Shall we take this glass of champagne that we are handed?
Every year, 800 children are born with deformities due to alcohol ingested by their pregnant mother. Most terrible, however, are the 8 who are born with “fetal alcohol disorders”: prematurity, stunted growth and cognitive impairment. However, these 000 pregnant women were not all alcoholics! Unfortunately, not everyone has the same notion of “a little”. This is why Public Health France and the SAF association prefer to hammer out: “8 alcohol during pregnancy”. Zero is zero, it’s easier to remember!
Can I eat raw fish? And oysters?
No. There are risks of contamination by salmonella bacteria and listeria. Instead, prefer the “minute cooked”. These are fresh products, which are cooked just before going to the table, such as scallops, lobster, crayfish. A good recipe: oysters in champagne (no problem since the alcohol will evaporate and the oysters will be cooked). On the other hand, we forget the prawns bought already cooked at the fishmonger. Unless step-mom bought some raw shrimp and cooked them herself. Choose sous-vide smoked salmon, rather wild than farm raised on antibiotics. It must be opened just before consumption. The packaging must be intact and without condensation on the inside.
Am I entitled to foie gras and game?
Avoid homemade foie gras. Yes, it is better, but it is often prepared for several days in advance. It may therefore have been accidentally contaminated with bacteria. We prefer cooked and canned foie gras, therefore sterilized. Skip the toasts prepared a long time in advance. Concerning meats such as venison, doe, pheasant, rather strong in taste, they are often cooked in stew or in stew (no risk of contamination with long cooking). But we skip raw or pink meat.
On the cheese side, what am I entitled to?
Lots of things ! You can eat all cooked or pasteurized pasta cheeses, well kept in the fridge. In cooked cheeses, the curd is “cooked”, ie heated to over 50 ° C in the whey. We find Comté, Gruyère, Emmental, Beaufort or Abundance. Be careful, we do not eat the crust! On the pasteurized side, you can choose mascarpone, cheese spread, most
Corsican cheeses, ricotta …
And the homemade log?
Preparations made from raw eggs, like some logs frozen with whipped cream or chocolate mousse, may have been contaminated by a bacterium such as salmonella, which is deposited on the shell of the eggs. If it’s homemade, find out where the eggs come from. Ideally, if the cook has used an “egg separator” to separate the yolk from the egg white. Frozen specialties are allowed if the cold chain has been respected. If there is frost on the packaging, it is a bad sign: it means that the product has been thawed and then refrozen. And of course, future moms prone to diabetes will prefer a fruit.
L’expert :
Nicolas Dutriaux, Liberal Midwife, deputy secretary of the National College of Midwives of France.