Food safety during pregnancy?

I have a couple questions on what you all think about what's safe to eat during pregnancy.
- Chocolate liquors? Is the alcohol pure or is it ok like when you cook with wine?
- Sushi from Trader Joes, it says fully cooked so I figure it's fine right?
- What about nitrites? I am usually pretty strict about what I eat during pregnancy, but how many of you follow that rule? I want some of the beef log this year for the holidays and wonder what the actual reason to avoid this may be.

Thank you all!

 are you talking about the thngs that are chocolate filled with liquor?? if so that's not cooked it's like pure alcohol.

the fully cooked sushi from TJs i think is fine, i know the shrimp tempura and cali rolls are fully cooked

i eat nitrates, and cold cuts this pregnancy.  must less paranoid this time lol!

Yes, the chocolate filled with liquor. I told my husband I can't have that and he was like, oh no it's all cooked out. I didn't think it was, but thought I could be wrong. He wants to order some from a catalog for Christmas, well I guess I'll be passing on that chocolate.
Last pregnancy, I craved corn dogs and ended up eating one and felt guilty. It was silly cause I didn't have any issues because of the corn dog. Do you know why they even tell us we can't have nitrites? Is it just that it's bad for us, like junk food? Or is it like lysteria or something?

My OB never told me not to have nitrates, just cold cuts.  I really dont like hot dogs but I do love me some bacon! i don't eat it all the time though.  Sooo are you getting a boy vibe this time??? 

I'm feeling girl again. But with my other two pregnancy's I thought they were both going to be a boy, so I really have no idea.

I really mainly stuck to the not eating non-pasteurized cheeses, ate deli meat only at home unless it was a hot sandwich out(Panera hot chicken Cuban), I've eat a few of corn dogs. I have eaten more sushi (I only eat cooked varieties as well) in this pregnancy than I've eaten in my entire life. I mainly avoided the high mercury fish from a list my ob gave me to avoid, but I've eaten tuna, mahi mahi, tilaipia, scallops all in small amounts throughout the pregnancy with zero issues.

I'm not a hot dog eater per se, but I've craved stupid corn dogs so I"ve eaten probably 4-5 over the pregnancy.

Chocolate liquors - varied... Some are real liquor, others are not... I would think ONE would not hurt you either way, but you need to check WHERE you bought them and what the labels say... The ones we get locally at the grocery stores, etc all say liquor FLAVORED - and are non alcholic... We do buy some at our a liquor store here that have alcohol in them...

Nitrates - No one has ever mentioned this to me at all.  I was told no cold cuts UNLESS they are heated to steaming before consumption...  I think it is because of listeria...

 HI,

About the chocolate liquors.

I think it is safe.  At most you get a teaspoon maybe 1.5 teaspoons of alcohol. Lots of doctors are now saying a bit of alcohol every once in a while is OK.  So unless you planning on eating the whole box in a sitting, you are probably safe.

Plus think about the consistency of the filling, usually creamy and thicker then regular alcohol.  There has got to be a thickening agent in there and I bet there is only a little alcohol and a lot of alcohol flavouring.

Best wishes,

CNC

I agree that the amount of alcohol in a couple of chocolates shouldn't be a big deal.

I don't really eat any sushi, so I can't help with that one!

Nitrates...I just buy nitrate-free hotdogs and bacon. They're not generally good for you regardless, but then there are tidbits like these:

"Researchers Sarusua and Savitz studied childhood cancer cases in Denver and found that children born to mothers who consumed hot dogs one or more times per week during pregnancy has approximately double the risk of developing brain tumors. "

"Bunin et al, also found that maternal consumption of hot dogs during pregnancy was associated with an excess risk of childhood brain tumors."

Now, these are essentially correlation studies, and correlation does not always equate to causation, and I've not dug into the studies enough to know if we're talking more about women eating 20 hotdogs a week or whatever, but I'm a "better safe than sorry" type, so I go nitrate-free. I don't eat hotdogs out at restaurants or anything, and having bacon at a restaurant is only in quite small quantities, like in a salad or something. I don't eat bacon by itself like as a side with eggs or anything unless I'm somewhere that actually has nitrate-free bcon available (there's a local diner chain here that does).

Just as with the lunchmeat thing and risk of listeria, it's all up to you and your personal confort level with risk factors. I have had cold lunchmeat exactly once so far during my pregnancy and felt quite guilty about it, so no more. If it can't be heated, then I don't eat it. Just because lots of women eat something and have no issues doesn't mean there's still not a risk - there is a reason we're warned against these things, and I would rather not stand the chance of being that "lucky" one-in-ten thousand who has a problem! If it were just me, that would be one thing, but I don't take risks while I've got this baby in me.

Thanks for the info on nitrates! I didn't know why they advise against eating them. Now I know. I am one of those better safe than sorry people too but I've been craving some of that beef log sausage that people have for the holidays and I think it has nitrates in it. Where do you get your nitrate free meets?