Deli Meats? Someone told me not to eat Deli Meats since I'm pregnant?

Question

This week I ate "Subway" cold cut trio almost every day... I was craving for it.... but then I see all this information to avoid deli meat cause it can cause birth defects. Am at risk? What are the signs of listeria infections anyways? Also, when I bought my sandwiche, I made sure that they microwave the meat. Is my baby going to be fine?

Answer 1

I believe this risk is of listeria, here's what I found:
Listeria

You can get very sick from some ready-to-eat foods if you wait too long to eat them. The sickness is called Listeriosis. A germ called Listeria causes it. It's unusual because it can grow at refrigerator temperatures where most other foodborne bacteria do not. You can't see it, smell it, or taste it. Only heat can kill it, but if heated food cools, listeria may grow again.

You should avoid some foods and take special care with others to prevent listeriosis.
Who's at risk?

* Pregnant women and their unborn babies
* Older adults
* People with cancer, AIDS, and other diseases that weaken the immune systems.

How can I reduce my risk?

* Keep your fridge set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
* Use precooked and ready-to-eat foods as soon as you can.

Danger: Avoid These Foods

All pregnant women and others at risk should not eat certain foods.
Don't eat soft cheeses:

* Mexican-style soft cheeses including: queso blanco, queso fresco, queso de hoja, queso de crema and asadero
* feta, brie, Camembert, blue cheese, and Roquefort
* cheeses made from raw milk.

You don't have to cut all cheeses from your diet. Cheese can be a good source of protein, vitamins, and calcium when you are pregnant.

These cheeses are safe to eat: hard cheeses (such as cheddar and Swiss); semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella, pasteurized processed cheeses such as slices and spreads, cream cheese, and cottage cheese.
Don't eat refrigerated smoked seafood right from the package:

* This includes salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel. They might called "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." It is safe to eat smoked seafood if it is cooked in its dish, like a casserole.

Canned seafood is safe. Examples are canned salmon or tuna in a pouch.
Don't eat refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads. Canned meat spreads and pâtés are safe.
Don't eat raw (unpasteurized) milk or foods that contain raw milk.
Be Careful With These foods

* Ready-to-eat foods: Hot dogs, cold cuts, lunchmeats, deli counter meats, and other ready-to-eat foods. Eat these foods only if they're reheated until steaming hot. Even cured meats such as salami must be heated.
* Meats and seafood: Cook these all the way through. Stay away from rare meat and seafood.
* Leftovers: Reheat all until steaming hot.
* Fruits and vegetables: Listeria can grow on some fruits and vegetables. Do not buy sliced melon. Wash all fruits and vegetables with water. Scrub hard produce such as cucumbers and melons with a clean produce brush.

How can I keep my kitchen safe?

* When you buy pre-cooked or ready-to-eat foods that go in the fridge, use them as soon as you can.
* Clean your fridge often.
* Make sure that the fridge always stays at 40 degrees F or colder. Use a refrigerator thermometer.
* Read labels. Follow instructions on foods that must be kept in the fridge or have a "use by" date.
* Wash your hands with warm soapy water after you touch raw foods. Wash any knives or other tools you used with hot, soapy water before you use them again.

You can get sick from two to 30 days after you eat food. Pregnant women can start early labor if the infection spreads to the unborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you get any of these symptoms:

* Fever and chills
* Headache
* Upset stomach
* Throwing up

Answer 2

I also ate cold deli meat while I was pregnant as well because I was unaware at the time that it "could" be harmful and contain that nasty bug listeria. My doctor told me not to worry about it though because the chance that the piece of salami or ham or whatever I ate that day containing listeria was pretty minimal. My daughter was born perfectly normal and healthy, has all fingers and toes :) and I had no problems immediately after the BIG BAD deli incident! So don't worry too much.Try to avoid it if you can (along with the other 500 things you need to stay away from while pregnant lol) and just relax and enjoy your little kicking monkey. Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy.

Answer 3

When I was pregnant I didn't eat deli meat because you cannot trust that is is thrown out within 5 days of opening which is usually guidelines. I worked in deli once with a horrible manager and he would redate the meat so he wouldnt have too much loss. I did go behind him and throw them out. But it does happen. You should be fine because you can smell when it goes bad, but I would be careful with deli's. You can ask delis in grocery stores to open a new pakage for you when you buy it if the one they are using doesn't loo fresh enough for you!

Answer 4

You are fine. JUst make sure you tell them to heat it like you said you did. I ate many subway sandwiches cold before I ever read anything like that about Listeria. So have many other pregnant women and they and their babys are all fine. You are fine :)

Answer 5

you can eat deli meats--as long as you are eating them at home.
you need to heat them in the microwave to 'steaming' hot.
same thing with hot dogs.
and eat them in moderation--maybe one or 2 times a week.--not daily.

if you can get them to heat the meat for you at subway--you should be fine, otherwise order the hoagie and take it home where you can pop the meat in the microwave before eating.

some of the only stuff I could eat for the first 5 months of my pg--were plain bland things like sandwiches, my nutritionist said that was fine as long I heated them so that they were steaming.

Answer 6

eating deli meats will not hurt your baby any more than breathing in all the pollution that is in the air. you'll both be fine. eat what you want to.

Answer 7

If you microwaved it, you should be fine. My doc told me that heating for 20 seconds will kill the bacteria.

Answer 8

i wouldn't eat them pregnant or not...not on a regular basis.
eat fresh cooked chicken and lots of fresh vegetables!
but your baby will be fine regardless. eating healthy would be better though. take your prenatal vitamins, don't drink alcohol, take any drugs or smoke!

Answer 9

Hmmmm.... I have not heard that one.