beer ok as marinade for steak?

[ashadanzatrice]

ChristinaR - as far as i know, they say artificial sweeteners are a no no for developing brains, so limited or no diet sodas. the soft serve thing is to do with the machines they use to make/serve it - can harbor bacteria, same as listeria in deli meat, no big deal to an adult immune system but could overwhelm a fetus/an infant.

danidance - word.
as for the foodie question, i always heard maceration specifically referred to fruit, but you're right - really the same thing. though i have never done a fruit/beer combo. ;^)

[SummerSahar]

Originally Posted by ChristinaRizkallah

You are obviously an expert so thanks for posting your contribution. I also read that there are varying degrees of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and that after so many milileters of ingesting alcohol you increase the changes of the baby developing this and that. For example "x" number of milileters can cause such and such and "X" more number of milileters and cause this and that. I don't have the statistics in front of me. I also read that you most definitly want to shy away from alcohol in your third trimester because they baby will develop most of its brain in this time frame and that binge drinking even once or twice in your third trimester can have harmful effects. But of course, I am digressing because Jessenia's original topic had nothing to do with binge drinking!

Hey Christina! I'm hoping someone hasn't answered this already because I haven't read past your post yet...

FAS is considered a no-threshold effect,much like cancer is, because research hasn't been able to pinpoint any kind of concrete dose which triggers a response in the fetus (the response being FAS). The theory is that FAS can POTENTIALLY occur with very low doses of alcohol, providing that dose is administered at the most opportune time in a fetus' development and taking into account that this particular fetus is ultra-sensitive to alcohol. Cancer is the same way: one molecule of a known carcinogen can potentially start the pathway which may ultimately lead to a tumor. This is unlike, say, ibuprofen, where we KNOW 100-250 mg is the most common and general dose we know of that will produce the desired effect of reducing pain. Ibuprofen has a threshold ("X" amt produces an effect). Nobody really knows what the effects of "X" milliliters of alcohol will do to any given fetus. Some fetuses may be able to handle multiple doses of alcohol in high concentrations, others may be ultra sensitive to alcohol and one shot of buttershnapps runs the risk of brain damage. There's no known threshold, or lowest dose, at which FAS occurs. We just know it's a developmental toxin, hence the prop 65 warnings on alcohol bottles. But again, this is most relevant in the beginning of the third trimester when the baby's brain is taking shape.

Again, I hope that makes sense. I totally geeked out there! :-) I hope I'm not scaring you, Jes! Like I mentioned before, the alcohol would all be cooked out of the marinade, so you're fine!

[shaynaz]

just in case you need something simple for the next time...
lemon juice, butter and garlic!!! we do this everytime we BBQ

i also keep Paul Newmans Balsimic vinigarette salad dressing on hand...its wonderful on steak!

[jesennia]

Ahh you guys rock I love discussions like this..so thanks for posting. Yes, beer for me not a concern as I don't like it and except for a very infrequent urge to sip some wine (I don't yet) I don't care for alcohol.

Ashadanzatrice I'm sooo there with you. BTW when are you due? I would never want to do anything to harm the baby before he was born or after but the list of no-no's is well...like I said I think a lot of it has to do with avoiding lawsuits. We all know the mom who drank a few before she found out she was pregnant..baby is fine. etc. I can tell you I am a lot more relaxed about this pregnancy than before ..the lack of stress alone is a big plus. I'm old and settled. Own a home, swim daily etc. My mom would love it if I parked on a couch and waited for the baby ..I think my doc would too :) I know preg women who ski, have had a few drinks, SURF (you should have seen the stares when I got out of the water last night during a five foot tall wave saga hehehe) . Not saying everyone should do those things. But yes I'm with you and in fact I've had soft serve a couple of times and adore Subway :)

i can make a mean spaghetti with a blast of red wine

[ashadanzatrice]

i'm due 8/29, so are you in september?

yep, i'm more relaxed this time too. thank God. it's so much easier on everybody!

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Thanks. Coincidentally, my husband and I were talking about the soft serve ice cream and he also said it had more to do with the machines they kept the soft serve in and not cleaning them properly or enough.

Originally Posted by ashadanzatrice

ChristinaR - as far as i know, they say artificial sweeteners are a no no for developing brains, so limited or no diet sodas. the soft serve thing is to do with the machines they use to make/serve it - can harbor bacteria, same as listeria in deli meat, no big deal to an adult immune system but could overwhelm a fetus/an infant.

danidance - word.
as for the foodie question, i always heard maceration specifically referred to fruit, but you're right - really the same thing. though i have never done a fruit/beer combo. ;^)

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Thanks for your explanation. Yes, I did read that if alcohol is consumed at certain times (such as third trimester) it can have an adverse effect on the fetus because apparently the fetus does most of its brain development in the third trimester. The possibility may be miniscule, but since I am naturally paranoid to begin with, I would just abstain completely!

Originally Posted by trakgrl99

Hey Christina! I'm hoping someone hasn't answered this already because I haven't read past your post yet...

FAS is considered a no-threshold effect,much like cancer is, because research hasn't been able to pinpoint any kind of concrete dose which triggers a response in the fetus (the response being FAS). The theory is that FAS can POTENTIALLY occur with very low doses of alcohol, providing that dose is administered at the most opportune time in a fetus' development and taking into account that this particular fetus is ultra-sensitive to alcohol. Cancer is the same way: one molecule of a known carcinogen can potentially start the pathway which may ultimately lead to a tumor. This is unlike, say, ibuprofen, where we KNOW 100-250 mg is the most common and general dose we know of that will produce the desired effect of reducing pain. Ibuprofen has a threshold ("X" amt produces an effect). Nobody really knows what the effects of "X" milliliters of alcohol will do to any given fetus. Some fetuses may be able to handle multiple doses of alcohol in high concentrations, others may be ultra sensitive to alcohol and one shot of buttershnapps runs the risk of brain damage. There's no known threshold, or lowest dose, at which FAS occurs. We just know it's a developmental toxin, hence the prop 65 warnings on alcohol bottles. But again, this is most relevant in the beginning of the third trimester when the baby's brain is taking shape.

Again, I hope that makes sense. I totally geeked out there! :-) I hope I'm not scaring you, Jes! Like I mentioned before, the alcohol would all be cooked out of the marinade, so you're fine!

[ChristinaRizkallah]

I think you are right, a lot of the prohibitions have to do with lawsuits and if people don't know the outcome or results or if the results haven't been studied on the fetus, etc... then they will err on the side of caution and just tell you to abstain since they don't know the effects. If you read the pregnancy books that you can buy in the store, they are very conservative and it makes sense that they take this approach. Also, a lot of women who drink beer will drink before they find out they are pregnant. A lot of women find out they are pregnant by having a missed period. This triggers them to take the pregnancy test and they find out that they are already 4-6 weeks pregnant. Its true that often the beer you drank or even drugs you took won't have any affect at that early stage. Regarding the stares you get, a lot of people just don't know how pregnant women are supposed to "behave" so they see you doing something that is contrary to what they think is correct (not that they know) and then they just give your stares. I read that ear plugs and mini blinds for your eyes should be essential wear in any pregnant women's daily maternity clothing!! I also knew mothers who smoked two packs of ciggarettes a day and still gave birth to healthy babies!! A lot of it is just about randomness and probability.

Originally Posted by jesennia

Ahh you guys rock I love discussions like this..so thanks for posting. Yes, beer for me not a concern as I don't like it and except for a very infrequent urge to sip some wine (I don't yet) I don't care for alcohol.

Ashadanzatrice I'm sooo there with you. BTW when are you due? I would never want to do anything to harm the baby before he was born or after but the list of no-no's is well...like I said I think a lot of it has to do with avoiding lawsuits. We all know the mom who drank a few before she found out she was pregnant..baby is fine. etc. I can tell you I am a lot more relaxed about this pregnancy than before ..the lack of stress alone is a big plus. I'm old and settled. Own a home, swim daily etc. My mom would love it if I parked on a couch and waited for the baby ..I think my doc would too :) I know preg women who ski, have had a few drinks, SURF (you should have seen the stares when I got out of the water last night during a five foot tall wave saga hehehe) . Not saying everyone should do those things. But yes I'm with you and in fact I've had soft serve a couple of times and adore Subway :)

i can make a mean spaghetti with a blast of red wine

[HotDogYogini]

well this is a little off the main topic of this thread - but - I ignored much of the pregnancy exercise no-nos - & was fine & my baby was fine. i did read a good book by a physical therapist & consulted my yoga teacher. i modified some things but totally ignored others because I thought they did not have any good basis.

It's amazing to me some of the off the wall things which are presented to pregnant women as fact. People are still being told to rest in bed for a problem pregnancy for example. My midwife said that was bull.

I wouldn't advise drinking alcohol tho. That does have a basis in fact.

I think it's fine to drink a little wine while breastfeeding. My midwife recommended that & I did do it.

Based on my experience, it might not be a good idea to eat hot lentil soup, tho! (I dropped a hot lentil on baby's head & she did not like it!)

[SummerSahar]

People are still being told to rest in bed for a problem pregnancy for example.
I ignored much of the pregnancy exercise no-nos - & was fine & my baby was fine.

It just totally all depends, Yogini. My best friend, for example, will HAVE to stay in bed for the last 2-3 months of her pregnancy (should she decide to get prego) because when she was 18, she had to have a huge chunk of her cervix taken out due to the possibility of cancer. There's not enough cervix to keep a baby IN her if she wants to get pregnant, and carry until the baby is full-term so the last few months of her pregnancy will have to be in bed.

As for the no-no's, a big factor on whether or not no-no's will affect a baby is how susceptible the baby and mother are to certain chemicals (this has to do with out biochemical pathways and metabolism). I wouldn't poo-poo all the no-no's as nonsense because there ARE super-sensitive subpopulations that would have very adverse effects to a substance that more resistant people (like yourself and your baby) wouldn't ever have. At this point, the no-no's are there as a general rule of thumb because we currently have no way to test in utero which babies are sensitive to what substances and which are more resistant. Most will agree it's best to play it safe in case your baby is one of those sensitive ones!
:-)

[ChristinaRizkallah]

Some women may be confined to bed rest for medical purposes. For example, your doctor may confine you to bed rest. If you are young, healthy, excersize and drink your 8-10 glasses of water a day, eat well and don't gain too much weight, and are considered a low-risk pregnancy and have experienced an uncomplicated pregnancy thus far, its doubtful your doctor will confine you to bed rest. There are some women who have to take an early maternity leave if their pregnancy is complicated; they are high risk; they are carrying multiple fetusus (another reason for the bed rest towards the end of the pregnancy and the severe back pains because of all the weight you are carrying); they have hyptertension; diabetes; high blood pressure. But if you are none of the above, then you are better off staying active and about up to when you go into labor.

Originally Posted by HotDogYogini

well this is a little off the main topic of this thread - but - I ignored much of the pregnancy exercise no-nos - & was fine & my baby was fine. i did read a good book by a physical therapist & consulted my yoga teacher. i modified some things but totally ignored others because I thought they did not have any good basis.

It's amazing to me some of the off the wall things which are presented to pregnant women as fact. People are still being told to rest in bed for a problem pregnancy for example. My midwife said that was bull.

I wouldn't advise drinking alcohol tho. That does have a basis in fact.

I think it's fine to drink a little wine while breastfeeding. My midwife recommended that & I did do it.

Based on my experience, it might not be a good idea to eat hot lentil soup, tho! (I dropped a hot lentil on baby's head & she did not like it!)