Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Mmmmm. Sushi.

I ~love~ sushi. And I was totally craving it. Not a pregnancy crave, as I honestly don't think that exists anymore than an non pregnant woman craving something. I get cravings all the time when I'm not pregnant. Why is it that when I am pregnant and crave something, it's all contributed to pregnancy? But I digress.

Sushi. I like all kinds, but my absolute favorite is tuna. Just the plain raw tuna on rice or a more fancy spicy tuna roll. I love it all. And I wanted it.

So guess what?

I HAD IT.

Oh yes. I did. See, I'm not one of those pregnant women who get "what to expect when you are expecting" and follow all the rules word for word. I follow the ones that I know are all-the-time harmful, like certain medications, but all these rules for food? I use the rules as a guideline.

Yes. Getting the different types of food poisoning can be very very bad. In fact, I know a girl who got e-coli and ended up having a micro preemie from the downward spiral of getting sick. (Her being sick caused severe dehydration, which lowered the amount of amniotic fluid, which had her in the hospital for weeks on IVs, which her amniotic fluid never recovered, which put her into pre-term labor, which they weren't able to stop ...) And this is why I will ~not~ eat anything that I find suspicious. Nor would I take the chance at something undercooked from someone/somewhere I don't trust completely.

Lunch meat, rare steaks, raw fish, undercooked eggs and things of that nature ~are~ candidates for serious food poisoning. But these are the foods I eat all the time. I know which places I trust and I know which places I would have no idea whether to trust or not. For example: Sushi. I have eaten raw fish at Juns here in town for over 10 years. I have never gotten sick nor has the dozens of people I know who eat there all the time. I know their quality of their raw tuna. I know it's safe. And I trust that I would be able to tell the difference if something was off. I wouldn't go trying something I'm not familiar with, even at Juns, nor would I have my favorite tuna from the sushi bar in the mall's food court.

I wouldn't go ordering very easy over eggs pretty much anywhere, but make it myself when I know it's not cross contaminated in anyway? Sure. Same thing with rare steaks and lunch meat. I do pay extra attention to these types of foods and I would step back if anything caused me to second guess it.

And please tell me that OBs in Japan tell pregnant women to give up their main staple of food. They don't. It's simply ~not~ the food that is bad for pregnant women.

My friend who I mentioned above who got e-coli? She didn't eat raw fish or bad lunch meat. She ate a hamburger. The investigation determined it was the lettuce on her hamburger that was the culprit. The restaurant kept their lettuce near the pan of thawing chicken breasts. Some of the juice from the chicken breast pan dripped into the produce, contaminating the lettuce. The way we are here in the US, I'm surprised there isn't a new rule directing pregnant women to stay away from lettuce!

All food is risky. We run the risk of sickness when we eat anything not made in our own kitchens. Our own kitchens can sicken us, but we are in control of our environment and can avoid such hazards.

This post is totally ~not~ to try to convince any pregnant woman that they should go and eat everything that is "off limits". It's simply to give a little insight as to why I have made my choices.

35 comments:

joyous melancholy said...

You go girl. If we all stuck to every rule of what we can and can't do and eat, we'd all be sitting perfectly still in a chair in an empty room consuming nothing but water. I think the point is to be SMART, not to be scared of everything. I personally indulge in soft cheeses from time to time.

bleu said...

OK I get it and I am not a super paranoid while pregnant type.

I do believe in cravings while pregnant though, and I believe they happen when you need something in your diet for the pregnancy you are not getting. I get non-pregnant cravings but while pregnant with Bliss I was jonesing for avocado's and salmon and guess what, I was not taking omega 3's at the time either. So I think they can be caused from what you need.

Anyway on to the sushi thing. I get it but I have to share what I was reading today, truly it was today, and I am not one who believes in coincidences.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/dining/23sushi.html

I would worry about the mercury way more than the e-coli.

Unknown said...

Girl I am right there with you I was the poster child for what not to eat/drink when you are pregnant LOL. I ate the rare steaks, sushi, lunch meat, lots of little debbie cakes LOL drank caffeine (lots of it) So I am right there with you

Rachel said...

Actually, pg women in Japan are directed to eat sushi because of the Omega-3's in the fish. I have a very good friend who gave birth there (military assignment) and she said all the rules were different. They don't believe in prenatals because of the risk of bad chemicals in the vitamins. My MIL also told me sushi was just fine during pg. I just wish I could battle down the disapproving stares to eat some ;-)

Morrisa said...

You go girl!

Anonymous said...

I love, love, love sushi. Spicy tuna roll is one of my favorite. I ate so much lunchmeat, burgers, and eggs benedict when I was pregnant with both boys and never had a problem. I remember going on WebMD and feeling like I was going to get a slap on the wrist for having a hot dog or Arby's. Told I had to heat it to a certain degree. Bah! I didn't have any issues with either of my pregnancy's and my boys turned out fine.

Amy

Debz said...

And evidently to make me want sushi. Good job ther Nanc. ;)

Io said...

Mmmm...spicy tuna rolls. Damnit. Now I want sushi.

Anonymous said...

Good for you! I think you've got it right: it just has to be a reputable place. I've been enjoying brown rice cali rolls from Hannaford's, which are extremely blah compared to what I usually eat, but I haven't established a clean place near my new home yet. I did however find myself chomping down on a lobster roll last night, but I inquired about contaminants & found that my place doesn't use the giant old lobsters like they do in Maine. Pre-preggers, I always said I would eat a little of everything to expose baby to nature's variety, & for me that includes swordfish once a month (depending on where it's from), clean eggs, the hottest Indian & Ethipian food, etc. Yum. We've just got to do our homework & be smart about our choices.

Glad your doing well!

Peace,
jessy

Anonymous said...

ITA Nancy. I ate stuff like lunch meat and sushi when I was pregnant. There is such a thing as going too far with the "safety" bit. Good for you.

Leah said...

I'm with you. I was all crazed on the WTEWYE rules during my first pregnancy. Hell, I microwaved deli lunchmeat because I was so psycho.

But for the last 3 I mostly ate what I wanted. I had sushi on more than 1 occasion with this last pregnancy. Like you, I ate at the same place I've been going for eons and eons without any problem.

I gave up my crack habit, skydiving and bullfighting. Isn't that enough? :-)

nancy said...

Bleu, thanks for the link. Wow on those findings. I thought tuna was one of the low ranked fish too.

About your statement about cravings, I do agree with you, but those types of real cravings (pregnant or not - cravings is the body's natural way of getting what it needs. In the world today, the body just usually isn't too needy) account for like 1% of cravings. I'm talking about the girls who are all "I just HAD to have cheese puffs!". Bah. You just wanted them, not a real craving!

Kaci said...

Yay! I hope you enjoyed it. I've actually never eaten sushi, but while I was pregnant with Matthew I craved rare tuna, no clue why. I finally went to a local place with a good reputation and just had a tuna steak, seared but pretty rare. YUMMMY!

IdleMindOfBeth said...

You're such a rebel! LOL

But I have to agree with you. The "rules" are so far out of control it's insane. The powers that be seem to want people to be afraid to breathe, let alone ingest anything!

That all being said, you couldn't pay me to eat Great Lakes Fish if I get pg. BUT, you couldn't pay me to eat them when I'm not pg, either.

Common sense, folks! It's not that hard, really!

MrsSpock said...

I totally fess up to eating lunchmeat, eggs over easy, and peanuts, lots of peanuts, and blue cheese, while pregnant. No sushi, though. Did that in Japan, couldn't stand it.

Jen said...

I don't buy the whole cravings thing either. I definitely crave certain foods from time to time, but I did before I'm pregnant too. Personally I think it is often used as an excuse to indulge, but maybe I'm being cynical.

Anonymous said...

Yes! Exactly! When we first started ttc and I mentioned to my waitress at my favorite sushi place how I was sad that once I got pregnant I wouldn't be able to eat sushi, she looked at me like I was crazy and I had to explain to her that it was suggested that pregnant women don't eat sushi. She very calmly and matter-of-factly said, "And what do you think pregnant Japanese women eat?" I had never thought of that! Of course, we have now moved to another state so I guess I'd better start researching sushi places here so I know which ones are safe prior to starting IVF.

And, thank you so much for the card! I haven't had a chance to send any to anyone but it really was a nice surprise and I smile whenever I look at it :)

Carrie, who really needs to update her Braces Bunch info...

Sarah said...

I ate Subway a few times while pregnant. ~Shrug~ The risk is pretty small...and most of the time I avoided the warned foods.

Anonymous said...

i think society is so determined to try to find a cause of the rise in ADD/ADHD & autism that its looking in all the wrong spots. lunchmeat and hot dogs existed in the time of our parents and we're all ok! i had my medium rare steaks & sushi with all 3 pgs and everyone is great! moderation is always key, and i totally agree, if its reputable...go for it! hell, if your buying your sushi/lunchmeat from an unrefridgerated cart on a street corner on a 95 degree day, you deserve to get sick! i'm a firm believer that maybe they need to start looking at exactly whats in some of the fast food of the world before putting so many restrictions on the poor preggos who just want something to eat!

~Carrie said...

I agree, it does get a little ridiculous some times! Someone made it a point to tell me that the O'Douls I was drinking had 0.5% alcohol... you know...in case I wanted to avoid *all* alcohol. I mean, are you freaking kidding me?!

Cece said...

Ha. You and I totally agree on this one. I have had sushi more than a few times. And Brie. And cold cuts. I just don't tell many people because I don't want to hear it.

Jenera said...

There are a few things I still eat that I'm not supposed to. Lunch meat being the biggest one. I'm already overly picky on my choices to begin with, pregnant or not, so I'm okay with what I choose to it.

The only thing I'm a bit paranoid about-and not really too much-is fish. we've gone fishing a few times in the last few weeks and I've only eaten a bit of the fish. it all depends on the type of fish and where it was caught and how it was cooked. I'm not sure how much of the mercury hype I believe but it's one thing I'll be a bit more careful with.

Anonymous said...

Miss you and looking forward to all of your belly pics! Don't be a stranger. -Karyn

Morgan Owens said...

I'm guily, I'm an owner of "what to expect when expecting"...but not particularly for the food 'laws'. I don't abide by them, thats for sure. As a matter a fact I ate a big ol' sandwhich for lunch full of lunch meat, and had a big ol' soda with it. Opps. But come on now lets get real..do we really thing that soda is going to make me miscarry or soemthing? Nah...probably not. Maybe several overtime, but I drink one a day only. As far as Sushi goes...EEWW! But if you like it..grub down on some then! :)

Morgan Owens said...

oh I had to add one more thing about the 'cravings' talk...I agree with you, pregnant or not peolpe crave stuff but I think they only notice it when they are actually pregnant b/c its a "symptom"- hance the quotation marks.

Jen said...

Good thing I don't eat fish so I don't have this dilemma...

Now I just have to get all my tomatoes in our garden to grow so I don't get sick that way! :P

And thanks for the congrats. It's crazy the luck us Colorado girls are having!

The Jensens said...

There's nothing wrong with sushi! I've been craving sushi all week but I'm too lazy (it's the darvocet) to make some.

There's lots of sushi out there that has cooked fish or even no fish at all.

Mmmmmm.....cucumber rolls.

If anyone gives you a hard time about eating sushi while you are preggo just reply with this comment:

"what do you think pregnant women in Japan eat?"

Tara said...

AMEN SISTER! I feel the exact same way. I think that the guidlines should be taken with a grain of salt. I simply cannot take things that seriously.

I have also had sushi (raw tuna) runny eggs, rare steak and lunch meats over the past 3 months. I too am careful about everything I eat but do not beleive in giving up all these things.

Do pregnant women in Greece stop eating feta? No, they don't. Just as Japanese women don't stop eating raw fish.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Glad you posted this.

And yeah, now I know what I'm having for dinner...

Mrslady1975 said...

Ok, I am not even pregnant Nancy, but now I am totally craving sushi! I love, love tuna. mmmm....Excuse me while I go eat my less exciting lunch and pretend its sushi! ;)

Chastity said...

I do generally agree with you on the craving front. Even when not pregnant, I crave just about everything I see on a commercial or in an ad. Of course, I've heard of those rare pregnant cravings when woman somehow craves dirt or a vegetarian craves red meat...now those I could be convinced are pregnancy related, but only due to a deficiency of some sort.

I'm also with you on the food thing. I think it's probably safe to eat lots of those things, especially if you cook them yourself. With that said, I stay away from everything on the "do not eat" list...but that's only because I'm ultra paranoid. I know it's crazy, yet I still stay away.

Rita said...

Enjoy the sushi, to h*ll with the experts (most of them are men anyway)
Rita

Crunchy Green Mom - Suzanne said...

/Good girl!

I'm proud of you, I did the same thing.

BTW, where do you eat your sushi at? We go to Blue Koi out off of Smokey Hill and E470.

Let me know, we all love a new sushi place!
http://crunchygreenmom.blogspot.com

Katherine said...

I'm right there with you on this one. I live on the Gulf Coast, and seafood is a staple of our diet here. I avoid the high-mercury stuff, but I eat tons of fish and shellfish. I also drink coffee and eat lunchmeat, rare steaks, and soft white cheeses. Hell, I'll even have an occasional glass of wine late in pregnancy. People can flame me all they want, but I believe everything in moderation (other than smoking and drugs, of course!!!)...

Amanda said...

I sooooooo want sushi (this coming from the chic living off of baked potatoes and bananas), but have no clue who is reputable in my area. I think I'll follow your lead and ask around. Spicy tuna roll...here I come!

Birdee said...

Heh- I ate sushi this weekend too, I brought some to my mom's BBQ for Fathers day. But I didn’t eat it with being careful in mind, I just wasn’t thinking. It's been too long since I was pregnant, I don’t remember much.

As far as cravings, I was thinking the other day about my cravings I had with Dylan, then I thought of the cravings I've had since Dylan. Not much difference other than I do think some cravings durring pregnancy can indicate something is wrong. Like when I found my self chewing on a crayon. I couldn’t help it. I was craving crayons. And it was a mad craving too, like a junkie waiting for his next hit.