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Preggo? It's OK to Have a Little Vino

Gourmet foods are safer than most assume

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 18, 2008 2:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – Pregnant gourmands can stop panicking about sipping on the occasional—heck, daily—glass of wine, writes Lesley Porcelli in Gourmet. “The health people have not been talking to the food people,” and many warned-against drinks and dishes are fine in moderation. Porcelli’s research freed her to enjoy “eating rare steak, runny eggs, and soft cheeses” during her pregnancy, even if she had to deal with the ever-so-helpful judgments of colleagues.

Take the dictum on soft cheeses, for instance. The real danger isn't the cheeses themselves but those made with unpasteurized milk, and the FDA already bans them in this country. The alarm over sushi is similarly unfounded. Porcelli even discovered that a moderate amount of caffeine or wine is OK, “but try telling that to the waiter who skips right over you when taking everyone’s drink order.”

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Pregnant women may not need to worry so much about what they eat, writes Lesley Porcelli on gourmet.com. In this photo, a pregnant woman holds her stomach June 7, 2006 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

One glass of wine per day should cause no harm to an unborn fetus, writes Lesley Porcelli on gourmet.com. (Flickr)

Lesley Porcelli discovered that moderation is key when it comes to caffeine during pregnancy, she writes on gourmet.com. (Flickr)

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Keeping up a widely varied diet ultimately felt like the best possible way to nourish my developing baby. And striking my own balance regarding risk and reward seemed like a pretty good way to prepare for motherhood. - Lesley Porcelli, Gourmet

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Preggo? It's OK to Have a Little Vino