Hellobee Boards Topic: What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?

Hellobee Boards Topic: What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 12 May 2026 19:38:17 +0000 T.H.O.U. on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-11330 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:02:50 +0000 T.H.O.U. 11330@https://boards.hellobee.com/ During the first trimester I cut everything out. I just couldn't live with myself if something happened and I would always wonder "what if I was because I ate/drank ...". By the second tri I started with some caffeine but mostly from tea not so much soda. I also started with the occasional lunch meat sandwich when I could heat up the meat (I still avoided places like subway with cheap meat and questionable storage practices). erinpye on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-11302 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:16:05 +0000 erinpye 11302@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I haven't worried about the caffeine thing at all. I have up to 1 caffeinated beverage a day--I CRAVE coke which is weird because I'm not normally a soda drinker. Doc said it's fine. I stay away from lunch meats and hot dogs, but I had baked brie the other day and didn't worry about it. I think you just have to mostly trust your intuition about what to eat and not worry too much. mediagirl on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10878 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:04:02 +0000 mediagirl 10878@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I talked to my nurse about foods that were OK or not OK. Essentially she said lunch meat was OK if the butcher cuts it. I'm fine with that - I don't do lunch mean anyways. I also talked to her about cheeses and essentially since pretty much every cheese in the US is pasteurized, It's OK to keep eating my blue cheese when I want it. :) She also told me that I should stay away from fake sugars like Equal and that other one.... and try to drink minimal Splenda. Then she said to look for soda's with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. I just threw up my hands at that and decided if I need something other than water, I'll get Chick Fil A's lemonade which is just sugar, water and lemons. :) Mrs. Sunglasses on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10849 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:40:51 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 10849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I cut out wine and alcohol completely but for the rest it was in moderation. I think I had sushi twice during my first pregnancy... but I was craving a ham and cheese sandwich with MAYO! haha. HabesBabe on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10749 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:30:34 +0000 HabesBabe 10749@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I don't drink a lot of caffeine to start with, so that was easy to cut out. Same with booze (wine is a little tough, but not too bad). I have been eating turkey sandwiches non-stop for the past few weeks and I'm STILL craving them hardcore. I had a medium-rare steak last week and will probably cave in and eat sushi (I'll try to stick with the "cooked" rolls and stay away from the good stuff-- sashimi and nigiri). AND I will prob indulge in some baked brie over the holidays. I'm only 4 weeks... this is going to be rough. MamaLove on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10704 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:29:49 +0000 MamaLove 10704@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I've given up caffeine for now. And alcohol. I do drink the occasional caffeine-free soda (sprite or ginger ale), but my doc told me to stick with the regular kind instead of diet. She said the extra calories (within reason) are a little better than the artificial sweeteners. For now, I'm sticking with most of the recommendations. I haven't had any cravings for anything that I'm not "supposed" to have, so it's been pretty easy up until now. Ree723 on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10482 Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:09:04 +0000 Ree723 10482@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I'm sort of hit and miss on following the rules - I have a general idea of what I'm supposed to avoid but I'm not getting too worked up about it. And honestly, I'll probably relax my rule following even more once I'm out of the first trimester (currently 7.5 weeks). I've been avoiding deli meat and soft cheese, but keep forgetting about the nitrates in pepperoni and have probably had pepperoni pizza 5 times since finding out I was pregnant. I also have no intention of changing the way I eat red meat - I need my steak rare or medium rare so that will not change, although I don't eat steak all that often anyway. I don't have a taste for coffee and I'm not a soda drinker but I do like my hot chocolates which have some caffeine, so I guess you could say I haven't given up caffeine either. Also, I'm not doing it during the first trimester, but later on in pregnancy, if I want the occasional small glass of red wine, I will be having that too. My doctor actually recommended it and I have read more than enough to feel confident that an occasional small glass will not go awry. So yeah, I guess you could say I'm not really being a stickler about rules at all - which is funny as I'm usually an anal retentive rule follower! mamabolt on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10157 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 17:30:05 +0000 mamabolt 10157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ So far, I've given up booze and several of my daily caffeinated beverages. I still have a cup of tea most mornings. I've had sushi once and canned tuna a couple times, and would likely eat cold cuts/medium rare beef if I had the opportunity, but we don't eat a lot of either. peachybee on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10031 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:16:27 +0000 peachybee 10031@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I am not even 5 weeks yet and I have already cut out coffee, (well all caffeine). Passed on a subway sandwich and nearly cried when I saw brie was on sale and DH was getting a bottle of red wine. This is going to be a long 40 weeks. LAGS on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-10028 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:14:07 +0000 LAGS 10028@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I cut out coffee completely but only because I can't seem to stomach it anymore. If I start to crave it, I wouldn't keep myself from having a cup or so of coffee a day. I've also given up diet pops. In part because I'm not totally comfortable with artificial sweeteners but also, again, because they just don't sound appealing. Other than that, I'm very much okay with everything in moderation. My Dr. even told me that if it meant I'd be getting more lean proteins into me, she was all for fresh/reputable deli meats. Something I gladly took her up on! MsMini on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-9989 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:18:39 +0000 MsMini 9989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I struggle with this ... I am basically kind of going by everything in moderation, a medium-well done steak here, diet coke there, the easy things I have been avoiding (cold cuts, soft cheese). I have had the odd 1/2 can of tuna, and had cooked sushi once or twice, but we have such good food safety now that a lot of these things are really quite low-risk anyways. MH.Abroad on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-9984 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:06:44 +0000 MH.Abroad 9984@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Caffeine is going to be really hard for me - not only do I love it and am incapable of functioning without it - I also use it to prevent my serious migraines. Life without it seems... sad. lol HLK208 on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-9963 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:49:31 +0000 HLK208 9963@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I gave up my morning coffee but about once a week I'll get a half-caf frappichino. I was a diet coke addict but I gave that up - if we go out to dinner, I'll still order a diet coke but I'll only have about 4 sips to fill that need. I don't eat or drink anything else that's been banned though. venice4504 on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-9948 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:09:37 +0000 venice4504 9948@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I ate everything, including sushi. To me, it was a moderation thing plus I felt that the world is getting way too worried and placing restrictions on a lot of stuff. There are health risks with everything whether or not we are pregnant. Plus, I lived off of Jimmy John's there over the summer...it's the only thing that sounded good. cvbee on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-9937 Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:50:17 +0000 cvbee 9937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ cut: caffeine, alcohol, sushi.....and I cook my meat to well done no-nos that I eat: soft cheeses, slightly less than well-cooked eggs no-nos I'm thinking of eating: cold cuts at subway, as I LOVE a sub And 2nd trimester I've started having white tea and 'decaffinated' espresso-based bevvies.....both have some caffiene, but not much. (And in Canada they say you can have like a cup of coffee or two). enjollah on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-5522 Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:31:49 +0000 enjollah 5522@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I decided to give up caffeine early in my trimester but one day hubby and I went to In-N-Out and I couldn't settle for pink lemonade or sprite....I HAD to have a couple sips of coke! Mmm it was tasty! After that, I'll occasionally have sips of my husband's soda but other than that, other types of caffeine are out! looch on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4250 Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:17:49 +0000 looch 4250@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didn't cut anything out, but then again, I didn't eat lunch meat to begin with so I didn't miss it. I still drank one cup of coffee in the morning, but I lost the taste for it over the summer so I had a light tea instead. I think I had sushi twice and ate a local steak cooked medium. The only thing I was specifically told to avoid was a certain kind of lettuce. Mrs. High Heels on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4247 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:18:10 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 4247@https://boards.hellobee.com/ i started drinking caffeine again in the 3rd trimester... only about 3x/week... i had sushi once or twice. i snuck in sips of my husband's diet soda but never ordered it for myself - i drank perrier like a mad woman trying to curb those cravings cuz i had a pretty bad soda addiction. it was hard giving up steak too because i like my meat rare! reggie on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4234 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:15:18 +0000 reggie 4234@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I had canned tuna every other week. I ate sushi a few times in my third trimester. I had a cup of coffee daily. I avoided cold cuts though. I had hotdogs but only when I cook them at home. I think everything in moderation is OK :) Red on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4202 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:08:41 +0000 Red 4202@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I was so afraid I was gonna screw up the pregnancy, I pretty much gave everything up. The only thing I re-introduced later on was cold cut sandwiches but that's only because my doctor told me it was safe to eat as long as you microwave/heat the cold cuts 'til it's at least 160 degrees to kill any potential bacteria. hreichard on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4183 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:49:42 +0000 hreichard 4183@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I didnt eat sushi, unpasteurized cheeses, caffeine or alcohol. I still ate lunch meat on occasion though in like an italian sub and my son is fine. :) anewme on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4178 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:12:11 +0000 anewme 4178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ In addition to what was recommended I also had a whole bunch of cultural rules I was expecting to abide by. I tried my best, but I did cheat a little. I wasn't allowed to drink anything cold, but I was pregnant during the summer so I needed refreshments. I was also not allowed to eat watermelon. I drank less than a cup of coffee a day, had soda 2x a week and was weak for a tuna sandwich once every few weeks. yin on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4177 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:01:18 +0000 yin 4177@https://boards.hellobee.com/ On top of the usual no no's, I had to cut out a lot of carbs and sugars since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I felt miserable the last few months because I felt so restricted. Right when I thought I could go back to eating whatever I wanted, I am faced with having to cut out diary and wheat from my diet due to my son's allergy. I am looking forward to the day when I can finally eat to my heart's content, sushi included. Oh how I miss sushi... miranlee on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4156 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:28:03 +0000 miranlee 4156@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I drink 1.5 cups of coffee every day--3/4 decaf and 1/4 caffeine. Helps to keep the headaches at bay. I also heat up deli meats 90% of the time--it's really hard to avoid cold sandwiches all the time. If I crave sushi, I go to Whole Foods and will get the salmon roll, a shrimp roll or an eel roll. They are all cooked, so are okay to eat. My MIL always looks at me funny when I cut something out, because there wasn't anything she didn't eat when she was pregnant with my husband. Like you said...they didn't have as many "no-no's" when we were being born and we turned out just fine! geekinheels on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4139 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:03:49 +0000 geekinheels 4139@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Everything in moderation for me, and make sure that they all come from reputable sources (for example, fresh sushi from a good restaurant is fine, but no pre-packaged sushi from a gas station). On a related note, my OB actually recommended coffee for my migraines! He says that recent studies show women who regularly drink 1 cup a day are at lowered risk for gestational diabetes. winniebee on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4134 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:32:41 +0000 winniebee 4134@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Oops, I should add that I'm not changing the way I'm eating my steak. Either medium rare or I'll get something else. We don't eat red meat terribly often, though. Andrea on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4133 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:31:58 +0000 Andrea 4133@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I was so paranoid and gave up everything immediately...except for caffeine. I kept to 1 drink a day until I was able to wean myself off it completely once I was out of the first trimester and not so exhausted. I figured it really wasn't that long of a time to live without eating/drinking the things on the no-no list. As for a turkey sandwich, I ate cold cuts if they were the nitrate free kind. mediagirl on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4132 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:12:54 +0000 mediagirl 4132@https://boards.hellobee.com/ After reading some more about it, I decided that I will give up medium rare steak while I'm pregnant. Can I TELL you how much I hate life right now? We're supposed to go to The Angus Barn for dinner for our anniversary on Saturday and I'm getting something other than meat at the "beefeater's haven." Sigh. I will have sips of my husband's diet soda if we're out to dinner but I'm not drinking a whole can. I ate sushi yesterday but it was the cooked stuff. I won't go near anything raw right now. I'm confused about cheeses like brie, goat and feta. I was talking to the cheese guy at Whole Foods yesterday who said they can't sell unpasturized cheese in the US. So, does that mean that soft cheese you buy in the US is ok to eat when pregnant? I haven't and I'm not yet but I'm curious. MegWag on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4131 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:57:52 +0000 MegWag 4131@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I was recently on vacation with my whole family and my parents were shocked at the number of things on the "no-no" list now. It's changed so much sense I was born and I turned out just fine! I admit, I've had brie and cold prosciutto once or twice. To me, it was more important to cut out diet soda and things with lots of processing and additives. winniebee on "What foods and drinks did you cut out during pregnancy?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-foods-and-drinks-did-you-cut-out-during-pregnancy#post-4130 Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:22:14 +0000 winniebee 4130@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I know there is an extensive list of no no's during pregnancy - alcohol, unpasteurized cheese, sushi, excessive caffeine, deli meats, etc. etc. I don't mean to be the pregnancy police, but I have seen prengant women consuming things that are on the banned substance list. Yesterday, a coworker who is very pregnant ate a turky sandwich at lunch - I was so craving one, but thought it was a big no no? So, I'm curious how closely you followed the rules. Did you cheat at all? For example, I have abided by the rules except I still have a cup of coffee in the morning. I drink much less caffeine and under the allowable amount, but I just can't cut it out completely. What about you? Remember, this is a judgment free zone : )