Game meat and pregnancy

[rwc]

First - congratulations! It's a rough road at times, but a lot of fun to be had too.

Unlike the rest of us, it appears Dale actually IS a doctor.

We were advised to be careful about parasites and heavy metals, and my wife read just about every pregnancy book out there. Throughout my wife's pregnancy we ate venison regularly (four hours of cooking a ragu = no worries). Like someone else mentioned she couldn't abide the smell of poultry cooking, and we stayed away from fish by and large and the pelagic ones in particular (we might have had a MT trout or two and some salmon...).

A cautionary note - it's easy to worry about all the dangers out there and forget the simple stuff. We ended up at the hospital early because of dehydration. Bedrest due to pre-term labor is no fun for anyone...

Stay safe and best wishes to all three of you.

 

[stevelyn]

Hmmm... meat with parasites or meat from growth hormone injected cattle. Tough call.

I call BS. If you cook the meat properly then she shouldn't be worried about it.

We have whole villages full of people who were raised on wild game from the womb to adulthood. I call BS on this one too.

 

[sc1911cwp]

Toxoplasmosis

A disease usually associated with being around cat feces, but in fact it affects most North American mammals. Prevention is the key. Adequate cooking kills the parasite. Use a meat thermometer. Equally important is using gloves while handeling raw meat. Wash ALL utensils and plates that have been in contact with raw meat before using them again with cooked food or you will inoculate the cooked food.
I did not see where you are from. Fish in some states usually contain contaminates that are monitored by State DNR's. In my state, SC, we instruct women of child bearing years who are pregnant or considering it, to minimize eating fish from certain areas during preganacy. I suggust you check your state.
Overall, good hygiene and cooking practices minimize the dangers associated with wild and domestic foods.
BTW, did you know the biggest user of antibiotics in the country is the animal husbandry industry? Antibiotics are everywhere. That and there misuse has led to why there are many resistant strains of bacteria that are no longer respond to some therapies.

 

[sumpnz]

kb4 - We're in AZ, though for fish we usually eat salmon, and mostly wild caught Alaskan silver salmon.

For taxoplasmosis, we're well aware of those dangers and the necessary precautions.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I would say that you are probably 100 times more likley to pick up a parasite from a carcass that was handled in a packing plant than one which was handled in the wild.

Think about the differences in a packing plant vs a high mountain meadow as far as pathogenes are concerned. I have two healthy wonderfull children who's mom ate almost nothing but game meat while they were incubating.

Game meat is the most healthy form of protien on the planet.PERIOD!!!

If you don't believe me take a little tour through a packing plant one of these days. It is a true eye opener!

 

[sumpnz]

H&H - I've driven past a packing plant. That was bad enough.

Heck, I'm just happy that I was able to get my mom to try some elk last night at dinner. My sife still didn't eat it, but that's just as well since she probably would have thrown it up if she had. Once that 1st trimester is over it should be a lot better.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Just let me know when your gonna cook up some of those steaks and I'll drive up and eat her portion.

 

[Delmar]

"Just let me know when your gonna cook up some of those steaks and I'll drive up and eat her portion."

Thats why men cannot get mad-cow disease. Men are pigs

 

[sc1911cwp]

I'm glad your living a healthy lifestyle. What's important is not necessarily what you see, but what you don't. Just take proper precautions is what I am stating is important. Fish, no US standards exist for inspection of fish vs meat that I am aware of. Regardless of what you eat, the preparation ,or lack thereof, could make you sick enough to maybe wish you were dead. Parasites exist that are are undetetable except for the use of a microscope. As far as wild vs a packing plant, I'll stick to what I practice in the hospital on a daily basis. I'll tell you this, there are some really WILD things in the world and third world nations.They'll killl you just as easily as a packing plant or vice versa. BTW, I'm glad I live in the US.

 

[KriegHund]

Wild meat will be far better than store crap.

Lets do a google search, shal we?

"Foods obtained through recreational or subsistence activities are not regulated under the Food and Drug Act and Regulations and they are not regularly inspected by provincial or federal officials (2). Many provinces regularly monitor wild foods, particularly sport fish and wild game, for possible chemical contamination. They regularly publish documents advising consumers about the safety of specific species of sport fish and wild game according to their size or age and where they are taken (3). The safety of sport fish and wild game or other food obtained through subsistence activities depends entirely on consumer awareness of such consumption advisories and knowledge of the source of these foods.
Practical Considerations

* Inform women who may be eating sport fish and wild game of the potential risk of chemical contamination.
* Contact your local, regional or provincial health office or the provincial ministry of environment or natural resources for specific advisories in your area.
* Inform women of childbearing age, pregnant women and children that they should limit their consumption of shark, swordfish and fresh or frozen tuna (excluding canned tuna) to one meal per month.
"

From http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrit...ines-lignes_directrices_nationales-06g_e.html

 

[sc1911cwp]

I am focusing on the preparation, not the source. Give me the healthiest meat you have and if you contaminate it, what's the point? A better sickness? BTW, I am well aware of your posting as I dispensed that info for many years as a BSN/RN. Now lets discuss breastfeeding

 

[pauli]

i came in here afraid that somebody was trying to impregnate a big hunk of venison

 

[sc1911cwp]

It may come to that yet. Stay tuned.

 

[scout26]

Now lets discuss breastfeeding

Whadda wanna know ???

(Husband of NICU BSN/RNC)

 

[sc1911cwp]

Ha Ha

 

[Atticus]

am focusing on the preparation, not the source.

I think you're close to the real answer there. Eating properly handled, stored, and cooked meat is not likely an issue. Exposure to pathogens while handling UNCOOKED meat during preparation is a far bigger issue.
'Wild game' could also include rabbit and such, which could put her at risk of contracting tuleremia. Personally, I wouldn't worry about eating the elk- but it is just for 40 weeks...so if it's a concern to her, don't push it.