eventually cut back a bit (half caff?) though just to be extra cautious.

EStace · January 2016

One cup here and then decaf if I really want to pretend I'm still having two. Haha
@sidecarsareforbishes I have read the same about 200mg of caffeine.

kes0028 · January 2016

I'm doing 1 cup, half caff....

lilylover27 · January 2016

@eajanners I agree with everyone else about the 200mg limit. I have found some helpful guidelines on Pinterest depending on where you like to get your coffee out, they have so far I found a Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts guide, it tells you have many mg of caffeine is in each of their drinks. I am an avid coffee drinking usually 2-3 cups a day. I cut back to 1 occasionally 2 cups a day when TTC. I still have that first cup every morning, but then it is water and seltzer all day so no additional caffeine from soda or anything.

As far as food I have heard so many things we shouldn't be eating, I am hoping my doctor will give me a list when I see them for my first appointment. So far though I found the following foods across the board are not recommended to consume during pregnancy:

- Deli Meats (unless cooked till hot, which really just sounds ew to me so I will gladly avoid)
- Soft and unpasteurized cheeses
- Alcohol (duh)
- Fish high in mercury (mackerel, tuna, swordfish and any type of shark. There may be more who knows!)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Every time I question something I always google it on my phone!

artcheese · January 2016

I'll probably stop drinking coffee this weekend. That way DH is with me while I go through withdrawals. I did it during the week this last time which wasn't fun because I was having to parent a toddler at the same time. My first pregnancy it was fine because I wasn't working full time and didn't have any kids.

The thing about deli meats is tricky. Most people get listeria from fruits or veggies. You aren't going to stop eating those are you?

All the cheese in the United States is pretty much pasteurized. So eat all the cheese you'd like.

And you can have one can of tuna a week and be fine.

I'm more concerned with processed foods, fake sugars and some herbs that are found in teas.

lilylover27 · January 2016

@artcheese did not know about listeria in fruits and veggies. I honestly try not to think about what not to eat too much because it will just stress me out and then I will eat nothing! I am fine staying away from deli meats anyway as even not being pregnant sometimes they make me queasy! I am going to keep eating veggies and fruits and cut back on the processed stuff. All I really want to eat right now is bread, just bread and tons of it! You are right about the teas, I have been reading up on it. So far though I have found the spearmint and chamomile or OK which is good since they help relax and I heard mint can combat morning sickness!

von1976 · January 2016

I heard ginger works well for easing morning sickness.

I'll probably mainly stick to what I ate pre-pregnancy (other than alcohol, and reducing caffeine consumption, natch). I figure if it didn't make me sick pre-pregnancy, it's probably okay. We don't eat a ton of deli meat anyway, and I can stick to cooked and vegetarian sushi. I'll just stop ordering my burgers medium rare.

artcheese · January 2016

@lilylover27 I feel like the 1st trimester, you do what you can to survive. I lived off carbs and ginger ale. I was so sick and nothing would ease it. Only those things would help me! I don't recommend it as it caused me to gain 14lbs that first tri lol.

lilylover27 · January 2016

@artcheese I am fine with food so far, no aversions yet. I am just trying to stay calm and wait till that first appointment but it is useless!

eanne9812 · January 2016

Thanks for all the messages ladies about coffee. I've decided to do one cup and that's it. Worked well today...can't afford that caffeine withdrawal headache. @lilylover27 I too, want to eat bread all day! I swear I've wanted pizza for lunch and dinner for the last 3 days!! Oy.

westcoastfoodie · January 2016

I cannot stop eating. I can't think of anything food related that the other ladies haven't mentioned, but I thought I'd throw out there to be careful of certain ingredients in face products. My last pregnancy I didn't think anything of it (which now seems silly that it didn't occur to me) until my esthetician mentioned it.

br0co1ii · January 2016

My appetite has actually decreased. And what I do want is usually fruit. I'm mostly just thirsty all the time and I only want water. I wish I could have been like this pre-pregnancy so that I could have dropped a few pounds. Oh well.

Luckily I never ate much lunch meat before. Tuna creeps me out so I don't eat that.
I just need some clarification from my doctor on tea. I've read so many different things. Right now I'm just not drinking it. But I do have my one cup of coffee every morning.

von1976 · January 2016

I'm mostly worried about face products. I use a 2% salacylic (sp? iPhone doesn't know this one) acid face wash, and a neutrogena face cream with retinol. The stuff I've read online is mostly warning about using prescription products (esp Accutane--which is not only stronger, but I think also a different form of vit a). I need to speak with my OBGYN about those!

freckledlemonade · January 2016

@br0co1ii I've been craving fruit too. So weird. Oranges specifically. Hopefully it lasts bc last time all I wanted was carbs.

MrsHudson2014 · January 2016

@sidecarsareforbishes @br0co1ii fruit here too! I would have killed for some yesterday, and none of the cafe's in the mall I work in had anything. Not even a damn banana.

artcheese · January 2016

@von1976 I avoided that stuff last pregnancy and will this pregnancy. It sucked cause I got bad pregnancy acne. They even recommend staying away from some sun screen ingredients which are in my moisturizer. So I need to pick something else up.

Blonde1817 · January 2016

I've cut down to one small mug of coffee in the mornings, and I try to only drink until I feel that energy jolt. Lately its been about 1/2 the mug. I don't really like the taste of coffee much but I need the energy, so I switch to ginger tea or hot water with lemon after that. I've been slowly cutting down on caffeine for awhile now, so a little bit of coffee has a much bigger impact on me! No food cravings or aversions so far, which makes me a little nervous but it's super early still. I always try to use natural beauty products and cleaning products, so I will definitely start being even more vigilant about that! As much as I love wine and sushi, I think the thing that I will miss the most is deli meat, just because it is such an easy and convenient way to get protein when you don't feel like cooking! You can always heat it up, but that won't exactly work in a salad.

lilylover27 · January 2016

@br0co1ii I have been wondering about the teas too! Obviously I know to stay away from the caffeine ones like green tea and black tea, but I want to know what herbal ones I can have! I am a big herbal tea drinker and haven't had any since my BFP because I am too scared! I plan on doing more research today, if I come up with anything I will let you know!

Piperella · January 2016

I must have missed the boat on this one... I don't drink coffee, but occasionally have a cup of english breakfast tea (black tea). What's the problem with tea? Does anyone have an article or link to something I can read? I was able to heat up my deli sandwich today, but I'm trying to keep to a cobb salad or peanut butter & jelly.. TIA!

MusicalMegan · January 2016

When I was pregnant with our second son I stopped drinking coffee just like so many say and I had a headache, every day, for 3 months straight. I'm not even kidding. There was nothing that helped. I finally read a post on a forum here that somebody was treating their headaches with a cup of coffee a day. I tried that and like magic it was gone! I'll be sticking to one cup a day which is what I usually have but I do need to cut back to a regular sized mug from the soup bowl mugs I have!

lilylover27 · January 2016

@piperella I don't think it is necessarily the tea but the caffeine in it. I did read somewhere that some herbal teas are not recommended during pregnancy. But I believe any caffeine in moderation, under 200mg is fine.

Lauren0216 · January 2016

lilylover27 said:

@br0co1ii I have been wondering about the teas too! Obviously I know to stay away from the caffeine ones like green tea and black tea, but I want to know what herbal ones I can have! I am a big herbal tea drinker and haven't had any since my BFP because I am too scared! I plan on doing more research today, if I come up with anything I will let you know!

Hey I just had my meeting with the nurse at my practice yesterday to go over everything. She told me that you are allowed a 12 ounce cup of coffee or tea. She said that they do not want you drinking decaf because some decaf coffees and teas use a chemical process to strip the caffeine. Also, she warned against herbal because they don't know how certain herbs affect a growing baby. I am an COFFEE maniac, but will be foregoing any coffee or tea (except for the occasional cup if I have a headache) just to be safe. Hope this helps! Call your dr. office to see what they say though about herbal tea.

lilylover27 · January 2016

@lauren0216 yeah I am going to try to keep away from tea until I get word from my doctor at the first appointment. I have heard some tea is perfectly fine, like ginger and chamomile. I am fine waiting a few more weeks before consuming any and I am already sticking to the one cup of coffee a day. Did not know that about decaf though!

artcheese · January 2016

I've been doing hot water with lemon and honey. There are also some cool DIY options for "teas" using fruit and honey etc. on Pinterest. When I get a chance I'll probably try some of those out.

lilylover27 · January 2016

@artcheese I will have to look for those in there too!

pambtoro · January 2016

I love my coffee!! But I started with limiting myself to 12 oz when I was in my TWW, now I'm at 8 oz. I plan on lowering it to 6 oz and then 4 oz (will probably mix in decaf for a larger cup) over the course of a couple weeks.

SnobunnieMel · January 2016

If anyone is really worried about what foods you can and cannot eat, I have found the OVIA pregnancy app to be super helpful. It has a tab to search for the safety of any food and says what the recommendations are. They also have medication and symptom lookup as well. The hubby practically takes my phone and checks every food before in allowed to eat it this week

i haven't heard the decaf thing before. I worked so hard to wean down from an essentially nonstop intake of caffeine all day to just decaf when we started TTC. It would suck if that's actually worse.

Eta: it deleted half my post

thepicklemonster · January 2016

I am another coffee maniac here, usually multiple cups a day, have been weaning myself down to smaller cups while TTC. I'm down to two nespresso pods in the morning and no coffee at all the rest of the day which is a miracle for me lol. Just got my BFP and went to my OB a few days ago and he recommends avoiding caffeine altogether and he said no decaf because it's processed (and what's the point, which I agree with). I can't go totally cold turkey but my plan is to wean myself down to just one nespresso pod soon then hopefully none in a few weeks. I'm sure one cup is totally fine and most of my friends drank one cup while pregnant but I'm trying to be really "good" and do everything my doctor says -- for now haha. Let's see what happens once I feel some symptoms!

mrsman2018 · February 2016

I am still drinking my one cup of coffee in the morn. I bought some decaf and have tried that. Don't mind it. I am thirsty all the time and always craving soda. Even thought I don't typically drink a lot of soda.

moquat · February 2016

@von1976 definitely stop using the retinol product ASAP. Retinol is vitamin A which in large quantities (like those in skin cream) can be harmful to fetal development.

jrmint427 · February 2016

I was drinking 2 cups of coffee per day and diet Coke, so I've been trying to cut down on caffeine pretty quickly. I know one cup of coffee is fine, but I switched to decaf during my last pregnancy and would like to do the same this time. As much as I love caffeine, I also just like the morning routine of coffee. I've been cutting back slowly to try to prevent headaches. I'm down to a little under a cup of coffee and will hopefully make the switch to decaf this week.

PinkLady2015 · February 2016

Lunch Meat: cause for concern is listeria, however, listeria has also been found in things from produce (lettuce, cantaloupe) and ice cream. It's a personal decision. If you want to remain cautious you can microwave the lunch meat until its steaming (around 20-30 seconds). I stick with Boars Head brand lunch meat and that's what I'm comfortable with.
Coffee/Soda/Caffeine- there are some studies that have found a correlation between high caffeine amounts and miscarriages. The vast majority of scientists and doctors have concluded that 200 mg of caffeine/day is all good. (I've even seen some that say up to 300 mg a day) Have that cup of coffee, girl.
Sushi- again, this is a personal decision about whether your comfortable with eating raw sushi. Some people will only order cooked or tempura rolls, but keep in mind that even those can be cross contaminated so make sure you're going to a very reputable place for your sushi. The place I've been going to for 8 years is awesome and I feel comfortable ordering cooked rolls. Some of my friends didn't alter their sushi intake when they were pregnant. Just avoid high mercury fish.
Alcohol- controversial, but the book Expecting Better by Emily Oster actually combs through a lot of studies and concluded that a glass every once in awhile during pregnancy has never been proven to cause birth defects or FAS. This is again a very personal decision and most women opt to abstain 100% from alcohol. But I'd say feel free to have a sip of your SO's beer, a small glass of wine on a special occasion or a few sips of champagne on Valentines Day... again, totally up to you.
Soft Cheeses- as long as they are pasteurized you can go to town on the Brie... most cheeses are pasteurized in the US but the fancy cheese sections in places like Whole Foods may sell raw, unpasteurized cheeses so make sure to read the label. Again, the main concern is listeria or e.coli.
Cigarettes- not food, but don't fuck around with this one- just say no.

artcheese · February 2016

@laurakunzelman with DS I craved Coke and I absolutely hate Coke otherwise. It was the strangest thing. As soon as he was out, I didn't crave it anymore.

PrimRoseMama · February 2016

I drink two cups (8oz each) of fully caffeinated java every morning. You can eat normally. When in doubt cook everything thoroughly. Be pregnant is not a disability or reason to change your life style to the point where you are freaking out about what to eat. The only thing I avoid is alcohol and herbal teas that are medicinal strength tinctures.

I also keep my servings of fish to twice a week due to Mercury concerns. However, there is no reason to stress about it. Eat your food and enjoy your food.

UponAStar16 · February 2016

I have one cup of coffee a couple times a week...or even half, just a little to boost energy boost and help headaches, and it seems like a small amount is basically ok. I was wondering about switching to decaf but good to know - I never really thought about how they get the caffeine out. Does anyone know if it's the same for decaf soda? Sometimes (pre-preg) I crave an ice cold Coke and am wondering which version would be slightly healthier...in the context of healthy soda

MrsHudson2014 · February 2016

thepicklemonster said:

I am another coffee maniac here, usually multiple cups a day, have been weaning myself down to smaller cups while TTC. I'm down to two nespresso pods in the morning and no coffee at all the rest of the day which is a miracle for me lol. Just got my BFP and went to my OB a few days ago and he recommends avoiding caffeine altogether and he said no decaf because it's processed (and what's the point, which I agree with). I can't go totally cold turkey but my plan is to wean myself down to just one nespresso pod soon then hopefully none in a few weeks. I'm sure one cup is totally fine and most of my friends drank one cup while pregnant but I'm trying to be really "good" and do everything my doctor says -- for now haha. Let's see what happens once I feel some symptoms!

Nespresso's decaf is done using a water method, not chemicals. Fyi. @thepicklemonster 

kalebaby · February 2016

With my last pregnancy, I cut down to one mug of coffee per day and cut out alcohol and raw sushi. I sort of avoided uncooked deli meats and soft cheeses but was imperfect there.

I'll do the same this time.

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