Canned food= birth defects?

[katepants]

So somebody told me that canned tomato products during pregnancy are really bad, because a lot of metal cans contain BPA, and the acidity of tomato products can wear town the tin, causing BPA to be released into food, which we know is BAD!
So I think ok, i'm in the clear because I haven't had any canned tomato, and knowing this I'll make sure I don't.
I got to thinking, I'm going through an obsession with cold canned mandarin oranges, and citrus is really acidic too! So after some research, tons of studies are saying pregnant women shouldn't have ANY canned fruits or vegetables, because the risk the potentially high levels of BPA can pose to the little growing/developing brain and nervous system in baby.
I've had quite a few LARGE cans of these oranges. I'm going to ask my OB about it, but I'm terrified i've done some kind of harm without realizing it

 

[megangrohl]

Ummmm no. Everyone believes differently but I've been having soups all throughout my pregnancy and my baby is happy, healthy, and has no defects. Don't beleive everything that you read. Yes maybe in high amounts, its bad but I doubt that eating canned stuff in moderation is bad. So everything has to be made from scratch? If thats the case than we cant eat anything bought in stores since alot is canned.

That being said, I buy all my vegetables fresh or frozen and the only canned stuff I eat is soup.

 

[katepants]

Ummmm no. Everyone believes differently but I've been having soups all throughout my pregnancy and my baby is happy, healthy, and has no defects. Don't beleive everything that you read. Yes maybe in high amounts, its bad but I doubt that eating canned stuff in moderation is bad. So everything has to be made from scratch? If thats the case than we cant eat anything bought in stores since alot is canned.

That being said, I buy all my vegetables fresh or frozen and the only canned stuff I eat is soup.

I agree, but I think I may have gone beyond moderation, these are BIG cans, and I've been having one at least every other day. I thought it was BS when he first told me but there are actually quite a few different studies about it!

 

[cera]

ohh, I will be watching this thread as I have become addicted to those cans of mixed fruit every afternoon.

 

[megangrohl]

Well I dunno. Wouldn't this be something your doctor would tell you if it was serious? I have 1 can everyday of soup and there is no defects with my baby.

 

[jenmcn1]

Ok ... depends what studies you have read. There are NUMEROUS studies out there that go both ways. That being said...I do agree with you to stay away from canned foods. Not only because of the tin cans...but because of the high salt content and sugar content. Which neither is good for you or baby. Doesn't mean it will cause birth defects though. I try my hardest to eat organic...but I can't always afford that...so I do what I can in hopes that I give my baby the best chance at life. There are view points that support both sides of the arguement. Just think....in moderation...thats the key part. You will be totally fine hun! I just think of all the pregnant women out there who are struggling with addiction problems, and eat HORRIBLE food their whole pregnancy..usually end up with healthy babies. Somehow the body just knows what to do. And it is also a fact that if there IS something bad that you consume, that the blood re-routes it so it doesn't reach the baby.

 

[amore]

I have never heard of this. All I ate in the last two months of my last pregnancy (literally) was tinned tomatoes and grilled mushrooms as it was the only food I could eat and ds1 has no problems. Please dont worry about the tins of oranges you have eaten hun I am sure its fine xx

 

[NuKe]

personally i think it's a load of tripe! if it was that bad it would be on the naughty list, there would be warnings out there etc! im basically ignoring the naughty list anyway.

 

[bananaz]

If eating canned food directly resulted in birth defects then birth defects would be WAY more common than they are. It's possible that some cans do contain harmful substances but obviously they're not harmful enough to significantly impact the vast majority of the population, so unless you've been eating several of those large cans of oranges every day throughout your pregnancy I very much doubt you have anything to worry about.

 

[Maviyildiz]

I think it is a good idea to avoid BPAs, (I NEVER eat canned food, even not pregant) Still, I wouldn't worry about this too much if it were me, and that is coming from someone with a hard core fear of environmental toxins!

This is just what I think intuitively: I think that there may be a raised risk, but if it were a BIG risk, we would be seeing alot more birth defects, as most American or Canadian women consume quite a few canned goods. (Especially canned tomatoes!)

 

[miaplus2]

im no expert but with both my lo's ive eaten tinned tomatoes and fruit and both my girls are happy and health and no defects...i wouldnt panic

 

[Maviyildiz]

btw, what brand where you oranges? Some companies have stopped using bpa's in their cans...maybe you haven't even been exposed!

 

[katepants]

Well I dunno. Wouldn't this be something your doctor would tell you if it was serious? I have 1 can everyday of soup and there is no defects with my baby.

That's another issue I had with it. I'm sure more people would be aware of this "danger". Kind of like how everyone knows not to eat too much tuna due to mercury. My girl is fine, had many scans and the 20 week anomaly and she is just perfect, VERY active, too.

 

[megangrohl]

Yeah, I think that what everyone else is saying rings true. I am Canadian and I don't eat very much canned foods other than my one soup per day, sometimes 2. I eat all fresh foods, or frozen. At my anatomy scan she was perfect and had no defects and she is still growing just fine at almost 26 weeks. Surely I think that there is a worse risk of lack of nutrients by eating fast food daily then canned foods. Thats another thing I stay away from because its purely disgusting. Bottom line, everything in moderation is the key. And if it was a huge concern then all doctors/obgyn's would be telling all their pregnancy patients and adding it to the no-no list.

 

[superfrizbee]

Sounds like rubbish. I bet you can find a study for anything on the internet. My midwife went through all the food rules, and canned stuff never came up at all. Can't imagine all the stuff they put in plastic packaging is much better than tinned!

 

[katepants]

I REALLY appreciate you ladies responding. I feel sort of silly now! All very good points, I suppose I just slightly panicked seeing how much I LOVE them right now, and my diet is already super restricted due to having a messed up gallbladder and passing gallstones! So I'm thinking...REALLY? One more thing I love that I can't eat?! Haha. I think I'll have some today in fact! I'll cut down though

 

[megangrohl]

Just try not to read/google everything because you will ALWAYS find negative stuff. I never google anything, other than seeing my babys growth/weekly update. If ever in doubt call your OBGYN!

 

[Maviyildiz]

Ok, I just have to say a bit more--
I definately think you shouldn't really worry (I will just repeat that )

But for everyone who has proclaimed it ridiculous, I feel like I need to point out that the concern about bpa isn't a bunch of radicals, it is a pretty main stream issue. Lots of countries have banned its use in things for children--and France is proposing that all food items containing BPAs have warning labels directed at pregnant women.

I don't think it is anything to panic about, but I don't think it is crazy to be aware of it either.

 

[katepants]

Ok, I just have to say a bit more--
I definately think you shouldn't really worry (I will just repeat that )

But for everyone who has proclaimed it ridiculous, I feel like I need to point out that the concern about bpa isn't a bunch of radicals, it is a pretty main stream issue. Lots of countries have banned its use in things for children--and France is proposing that all food items containing BPAs have warning labels directed at pregnant women.

I don't think it is anything to panic about, but I don't think it is crazy to be aware of it either.

Like Like Like Like Like, LIKE! Thank you

 

[Serenyx]

It is something I was made aware of early on in my pregnancy so I have cut down on the amount of canned food I eat. We a;lways used to use fresh or frozen veg but could be lazy and buy canned potatoes. so now we just buy those fresh too, same with other products that come in jars - I will now buy it in a glass jar rather than a tin. However i'm not going overboard, I don't have a clue what my canteen at work uses and I still eat their food