Afraid to eat certain foods???

Question

Hello There!
I am 5 weeks pregnant and I was reading in my preggie books to be careful of getting Listeriosis. I don't want to eat any that will harm me or the baby but I love lunchmeat sandwiches and mayo. I haven't eaten any of that stuff since I found out that I was pregnant, should I not eat them or is it ok every now and then if the food comes straight from the frige or is prepared right??? Any advice???

Answer 1

I enjoy lunch meat and mayo as well. My baby is 8 months old now, but I was super paranoid during my pregnancy too. I surely didn't abstain from mayonaise, because I never heard that it was bad for you. I did eat subs from Subway all the time as long as the meat was heated until it was steaming. Just warm the meat first to kill any bacteria if there is any. :) Enjoy!

Answer 2

Hot dogs and lunchmeat should never be eaten unheated...your sandwiches are ok as long as the meat is microwaved first (think hot ham n cheese). You are correct that listeria can be a hazard from these foods...you will want to be careful eating too often though hot dogs and such are filled with junk parts and these foods can be high in fat and salt and nitrites, which are not good for you OR baby. Just eat them in moderation and heat em up. Also to be avoided are soft cheeses (brie, bleu for example) and Great Lakes fish, tilefish, swordfish and such b/c of high mercury content. Ask you doctor for a complete list...

Answer 3

"Pregnant women... are about 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis. About one-third of listeriosis cases happen during pregnancy." - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Heat your luncheon meats first since listeriosis can thrive in refrigerated conditions.

Some people may say "I was fine and so was my baby" just as there are some people that smoked while pregnant whose children turned out alright, but is it really worth the risk?

Answer 4

They say to decrease the risk of listeriosis you should heat your deli meat. This does not apply to meat that comes in the package. Just make sure you don't eat anything unpasturized, and aviod the following fish: Shark, King Mackeral, Tuna (not in can), Swordfish, and Sushi.

Answer 5

Oh God - eat the lunchmeat and enjoy it! I've ate lunch meat with each pregnancy and have never had any issues. If you want to be really safe, microwave it for a few seconds to heat it and you should kill anything harmful - if there is anything.
I swear the 'no lunchmeat' thing has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've heard this time around!!! They are just going way over board with what you should or shouldn't do.
Go with your gut and follow your instincts and you'll be fine!

Answer 6

Hi! Im 5 weeks pregnant too and this issue has been KILLING ME lol - i love love love sandwiches and have been craving them but I heard the same thing as you, so I havent chanced it. Im going to the Dr on 2/5 so Ill just see what she recommends. Better to be safe than sorry but my mom says years ago they ate it and all was fine. Congrats to you and have a good pregnancy :)

Answer 7

My doctor told me NO processed lunch meats and be careful (extra careful) on the dates and watch sodium content. So no bologna, sausage, hot dogs or stuff like that and nothing that was not inspected (like venison or elk, etc). If you eat lean turkey, ham or chicken it's fine. I ate sandwhiches my entire first pregnancy and my daughter is fine...and still eating them now and so far I am fine! My best advice for lean, good meat is the deli department! They have less sodium than the packaged stuff too. Good Luck, hope it helps!

Answer 8

they say no because it has bad stuff that can live on it it OK for us when we are no pregnant but when pregnant it can harm the baby when i was pregnant i didn't eat any of that stuff so it your choice what you think is right for you

Answer 9

Lunch meat is fine, in moderation of course. Here are some foods you SHOULD avoid while pregnant:

Raw meat such as sushi, seafood, rare or uncooked beef, or poultry because of the risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.
Raw eggs, or foods containing raw egg such as Caesar dressing, mayonnaise, homemade ice cream or custard, unpasteurized eggnog, or Hollandaise sauce because raw eggs may be contaminated with salmonella.
Soft cheese such as blue cheese, feta, Brie, Camambert, and Latin-American soft white cheeses such as queso blanco and queso fresco because they may harbor harmful bacteria.
Fish containing accumulated levels of mercury in their fatty tissues such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish. When a pregnant woman consumes large amounts of mercury, her baby may suffer brain damage resulting in developmental delays (for example, delays in learning to walk or talk).
Fish containing high levels of an industrial pollutant called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their fatty tissues such as bluefish and striped bass, and freshwater fish such as salmon, pike, trout, walleye from contaminated lakes and rivers. According to the March of Dimes, consumption of large amounts of PCBs by pregnant women is linked to decreased attention, memory, and IQ in their babies. Check with your local Health Department to determine which fish in your area are safe to eat.


Hope this helps. Congrats and Good Luck.

Answer 10

Eat what you would like to eat and eat it in moderation, you know they only started with all these rules in the last couple years, my mom says that back in her day they didn't worry about stuff like this, they skip their period, they went to the doc and yep they were pregnant, they didn't change their diets or anything and all of their kids were fine.