But doctors caution pregnant people against eating lunch meat and a few other foods because there's a slight risk of Listeria infection. Listeria is a rare but harmful bacteria that can cause a serious food-borne illness. Listeria can live in water, soil, or animal manure, which farmers use as fertilizer.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that if pregnant women want to eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, or other deli meats, the meat should be heated to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F or are "steaming hot." These products should be eaten soon after heating and should not be allowed to ...
Subway sandwiches are safe for pregnant women to eat if they're heated until hot, rather than just warm. This means either microwaved for a few seconds or having the sandwich toasted – sometimes a little more than normal.
Deli meats can carry a bacteria that's especially dangerous during pregnancy, but Teigen said microwaving them first is "a way to get around the system." Expert guidance recommends pregnant people heat cold cuts to 165 degrees F or "until steaming" to kill bacteria. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
It's best to avoid deli or processed meats, such as prosciutto, ham, salami, luncheon meat, chicken meat and other smoked or cured meats, during pregnancy. They may contain listeria or salmonella bacteria, or toxoplasma parasites. Thorough cooking will kill the bacteria and parasites, though.
However, it's still possible to get listeriosis or toxoplasmosis from eating cold cured meats. So you may want to take a cautious approach and only eat a pizza topped with cured meats if it's hot and cooked through. It may be safer and better for you and your baby to opt for vegetable-packed toppings.
According to a new study recently published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology, over 90 percent of listeriosis cases in the U.S. come from deli meat, followed by ready-to-eat (RTE) salads at just less than 5 percent.
Pregnant women are about 10 times more likely to get listeriosis than other healthy adults. An estimated 1/6 of all Listeria cases occur in pregnant women.
Cold Cuts and Deli Meat
Listeria can survive cold temps, which means there's still an off-chance they could make you sick; however, chicken that has been recently cooked and is still under the warmer is fine. Bottom line: Avoid deli meat straight from the counter, but you can eat it heated up.
Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking. Cold cuts are now sprayed with a food additive that helps prevent Listeria before packaging. You don't need to panic if you are pregnant and have been eating deli meats.
You should avoid all raw or undercooked fish when you're pregnant, though many types of fish are safe to eat when fully cooked. Raw fish, including sushi and sashimi, are more likely to contain parasites or bacteria than fully cooked fish.
CDC estimates that Listeria is the third leading cause of death from foodborne illness, or food poisoning, in the United States. An estimated 1,600 people get sick from Listeria each year, and about 260 die.
Listeriosis can cause mild, flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, and diarrhea or upset stomach. You also may have a stiff neck, headache, confusion, or loss of balance. Symptoms may appear as late as 2 months after you have eaten something with Listeria. Many pregnant women do not have any symptoms.
It is important to note that while listeriosis can be a very severe illness, the number of cases reported in Australia each year is relatively rare, with around 60 total cases reported to health departments each year.
During pregnancy, Listeria infection occurs more frequently in the third trimester (66%), and in most cases, the maternal sickness is usually mild with non-specific symptoms (fever, flu-like syndrome, plus abdominal and back pain) or even asymptomatic.
Listeria infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, and preterm labor. Listeria infection can cause serious illness and even death in newborns.
Symptoms usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria, but may start as early as the same day or as late as 10 weeks after. Pregnant people usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness. People who are not pregnant usually have fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.
Listeria strikes hard at pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. If you, or someone you make food for, are pregnant, 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system: Reheat hot dogs and deli meats to steaming hot or 165° F just before serving.
There are plenty of foods to indulge in while pregnant, but there's also a short list of foods to avoid. From raw fish to cookie dough, these food items are prone to harbor some potentially nasty bacteria that could be harmful to you and baby. One such off-limits item? Deli meat and cheese.
You're safe to eat some milk and dairy foods, including: All hard cheeses, such as cheddar, Parmesan or Gruyere. Pasteurised semi-hard and soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, paneer, ricotta, halloumi, cream cheese, cheese spreads, or goat's cheese without a white coating on the outside (rind)
What Do Italian Women Eat During Pregnancy? Italian women try to eat as normally as possible, being sure to increase their protein intake and staying away from unpasteurized cheeses and cured meats. They stay away from steak because Italians don't enjoy well done red meat.
Can you eat chorizo when pregnant? Pepperoni, parma ham and chorizo are cured meats which have not been cooked and potentially contain bacteria. However, pregnant women can eat these meats is they have been safely cooked to a high temperature.