[yummyfajitas]

We only say "no" when we have actual evidence that some activity is harmful....We do it because we as a society love to control women, their behavior and their bodies, and pregnancy offers a great opportunity to exert that control.

This latter theory is a bit silly.

In fact, we say "no" to all sorts of things regardless of evidence that the activity is harmful. Examples include modafinil, steroids and various other brain and body enhancers. More commonplace examples include salt, fat, carbs, second hand smoke, marijuana, gluten and foods not present in the cave man era.

[rayiner]

I'm not familiar with the side effects of steroids, etc, but nobody tells pregnant women that they shouldn't eat any salt, any fat, any carbs, etc. Nobody freaked out at a restaurant when my wife ordered a nice ribeye or a piece of chocolate cake.

[yummyfajitas]

You miss the point. Without evidence, "they" tell everyone (pregnant or not, male or female) to avoid all sorts of things for imagined or minor harms.

And if you decided to light up and expose others to harmless secondhand smoke, "they" certainly would freak out.