Preggo? It's OK to Have a Little Vino

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.” (More pregnancy stories.)