Pregnancy Menu

[Sapphire723]

Hi Everyone,

 

For those of you who have cruised while pregnant or accompanied someone who cruised while pregnant, were you able to let the staff know and have them recommend dishes that meet recommended guidelines? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to pick apart the ingredients of each dish and ask the server separately about everything or if they'd point out which dishes were safe like they might for someone who was gluten free.

[ozarkmama]

Having 3 children and 5 grandchildren as well as being around many pregnant friends and relatives I have to ask why in the world a person would need a special menu just because they are pregnant? :rolleyes:

[Queen of Oakville]

I can't imagine the servers being trained on this area. There certainly aren't any menu indicators.

 

How much are you modifying your diet?

 

It's been a while since I was pregnant, but I just followed the basics, no sushi, no alcohol, no caffeine, avoid certain fishes, no blue cheese.

 

I'm sure there was more but that's what I recall. In this case, I would think it easy enough for me to look at the menu and pick what suited me. If you are just following the basic guidelines, then you can certainly self-monitor and don't need the wait staff to help guide you.

 

 

 

You mention having to review each ingredient, which sounds like a pretty detailed restriction.

[patty1955]

Having 3 children and 5 grandchildren as well as being around many pregnant friends and relatives I have to ask why in the world a person would need a special menu just because they are pregnant? :rolleyes:

Same here. I've never eaten any thing on a cruise that I would have thought twice about while pregnant. Drink is another thing . . .

[DavidYYC]

Hmmmmm -

 

Not sure what a pregnancy menu actually is?

 

You eat an extra 200-300 calories a day, make sure you get plenty of protein, whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid cold cuts and soft cheeses for ?? no of weeks. Don't eat fish that might have mercury in it. Don't drink alcohol...

[Algebralovr]

The only things I didn't eat while pregnant were raw fish (in sushi, although I ate meatless sushi) and undercooked meat. No guidance needed from the waiters on that!

 

oh, and I guess the beverage package might not be necessary, unless the partner wanted it, in which case there are plenty of no - alcohol drinks included in the package.

[cherylroslyn]

Hi Everyone,

 

For those of you who have cruised while pregnant or accompanied someone who cruised while pregnant, were you able to let the staff know and have them recommend dishes that meet recommended guidelines? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to pick apart the ingredients of each dish and ask the server separately about everything or if they'd point out which dishes were safe like they might for someone who was gluten free.

Do you do that at Applebee's?

 

Like all mothers since time out of mind you will evaluate the menu and eat what you deem appropriate.

 

Why on earth would you leave such a choice to a waiter?

 

Rule of thumb is if you think something might be an issue....you probably shouldn't eat it.

 

Clams on the half shell, ahi tuna, certain fish with high levels of mercury......

 

 

You don't need a waiter from Indonesia to help you with that I'm sure......

 

 

P.S. congratulations on your pregnancy, relax and don't over think it....

 

Be very careful about the sailing guidelines for tem restrictions however....Don't sail after the recommended date.

[Sapphire723]

I can't imagine the servers being trained on this area. There certainly aren't any menu indicators.

 

How much are you modifying your diet?

 

It's been a while since I was pregnant, but I just followed the basics, no sushi, no alcohol, no caffeine, avoid certain fishes, no blue cheese.

 

I'm sure there was more but that's what I recall. In this case, I would think it easy enough for me to look at the menu and pick what suited me. If you are just following the basic guidelines, then you can certainly self-monitor and don't need the wait staff to help guide you.

 

 

 

You mention having to review each ingredient, which sounds like a pretty detailed restriction.

 

This is my first pregnancy and it was a hard one to come by at that, so I may be erring on extra cautious. That being said, there's so many things they tell pregnant women to avoid these days, and I didn't realize how much of it was in some of the foods I might regularly eat.

 

Here's just a few of the things that I can think of off the top of my head. Typically, I end up having to look up certain things if I'm not sure.

 

 

• No sushi
  
• no booze
  
• caffeine <200mg/day
  
• no lunch meat
  
• no raw egg
  
• no unpasteurized milk
  
• no cheese made with unpasteurized milk
  
• no unpasteurized juice
  
• no bacon with nitrates
  
• no sausage with nitrates
  
• no raw meat
  
• no meat that isn't well done
  
• no fish with high mercury content
  
• limited fish with other levels of mercury (preferably wild caught)
  
• no hot dogs
  
• no raw shellfish
  
• liver
  
• pate containing liver
  

[Sapphire723]

Do you do that at Applebee's?

 

Like all mothers since time out of mind you will evaluate the menu and eat what you deem appropriate.

 

Why on earth would you leave such a choice to a waiter?

 

Rule of thumb is if you think something might be an issue....you probably shouldn't eat it.

 

Clams on the half shell, ahi tuna, certain fish with high levels of mercury......

 

 

You don't need a waiter from Indonesia to help you with that I'm sure......

 

 

P.S. congratulations on your pregnancy, relax and don't over think it....

 

Be very careful about the sailing guidelines for tem restrictions however....Don't sail after the recommended date.

 

I will be sailing at the end of my first trimester which is ok for cruising but still in the danger zone for miscarriages.

 

I do end up questioning ingredients in dishes at restaurants if I'm not sure what's in something, but it gets kind of annoying and I hate having to make someone go check on stuff. I would feel obnoxious doing that every single meal for a week. Mostly, I think I'm a little worried that I might have a random aversion to certain things while on board. For example, a simple salad should be fine at most restaurants, but last week the sight and smell of lettuce made me ill so I had to come up with safe alternatives. Also, I end up looking up things on my phone if I'm not sure, and I won't have unlimited access to that while at sea.

[gek]

This is my first pregnancy and it was a hard one to come by at that, so I may be erring on extra cautious. That being said, there's so many things they tell pregnant women to avoid these days, and I didn't realize how much of it was in some of the foods I might regularly eat.

 

Here's just a few of the things that I can think of off the top of my head. Typically, I end up having to look up certain things if I'm not sure.

 

 

• No sushi
  
• no booze
  
• caffeine <200mg/day
  
• no lunch meat
  
• no raw egg
  
• no unpasteurized milk
  
• no cheese made with unpasteurized milk
  
• no unpasteurized juice
  
• no bacon with nitrates
  
• no sausage with nitrates
  
• no raw meat
  
• no meat that isn't well done
  
• no fish with high mercury content
  
• limited fish with other levels of mercury (preferably wild caught)
  
• no hot dogs
  
• no raw shellfish
  
• liver
  
• pate containing liver
  

 

Wow. I don't mean to upset you but that is just weird. Where did you get this info from?

 

Unless you have proper, qualified medical advice to the contrary there are just two basic rules:

1) Avoid alcohol

2) Eat lots

[DavidYYC]

This is my first pregnancy and it was a hard one to come by at that, so I may be erring on extra cautious. That being said, there's so many things they tell pregnant women to avoid these days, and I didn't realize how much of it was in some of the foods I might regularly eat.

 

Here's just a few of the things that I can think of off the top of my head. Typically, I end up having to look up certain things if I'm not sure.

 

 

• No sushi
  
• no booze
  
• caffeine <200mg/day
  
• no lunch meat
  
• no raw egg
  
• no unpasteurized milk
  
• no cheese made with unpasteurized milk
  
• no unpasteurized juice
  
• no bacon with nitrates
  
• no sausage with nitrates
  
• no raw meat
  
• no meat that isn't well done
  
• no fish with high mercury content
  
• limited fish with other levels of mercury (preferably wild caught)
  
• no hot dogs
  
• no raw shellfish
  
• liver
  
• pate containing liver
  

 

 

No sushi - don't order it

 

no booze - if the menu says flamed in brandy, don't order it.

 

caffeine <200mg/day - Maybe just stop drinking tea and coffee and coca-cola etc.

 

no lunch meat - easy

 

no raw egg - avoid scrambled eggs or omelette that may be undercooked

 

no unpasteurized milk - pretty sure all the milk on the ship will be pasteurized

 

no cheese made with unpasteurized milk - ditto

 

no unpasteurized juice - ditto

 

no bacon with nitrates - don't eat bacon

 

no sausage with nitrates - ditto

 

no raw meat

no meat that isn't well done - don;t eat meat, or ask for it very well done

 

no fish with high mercury content - avoid fish

 

limited fish with other levels of mercury (preferably wild caught) don't eat fish

 

no hot dogs - easy enough...no-on is going to smuggle a hot-dog into your food.

 

no raw shellfish - easy enough, Don't order it.

 

liver - don't order it

 

pate containing liver - don't order pate.

[gek]

Wow. I don't mean to upset you but that is just weird. Where did you get this info from?

 

Unless you have proper, qualified medical advice to the contrary there are just two basic rules:

1) Avoid alcohol

2) Eat lots

 

On second thoughts, who am I to criticise. First pregnancies are a worrying time and you don't need more stress from jerks like me trying to make you feel stupid.

 

All I would say is that the stress of worrying about what foods you can eat is probably more risky than actually eating those foods. Just relax and enjoy your cruise :)

[Sapphire723]

Wow. I don't mean to upset you but that is just weird. Where did you get this info from?

 

Unless you have proper, qualified medical advice to the contrary there are just two basic rules:

1) Avoid alcohol

2) Eat lots

 

These are pretty standard American guidelines for pregnancy eating.

[Sapphire723]

On second thoughts, who am I to criticise. First pregnancies are a worrying time and you don't need more stress from jerks like me trying to make you feel stupid.

 

All I would say is that the stress of worrying about what foods you can eat is probably more risky than actually eating those foods. Just relax and enjoy your cruise :)

 

Thanks for this. I know America has much more strict guidelines for pregnant women than other countries, and I think our culture tends to shift much more blame to the mother if a problem occurs. I'm trying to be reasonable about all the crazy restrictions, but it's hard, especially when it was difficult for me to conceive.

[Sapphire723]

don't order it

 

 

Thank you ever so much for your extremely helpful advice. Obviously, you have never tried to avoid all of these foods (and other ones who you may have forgotten at the time and end up trying to look up)while trying to ensure they're not ingredients in dishes you haven't prepared while trying to get something into your system that doesn't make you want to throw up.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Sapphire723

[DavidYYC]

For the record, this is Mrs DavidYYC, and I have been pregnant three times.

 

I ate bacon and real sausages, drank coffee when I could stand it, loved liver (something I don't usually like) and probably ate tinned tuna too. The cold cut thing had not become an issue either, so I almost certainly ate ham etc.

 

This really is a matter of common sense and mild caution, rather than fervent menu dissecting.

 

...and if something makes you feel queasy - don't eat it.

 

Good luck and relax.

[Queen of Oakville]

{{{sapphire}}}

 

Don't drive yourself crazy with everything you read on the internet.

 

Especially since this is your first pregnancy and one that was hard to come by - you WILL drive yourself crazy with worry and caution. BTDT.

 

As others have mentioned, pasteurized food is what you will find on the ship.

 

At the end of day, follow common sense.

 

My kids were born in 06/07 and we didn't have the nitrates concern for meats back then. I ate regular bacon and lots of it. I also ate all my meat medium-rare. I had two healthy pregnancies, albeit a son with peanut allergies (and I ate a lot of peanut butter while I was pregnant with him). But at the end of day, you can't rely on what any of us have said/done/experienced. Talk to your doctor to see if he/she shares your concerns and look to them for advice and guidance.

 

Best Wishes for a safe and healthy pregnancy!

 

 

and GEK - that was a nice turnaround and apology. well done.

[Sapphire723]

{{{sapphire}}}

 

Don't drive yourself crazy with everything you read on the internet.

 

Especially since this is your first pregnancy and one that was hard to come by - you WILL drive yourself crazy with worry and caution. BTDT.

 

As others have mentioned, pasteurized food is what you will find on the ship.

 

At the end of day, follow common sense.

 

My kids were born in 06/07 and we didn't have the nitrates concern for meats back then. I ate regular bacon and lots of it. I also ate all my meat medium-rare. I had two healthy pregnancies, albeit a son with peanut allergies (and I ate a lot of peanut butter while I was pregnant with him). But at the end of day, you can't rely on what any of us have said/done/experienced. Talk to your doctor to see if he/she shares your concerns and look to them for advice and guidance.

 

Best Wishes for a safe and healthy pregnancy!

 

 

and GEK - that was a nice turnaround and apology. well done.

 

Thank you for the well wishing. I'm doing my best to not get wound up about the small things, but I did run down the list of things I knew off hand with my doctor and she agreed that these were foods I should avoid until the baby arrives.

 

Other things I'm currently giving up based on my doctor's recommendations are medication for my ADHD (which is making working and getting things done wonderful), electric blankets (great when it's below zero this week!), hot yoga, my monthly 1.5 hour deep tissue massage (down to 1 hour prenatal massage) along with the .5 hour hot tub time at the spa, facial peels, laser hair removal, and spray tans. I'm not sure if these are all standard in other countries, but in the US, it seems like the doctors are leaning towards recommending caution. Or at least my doctors are.

[Iamcruzin]

Hi Everyone,

 

For those of you who have cruised while pregnant or accompanied someone who cruised while pregnant, were you able to let the staff know and have them recommend dishes that meet recommended guidelines? I'm wondering if I'm going to have to pick apart the ingredients of each dish and ask the server separately about everything or if they'd point out which dishes were safe like they might for someone who was gluten free.

Congratulations. Can I assume that you are a first time mother? The first time is always special. Just follow the Doctors orders. I will tell you that when my wife was pregnant with our first born son he developed fluid around his heart at about 6 months into the pregnancy. As it turned out he had a reaction to caffeine. Once my wife cut out all of the caffeine the condition cleared up. With the second child she couldn't look at meat for 6 months and was nauseous for the first three months. What I'm trying to say is that nature may dictate your diet.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Iamcruzin

[monicajay]

With so many food choices I would think being pregnant on a ship would be really easy.

 

No need to ask the waiter, you've already listed what you can and can't eat.

 

There won't be any unpasteurized food on a ship. If there is fish or bacon in a dish it will be mentioned on the menu.

 

I think you are over-thinking all this. Relax and enjoy your cruise.

[Turtles06]

OP: congratulations on your pregnancy.

 

No one is going to smuggle sushi into your chicken. Your list of foods you want to avoid are easily avoided, as noted above. If you are worried about being queasy, why are you even getting on a cruise ship, where even non-pregnant people often suffer seasickness? And why go at a time when you seem to be worried because you are still at risk of a miscarriage?

 

Maybe you should reconsider whether this is an ideal time for a cruise, given your worries.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Turtles06

[Iamcruzin]

This is my first pregnancy and it was a hard one to come by at that, so I may be erring on extra cautious. That being said, there's so many things they tell pregnant women to avoid these days, and I didn't realize how much of it was in some of the foods I might regularly eat.

 

Here's just a few of the things that I can think of off the top of my head. Typically, I end up having to look up certain things if I'm not sure.

 

 

• No sushi
  
• no booze
  
• caffeine <200mg/day
  
• no lunch meat
  
• no raw egg
  
• no unpasteurized milk
  
• no cheese made with unpasteurized milk
  
• no unpasteurized juice
  
• no bacon with nitrates
  
• no sausage with nitrates
  
• no raw meat
  
• no meat that isn't well done
  
• no fish with high mercury content
  
• limited fish with other levels of mercury (preferably wild caught)
  
• no hot dogs
  
• no raw shellfish
  
• liver
  
• pate containing liver
  

Most of this list I wouldn't eat on a good day.

[Sapphire723]

OP: congratulations on your pregnancy.

 

No one is going to smuggle sushi into your chicken. Your list of foods you want to avoid are easily avoided, as noted above. If you are worried about being queasy, why are you even getting on a cruise ship, where even non-pregnant people often suffer seasickness? And why go at a time when you seem to be worried because you are still at risk of a miscarriage?

 

Maybe you should reconsider whether this is an ideal for a cruise, given your worries.

 

It seems as if many of these things are easily avoidable, but after going out to eat a few times, I realized that sometimes it's harder to avoid certain things as it may not be an apparent ingredient as per the menu listing. It's not outrageously impossible, but I do sometimes have to ask about things. The whole point of my post was to see if there was already a system in place that easily identified this sort of thing like they might have for other dietary restrictions.

 

Thank you for your concern on whether or not I should go on my pre-pregnancy planned vacation. Seeing as how I have been cleared by my doctor to go, I will brave the possibility of feeling sick on my balcony in the Caribbean rather than feeling sick at home when it's below zero out.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Sapphire723

[Sapphire723]

Congratulations. Can I assume that you are a first time mother? The first time is always special. Just follow the Doctors orders. I will tell you that when my wife was pregnant with our first born son he developed fluid around his heart at about 6 months into the pregnancy. As it turned out he had a reaction to caffeine. Once my wife cut out all of the caffeine the condition cleared up. With the second child she couldn't look at meat for 6 months and was nauseous for the first three months. What I'm trying to say is that nature may dictate your diet.

 

Thank you for the congratulations and for sharing about your wife. This is my first pregnancy. I'm doing my best to remain calm and not overly cautious. However, I figured I would enjoy my vacation (last one before kids!) the most if I thought of my concerns ahead of time and researched them. This way I can just focus on relaxing while onboard.

[Orator]

First, congratulations!

Second, if you have any concerns just ask to meet the Executive Chef. This is a common practice for those who have dietary issues. You will find him (or her on Connie) to be helpful. They may even offer to prepare some special meals for you.