This past summer, whilst pregnant and travelling through different European countries, I noticed something intriguing regarding the ‘rules’ of which foods to avoid during pregnancy. It is completely different by country!
We started in Italy, where we had been enjoying lots of seafood and shellfish, eating mussels at least twice a week. My approach during my previous pregnancies was to avoid shellfish if I wasn’t totally sure of the quality of the source. When I found out I was pregnant this year, one of my friends, an American who lives in Italy, told me she would completely trust the mussels in Positano, while another (a German) told me she doesn’t trust any shellfish coming from the Mediterranean – pregnant or not! I decided not to take my chances with the mussels.
When we arrived to Italy, my good friend Vanessa banned me from touching the cheese tray that was brought out every evening. She explained to me that, more than any other foods, French women know they are not to eat cheeses during pregnancy – the threat of listeria is too great with all the unpasteurised cheeses in France. But… a glass of wine here and there is, of course, fine in France. ☺
From France we travelled to Portugal where the rules appeared to change completely. I asked about the cheeses, and my friend, Marta, told me she didn’t worry at all about cheese during her pregnancies. However… she stopped me mid-bite on the beach as I helped myself to the strawberries we picked up earlier that day at the farmers market. She explained to me that strawberries were the number one food she was advised to avoid during pregnancy. Apparently strawberries, because they grow in the dirt, pose a risk of toxoplasmosis. Despite four previous pregnancies, I had never heard this before! I was so intrigued, I googled it that night and could not find anything (in my English search) that said you shouldn’t eat strawberries during pregnancy. If, however, you google it in Portuguese, the results are different. Isn’t that fascinating?! Don’t you think it’s so interesting that pregnant women in England are enjoying strawberries while their counterparts in Portugal are steering clear?
My friend, Marta, also explained that in pregnancy she washes lettuce and leafy vegetables thoroughly before eating them, and won’t order salad in restaurants because she doesn’t trust it’s been washed properly. Again, this is something I had never considered during any of my previous pregnancies!
I have no idea how to conclude my findings, other than to avoid all the foods listed above! But then… I do love strawberries and actually find myself craving them!
I’d love to know what foods you’ve been advised to avoid during your pregnancies. Anything I haven’t mentioned above?
Courtney x
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