My mother-in-law always comments about how now there are so many things pregnant women are not supposed to eat. She has had 7 babies (the youngest of which is 34 yrs old) of her own so she is a voice of experience. The scary thing is to see how food issues have changed through my 4 pregnancies that are only 5 years apart, in total. With my first child, I saw a report on 20/20 saying tuna was high in mercury. So I diligently asked the doctor. He asked how much of a health nut was I not pregnant. Everyone who knows me would be laughing at this point when I smiled sweetly and said not much. He said don’t worry, just don’t eat it for every meal. Good enough. Move to this pregnancy…my doctor’s office says 1 can a week and that is it.

Of course when you first get pregnant you get a packet of junk from the doctor’s office, including magazine and vitamins. One of these magazines had a whole new food issue… deli meat. Suppposedly, I can only have deli meat that has been steamed or I could get a bug called listeriosis. I did a little research (ala Google) and heck, it is true! According to Kid’s Health:

Listeria infections may create symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, difficulty breathing, and poor feeding. Pregnant women who develop listeriosis may experience only mild flu-like symptoms, although they are at risk for premature delivery, miscarriage, and stillbirth. People who have weakened immune systems are at particular risk for developing other more serious illnesses from listeriosis, including pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis. Cases of listeriosis are relatively rare. In 2004, just 120 cases were reported in the United States.

So 5 years from now what will be banned from the pregnant mom?