tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post2766002182797218821..comments2022-11-04T15:02:27.624+01:00Comments on Potatoes and Yams: Food and PregnancyDianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14137207492303218465noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-32633497590352830512011-06-07T18:16:01.224+02:002011-06-07T18:16:01.224+02:00I have a source for salty licorice here - I just b...I have a source for salty licorice here - I just blanch at the price. And you should see what real pumpernickel costs!!! (and as long as I'm commenting again, my last comment had a very strange typo)<br /><br />I tried to read the disk of five link and am embarassed at how bad (near nonexistent) my Dutch is. Not having spoken it for 20 years has made me just a little rusty!SteveQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943650844671498074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-39550119921090263972011-06-07T15:17:07.438+02:002011-06-07T15:17:07.438+02:00The salty licorice-- ah, the memories. I actually...The salty licorice-- ah, the memories. I actually kind of got the hang of that, living in Germany. It tastes good to put a piece in your mouth and suck on it while drinking hot tea. Srsly.<br /><br />No root beer love in Japan, either--gave Yokohamapapa a sip one time in the US. He thought it was just totally weird. Kids don't like it either. *sigh* Ginger ale, though, is big, as is ginger in general--which is a very happy thing. Did you know that sweet ginger syrup in hot Chai tea is A Very Good Thing? I got addicted to that this past winter:-)<br /><br />@Sea Legs Girl-- I thought that maybe the Japanese weight gain guides were probably suitable for the average tiny Japanese woman. It wouldn't make sense for a woman who only weighs 47kg to begin with to gain 15 or 20kg. I gained around 13 or so kilos-- which was more than they liked, but I gained almost the *exact* same amount all three times, so I think it was just my body. It all pretty much came off, so I didn't worry about it.yokohamamamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098212549844656652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-55635887737776948172011-06-03T12:36:47.754+02:002011-06-03T12:36:47.754+02:00Steve,
I'm kind of curious to know what you th...Steve,<br />I'm kind of curious to know what you think the difficult questions of pregnancy are. I disagree, however, that dietary guidelines are obvious to everyone, pregnant or not.<br />Oh, no, the Dutch take their licorice very seriously, and the teas and candies here are made with real licorice. If you truly love the salty kind, I'd be happy to send some to you. I think it's disgusting, but a few million Dutch people would disagree with me. <br />Sadly, no root beer here. The flavor is absolutely not appreciated in Europe. There is also no love for ginger ale, which makes me truly sad.Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14137207492303218465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-50313590956737818812011-06-01T18:18:46.138+02:002011-06-01T18:18:46.138+02:00Personally, I think there's some plot to keep ...Personally, I think there's some plot to keep women obsessed over some basic matters so that they don't start asking difficult questions about pregnancy. The dietary guidelines are pretty obvious, I think. <br /><br />The licorice thing is interesting. In the U.S., almost no "licorice" has actual licorice in it, but is merely anise-flavored. Real licorice root, which is sweet and doesn't taste like anise, has glyocrrhizin, which can mess with potassium levels and blood pressure. I have a feeling that european licorice probably has some real licorice in it (and now I have a craving for the salty fish-shaped licorice common there and hard to find here).<br /><br />Mmmmm. If you can get real licorice, maybe you can get real root beer too (though it's extremely unlikely, given that every european I've met thinks it tastes like medicinal mouthwash), which is banned here for being supposedly carcinogenic.SteveQhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16943650844671498074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-62071462514735104142011-06-01T10:19:46.265+02:002011-06-01T10:19:46.265+02:00SLG- Oh, yes, there is a lot of love here in the N...SLG- Oh, yes, there is a lot of love here in the NL for the dairy. I love cottage cheese, and I've been eating so much of it lately. Is it popular in Denmark? It's not here, so it only comes in expensive, tiny cartons. I miss the big tubs of it that I could buy at Costco.<br /><br />Interesting that Denmark pushes the iron supplements. I've been told I'm welcome to take a prenatal vitamin if I want, but that it isn't necessary if I eat a balanced diet.<br /><br />I know that I've said it before, and I think I've mentioned on your blog that I never weigh myself. Weight guidelines make me very nervous, although any sort of preoccupation with weight makes me uncomfortable. I wonder if concentrating on a pregnant woman's weight takes away from more important discussions about healthy eating practices and appropriate levels of exercise. <br />I know that there are risks and complications associated with "overgaining" (love the word, Yokohamamama). What about women who stay active and eat well but still gain more than the recommended amount? Some women are going to gain more weight than others during pregnancy, because that's simply how their bodies are built, and pushing weight guidelines on them could lead to feelings of frustration and guilt. At least, that would be my reaction. Oy, I think I might be internalizing this too much. :)Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14137207492303218465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-921790124354551782011-05-31T19:41:58.861+02:002011-05-31T19:41:58.861+02:00Fascinating! Thanks for that. God, Holland really ...Fascinating! Thanks for that. God, Holland really does love dairy as much as Denmark. Like- what is the POINT of all of that dairy??? You are talking to someone however who eats two cartons of cottage cheese a day. Thought I hate milk.<br /><br />Intersting, too, that they tell everyone to calm down about the apsartame. I take back the stomach pumping measure I had proposed on my blog. :)<br /><br />One difference I see between Holland and Denmark is that they encourage iron - but in Denmark there is none of that- you WILL take an iron pill daily and you will LOVE how constipated you become. That is the motto. This way they get away with not testing anyone for anemia. And I guess it makes sense because basically every pregnant woman becomes anemic anyway. Although it's hard to know if it's really anemia or just a lower hematocrit of pregnancy. <br /><br />Just have to say I agree with the Japanese weight gain guidelines posted above by Yoko. I am at 6.4 kg weight gain now at 32 weeks and see absolutely no benefit in gaining MORE than 10 kgs. There are tons of risks with gaining too much, plus it is uncomfortable.sea legs girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14782712411873234071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-91436837894205565022011-05-31T17:40:39.020+02:002011-05-31T17:40:39.020+02:00Lordy-- the smell of McDonald's made me nearly...Lordy-- the smell of McDonald's made me nearly barf during the first trimester (Koshi)... during morning sickness I could handle pancakes and orange juice. Pizza crust. Crackers. Straight carbs with no oiliness or fat. Could not look at hamburgers--not even photos of hamburgers on menus. Couldn't stand the smell of ramen, either. Took years to get over that! And the smell of rice cooking-- gag! Shun thought I was insane-- until I informed him that every other *japanese* mother I'd talked to said Exactly The Same Thing, Thank You Very Much. I iz not Freaky Foreigner! I figured out by the suddenly weird smell of rice that I was pregnant the third time (Cici)! "Why does the rice cooking in the rice cooker smell so... uh oh." (Went and got Clear Blue at drugstore next day... discovered nose was not lying to me).yokohamamamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098212549844656652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-87984487211004581722011-05-31T12:12:53.364+02:002011-05-31T12:12:53.364+02:00I was hoping you'd chime in about your experie...I was hoping you'd chime in about your experiences in Japan. Are you kidding, only 8-10 kg.! I haven't heard a peep from anyone about how much I "need" to gain, but I read so often that I shouldn't be eating for two that it had me a little anxious about my gigantic amounts of food intake for a while. I've calmed down about it, but I still have my moments.<br />Nothing here about too much salt, which is a good thing for me. I seemed to live off of bags of chips and oven fries for about a month in the first trimester. Nothing hit the spot like a large intake of carbs, fat, and salt.Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14137207492303218465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-81447056280938273382011-05-31T08:47:06.592+02:002011-05-31T08:47:06.592+02:00Pregnancy as an expat--such an interesting experie...Pregnancy as an expat--such an interesting experience! The Japanese say absolutely *nothing* about consuming sushi, but overeating? I was weighed *every* time-- the weight gain restrictions are REALLY restrictive (8-10 kg. Total. Srsly.). By the time Cici came along, I just lied about my starting weight so it wouldn't look to the doctor like I was "overgaining" (is that a word?). Japanese women are also warned against eating too much salt (and so are told to avoid instant cup noodle, umeboshi, too much soy sauce, and so on). On the other hand, I liked getting an ultrasound every month:-)) There's a *lot* more I could go on and on about, but this will be way too long!<br /><br />Just take *good* care of you, sweetie! Can NOT wait to see baby pics!!yokohamamamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17098212549844656652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-43513817302637213572011-05-30T22:05:03.300+02:002011-05-30T22:05:03.300+02:00Nice to hear what your experiences have been in Am...Nice to hear what your experiences have been in America. I can tell you people in L.A. are just as paranoid about raw fish, and some of that can be pretty darn fresh. I don't go out for sushi much here, but I do enjoy herring every now and then. It's also all the other stuff I hear American women talk about, like lunchmeats or salad dressing, that don't ever come up as an issue here. I'm sure there are also very cautious eaters here, too, but I'm somewhat cut off from a lot of chit chat with other women. Such is the price of working at home by myself. I guess I'll find out more if I talk to the women in my prenatal yoga class starting next month.<br /><br />You're right to point out that the midwifery model of care is probably quite similar. I suppose I should have pointed out in my post that I was comparing my friends' experiences, which have been with OBs, with my own here. Thanks for commenting! I love you blog!Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14137207492303218465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1840850461215102383.post-69309598530469231742011-05-30T20:04:25.594+02:002011-05-30T20:04:25.594+02:00Interesting to hear your perspective!
The food st...Interesting to hear your perspective!<br /><br />The food stuff does sound less restrictive, although I wonder if part of the reason the Dutch can be more liberal would be the fact that sushi is not necessarily flown from far, far away (as it is where I am in MN) and that food practices in general are better & more regulated. But then again,there is nothing more American than being paranoid while pregnant. Ha.<br /><br />I would like to say that your midwife experience is in line with midwives here. My first appointment wasn't until 10-12 weeks (and every four weeks after that until you are much further along) and they only do one ultrasound the entire time (barring problems/concerns). The only reason they would do an internal before 36 weeks would be if you are due for an annual exam. And even at 36 weeks and beyond I could opt out of an internal. There is such a huge difference between typical obstetric care and midwifery - it's just that midwives are the norm everywhere else but here. Luckily, I live in a place with a unusually high number of midwives so it is easy for me to make that type of care seem totally normal.Navigating the Mothershiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02174295191363694422noreply@blogger.com