Eating out when you're pregnant

Although some families manage to get through a meal out without having to abandon lunch after the first course, few young children leave the restaurant table without pools of drink covering the floor and most of their dinner spilt on the chairs. It's all part of the fun of being a parent, but dining out pre-birth is certainly a luxury you should savour!
However, whilst you can keep an eye on what you're eating at home, it's not always so easy to gauge what your food contains while you're out and about. Here are a few key pointers that should help you avoid stomach upsets, food poisoning or other pregnancy discomforts.

Keeping it healthy
While you don't need to be a martyr to your pregnancy (unless you have strict dietry needs already), it is a good idea to make sure you're stoking up your system with efficient calories rather than 'empty' ones. Otherwise you might still feel full when your body is starting to flag again.
Also, it's preferable to avoid too much salt during pregnancy.
Don't be afraid to say that you're pregnant if you are in any doubt about what you are ordering and stick to places where you are confident that even the salads and vegetables will have been thoroughly washed.

Mediterranean
Mediterranean cooking and fish restaurants can be ideal for offering wider ranges of light meats and grilled fish. These places are also more likely to have lightly cooked vegetables and an appealing array salads on the menu.
If you're going Italian, olive oil dressings are a great alternative to creamy sauces. In pregnancy your basal metabolic rate goes up which means your body feels hotter, and rich sauces can set off a stomach upset far more easily, especially in warmer months.

French
Avoid dishes which use uncooked animal by products such a fresh mayonnaise with raw eggs. Make sure you request meat dishes which are well-cooked (even if this incurs the wrath of the chef!) and steer clear of the unpasteurised cheeses.

Eastern
Some women find it hard to eat very spicy food during pregnancy as this can set off indigestion. However, dishes made with good sources of protein like pulses and beans make Indian cooking a great option. With Indian and Middle Eastern dishes, you can often mix and match smaller plates, so you can pick at different flavours through your main course if you no longer have the capacity to have a starter too!

Oriental
Chinese and Thai meals which don't rely on peanuts can also be a good option for something light, and an increasing number of restaurants prepare meals without monosodium glutamate, which can be an irritant for many people.
However, uncooked meat and fish should not be eaten and a plate awash with soy sauce is also high in sodium.
There are lighter Japanese dishes (and I know a half-Japanese mother who only reluctantly gave up sushi as she believed it didn't hold any great danger) but they can be hard to find on more limited Japanese menus.

Fast food
Apart from the likelihood of increased 'empty calories', the benefit of fast food is that you can get a quick fix when that wilting feeling comes on so rapidly. Avoid fast food like chicken if you think there is a possibility it has not been well cooked enough or properly prepared, and avoid side servings of pre-prepared salads like coleslaw: listeria is a real threat in such foods.

Drinks
If you're choosing a fruit juice, make sure it's fresh rather than something that's sat in a bottle for too long. If you drink water, choose a mineral water that's as pure as possible.
Many fizzy drinks will have aspartame or saccharin in. Aspartame is preferable to saccharin but it may not be terribly convenient to browse the labels before you give the waiter your order!
If in doubt, order something you know you're happy with.

Are you sitting comfortably?
Until the law changes, many restaurants and bars will still have smoking areas. Even if you are not sitting in the middle of it, smoke from such an area can be unpleasant and potentially harmful, so don't be afraid to ask for another table.
Some restaurants go for style over content when it comes to seating, but if your chair is just a classy bit of leather slung across a metal frame, it might not offer you the support your back needs. Think, too, about the height of the table to the chair when you sit down. Now that your body is changing shape and your ligaments are loosening up, sitting in the wrong position for the duration of a meal could easily cause you more grief than before.