Anyone else totally paranoid about what they eat? I am too tired to cook much but I am afraid to eat out either. I keep thinking crazy thoughts like "what if they didn't wash the lettuce well in that salad?" and "what if this person didn't wash their hands?" and "what if this dressing is outdated?" and the list goes on and on. I am getting ready to go visit my family in another state in a week and I will HAVE to eat out quite a bit. How can I get over this fear of something I eat harming the baby? Help!
Oy ! You need to relax a little bit dear.. I know all about worrying.. I seriously doubt you or the baby will devolp some deady illness due to eating out.. So of course there are some things you just shouldnt eat during pregnancy.. like fish with high levels of mercury.. like oysters etc but Im sure youve eaten out a lot before and never thought of those things constantly until you were pregnant.. So just try to relax and enjoy the time with the family.. and dont freak out worrying about "what if someone didnt wash the lettuce" or "what if they didnt wash their hands" those kinds of things will drive you crazy.. Just enjoy the pregnancy and your familys company
I don't blame you for worrying, but ease up a bit. When going out to eat, seriously, look at the cleanliness of the restroom. That will give you an idea of what condition the kitchen is in( I worked in restaurants. Trust me this is a good gauge). Also, avoid buying foods prepared with mayonaise (macaroni, potato, egg, tuna salad, etc). A friend of mine got Listeria poisoning from eating macaroni salad from a bagel place when she was 6 1/2 months pregnant. She was gravely ill and spent about a month in the hospital. Unfortunately the hospital lab lost her stool sample so they couldn't "officially" label it Listeria although all other symptoms pointed to it and the doctors 100% believed that's what it was. Thankfully her baby was born near his due date and he's healthy. This summer when you're at BBQs and picnics be careful and avoid eating food that's been sitting at room temp for awhile. More than likely, you and your baby will be fine. I think it's good to be cautious but don't stress yourself too much. Enjoy your food!
haha i was like that too and to some extent, still am../.BUT What put my mind at ease...
before medicine was so advanced, people were eating all kinds of stuff! nothing really bad happened to previous generations right? well, that was my sister's way of easing my fear of eating raw fish (because i ate a ton before i found out i was pregnant)...
I am paranoid too! I have a major fear of listeria, and I won't eat anything without making sure I heat it myself, or if it's lettuce, wash it myself, things like that. I quit eating ice cream, because there is no way you can kill the bacteria in it. If I get food out, I reheat it myself when I bring it out.
I don't blame you for being paranoid. I don't think I could live with myself if I knew I did something that could have been prevented that hurt my baby!
My OB said something to me that made sense...a while back I was stressing about something (I think it had to do with eating/food) and he told me to keep in mind that women from 3rd world countries where everything is filthy have healthy babies all the time. Imagine some of the stuff they have to eat and they're healthy. It was an odd way to make a point but it did get me to stop stressing so much. I know what to avoid (liver, etc) but I can now enjoy food a bit more (when I'm able to actually eat...*lol*)
Try to relax a bit because stressing so much isn't good for you anyway.
