Soft serve ice cream? Frozen custard? I can't keep up...

[volumeone]

I seriously cannot keep up with all these "rules…"

After eating a McFlurry today, my friend informed me that soft serve ice cream is something we're not supposed to eat because it has the risk of listeria with the soft serve ice cream machines not being cleaned well enough. She also said that Culver's frozen custard is bad too for the same reason and because of it containing raw eggs . Well, I've eaten both several times since being pregnant and finding out about this isn't good for my anxiety...

I looked it up and it is real. Does anyone know or abide by this rule? I've been one of those pregnant people that have been following all the rules just because I'm an anxious person who worries about anything and everything and now it's bothering me that I've apparently been doing something that could risk listeria. I respect those who don't worry as much as me and eat the "no-no foods" in moderation but I just simply choose not to. I know the risk is very low but I'm such a worrier which is why I just avoid the iffy stuff

 

[ashleyg]

The risk of getting sick from ice cream is so low. Don't worry about it lovely! I eat things I'm not "supposed" to but I just don't eat it all the time. Don't stress out about it!

 

[greenpear]

I eat things I'm not supposed to either. There are so many precautions in the world but they are mostly guidelines. the only really big one is alcohol as it is linked to FAS. All others are possible risks but they are pretty low. Relax and enjoy

 

[N27murray]

Custard is made with egg yolks, but they're cooked, not raw. Even if they were raw they're fine if pasteurized. I eat my eggs with raw yolk fairly often.
I've had a few mcflurries also. Be sure to get them from a location you trust to be clean that's all. Don't panic over all those rules ....there's Way too many.

 

[tryfor2]

Me too. I tend to be a worrier so it's just easier to follow "the rules" (with some exceptions--I AM human!). But I never knew about the soft serve-listeria risk my last pregnancy and ate it fairly often with no adverse effects. So avoid it from here on if that's what makes you feel most comfortable, but don't worry about what you've ingested so far (you'd know it if you'd been exposed to listeria!). It's impossible to avoid all the no-nos 100%, but it sounds like you're doing a great job!

 

[Linnypops]

I've been taking it all with a pinch of salt - except shellfish and mouldy/rinded cheeses. The risk is incredibly low...I can't think of any stories of women contracting listeria from that so my feeling is it must be hypothetical...as in, logically you might be able to....however in practise it really seems unlikely

 

[ChristiansMum]

I didn't know I couldn't have mcflurries, I had one yesterday and I think I had them with DS and DD.

I wouldn't worry too much, when I was pregnant with DS you weren't supposed to eat nuts but they change it and with DD and this one I'm allowed to x

 

[MummyToAmberx]

i eat everything esp flurries and whippy ice creams in the summer

 

[modified]

I didn't know I couldn't have mcflurries, I had one yesterday and I think I had them with DS and DD.

I think that's one of the more American/Canadian guidelines.

I've been eating a lot of mcflurries

 

[mysteriouseye]

I was going to say I've been eating loads of custard this pregnancy... try not to worry too much xx

 

[volumeone]

I was telling another pregnant person the soft serve rule that she didn't know about either but then she told me Olive Garden dressing is made w/ raw egg and anchovies...

I give up!

 

[CastawayBride]

As long as you know the establishment is clean the actual ice cream should be fine!!

 

[CastawayBride]

I was telling another pregnant person the soft serve rule that she didn't know about either but then she told me Olive Garden dressing is made w/ raw egg and anchovies...

I give up!

I find this hard to believe as they sell the bottles at the restaurant to take home...plus that sounds like ceaesar dressing and if not pasteurized it should be avoided...

 

[BigAl]

You can eat custard, the eggs get cooked.

I look at the rules and try to decide how sensible or not they seem. I do follow most, but I give up at some of the things people talk about. Like the US seems to be obsessed with not eating deli meat, and yet it is not an issue at all in the UK.

 

[Jinga]

A lot of these "rules", like not eating soft serve ice cream, I'd never heard about until visiting this site. I was really stressed in my first pregnancy about avoiding every "bad" food I read about, but this time around I'm just trying to be sensible. It's much less stressful for me. For the record, I have had soft serve twice so far this pregnancy, custard once, plus I had some lunchmeat early on in the pregnancy. I just make sure to buy from places that I trust.

 

[purplecupcake]

I go to Menchie's every Saturday. Yum yum!

 

[RinnaRoo]

Just don't eat anything raw, that's been sitting in an unsanitary place, used as toilet paper, or rocks, and you should be fine. There are so many rules out there, don't be stressed over the .1111% chance of getting listeria. Eat with your brain and youll be fine.

 

[kazine]

I worked out from statistics the risk of catching listeria in pregnancy is 0.003%, the same chance of your daughter growing up to be a lawyer and the same chance of cracking 3 eggs and them all having twin yolks!

 

[dairymomma]

I just ate a Blizzard from DQ yesterday (second time I've had one in 3 weeks) and I've had shakes from McDonald's with this pg too. I wouldn't worry. If you followed every pg rule and avoided everything on the 'no-no, don't eat' list, you'd be pretty limited in everything. Just use common sense and you'll be fine.

 

[mrsrof]

I ignore the "guidelines" for the most part. The only thing I don't have is liver/liver pate (because of the vitamin A content), too much oily fish (because of the mercury content) and alcohol (although I still have a glass of wine now and then when I fancy it). Oh and I'm not eating steak because I don't like it well done and medium rare tastes like liver to my preggo taste buds this time around! I spent my first pregnancy depriving myself of everything on the list, this time I have decided against that! I had a McFlurry the other day as well