Deli Meat Dilema

From the CDC: Listeria and Pregnancy - Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, or deli meats unless they are reheated until steaming hot. (added 160 degrees)

So you could heat and then refridgerate?

I skipped deli meats just to be safe, I soo had a ham sandwich at the hospital!

Yeah unfortunately you need to just stay away from all deli meats...you could heat them but to me that is gross :( I have had 3 babies and after every single one my hubby has gone and gotten me a footlong subway the minute I gave birth lol. Listeria is nothing to mess around with, and like another M. said, it is not a "dose dependent" thing so it doesn't matter if you just have it every once in awhile... one time is all it takes. Just do veggie sandwiches with avocado for now... or be boring like I was and just do cheese can mayo. lol

Hi N., if you pop it in the microwave before making a sandwich to warm it up. 140 degrees or up kills foodborn bacteria.

Congrats!

:)

i know some people are saying don't worry about it but i would avoid deli meats (unless you do the reheating til sizzling bit) just to be safe. it's not a matter of how often you eat it, it's just a matter of if the one you happen to eat has the bacteria and then bam, you get it. so technically you could eat it once and get listeriosis (or whatever it's called) and it's pretty serious. just fyi. :) be safe!

Dont be scared! I craved deli turkey sandwichs the last 4 months of my pregnancy. I ate more deli turkey than i usually eat in a year. My twins turned out just fine.... Its one of those things that is recomended but if you find yourself eating a sandwich dont freak out...your mom probably ate a sandwich while she was pregnant with you.

You can cook a turkey or a ham and feast on it for a week.. No need to visit the deli!!

DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Listeria can harm your unborn baby. My co worker lost her baby in her 5th month due to eating contaminated deli meat. In most people small doses will not do anything or will make you slightly sick but in pregnant women it has deadly consequences.

I heated my meat until sizzling but was very glad to go back to normal after the baby was born.

My doctor said heat it to "steaming" in the microwave, or the same time it takes to make it "sizzle"

if you like to eat hotdogs, do the same but cut them in half lengthwise first. You can also pan-fry sliced meats till they steam or sizzle- just make sure you do both sides of thicker things like bologna. The meat at the meat dept has to be cooked as well because the offending bacteria can remain on the cutting blades... harmless amount to most people except pregnant women.

If you go out to eat at subway or quiznos or a similar place, get your sandwiches toasted. If you are making your lunch ahead of time for work... cook the meat, wash your hands, and make your sandwich and package it up like normal... then you can eat the sandwich cold at work like usual, because the bacteria should all be dead already (if it was present).

Keep in mind that the risk is actually very low... and like most things in pregnancy the biggest risk is early on.

Other tips for foods-
you CAN have califonia rolls or other sushi rolls that use cooked meats if you are a fan of sushi.
You can use wine or beer in cooking, the alchohol will get cooked off with a few minutes of heat.
you can eat red meats that are cooked to "medium" (pink but not red, with no blood)
Most things are ok in moderation... you may have a cup or two of coffee- but not a pot, for example.
use common sense... most fish can be eaten up to once a week, just don't go on a seafood binge. Vary your lunches so you aren't just eating turkey sandwiches every day- that way you will lessen you possible exposure anyways.

Good Luck!
-M.

The fresh deli meat is OK if you pop it in the micro for a few seconds. Warm it up (just in case), let it cool and enjoy!

My dr. told me it was better to eat the pre-packaged stuff than the stuff fresh from the deli. I felt the same as you. You can heat it up thoroughly and then it is ok to eat, but to me that is just not the same. My Dr. said that you have to eat it while it is still hot, no heating it up and letting it cool down because then the bacteria can grow. I had a very hard time with that. : ( That was actually the first thing I asked for after I had the baby - my favorite deli sandwich, "The Old Smokey" - LOL

The ham & turkey at the deli is FAR from a ham or turkey breast being sliced up! LOL It's all made into a liquid then formed and sliced up.

Bake a ham, a turkey breast....

But keep in mind a deli ham sandwich O. in awhile is not going to be detrimental.

I was always told you could eat it, but had to cook it first. I'm not a big deli meat eater so I went without, but I had hot dogs at a bbq before I knew I was pregnant and my son was fine. They are a little overkill now with all the do's and don'ts of pregnancy. I'm not saying you shouldn't follow your dr's advice, but you can get so paranoid that you freak out over everything you eat during your pregnancy.

I'm 32 weeks pregnant and have been enjoying deli meat and soft cheese at the same quantity I did before knowing I was pregnant. I've never (to my knowledge) had listeria. I have the occasional hot dog and even caffeine up to the recommended limit of mg. To each her own, of course - I won't judge anyone who chooses to play it safe. All I'm saying is that me and the wee one are a-okay so far.

I've had deli meats from the deli counter for both pregnancies... I get Boar's Head which is gluten and preservative free. Nitrates are in many foods you eat, not just deli meats. The listeria thing... that happens with commercially packaged milk products too... Truthfully - I don't think you have anything to worry if you get your meat from a well known and high standing deli-grocery store.

***ADDED***
I did some quick research... seems that out of 3,000,000 Americans, only 2500 people get it a year. The worst culprits seem to be bologna, salami, ham and soft cheeses.

What the person should have told you is to avoid meats that contain nitrites and/or nitrates. Next time you're at the grocery store look at the labels for "nitrite-free". There is one we used to get at Tom Thumb but I can't remember.

Avoid if possible (I did with both mine) but when I HAD to have a sandwhich because the only thing around - I just heated up the meat.
I ditto that I ate more than my fair share of peanut butter sandwhiches - LOL!
Also, consider "making your own" with grilled/baked chicken breasts thinly sliced at home.
Good luck!

My midwife told me that the fresh/deli cut was the worst for harboring listeria, but the pre-packaged stuff was 'okay" to eat in limited amounts. It's the nitrates/nitrites in those that cause a problem, but the listeria is less likely in pre-packaged than deli-cut.

We've done sunbutter (peanut butter alternative: allergy) sandwiches for lunch a zillion times this pregnancy! Sometimes we'll use raisins rather than jelly/jam, and my dh does dill pickles on his (ewww to me, but whatever!)

Salads are also super easy to do, especially with cubed cheese! We buy them prepackaged to make it even easier.

Talk to your dr. about the specifics. I want to say if you microwave the meat for 30 seconds, it kills all of the possible bacteria and you can still have the deli meat.

My dh is a dr and he thought it was ridiculous since the chances are SUPER super rare but his sis is also a doc and she did not eat any of it during her pregnancies. I played it safe and avoided them but did have a sandwich with nitrate-free meats once in awhile. It sucked because I could live off sandwiches! If they are heated there's no issue so you can go that route too...you could ask a million docs and they would all have different opinions, it's really just up to you and if you're okay taking that super rare chance...

The Tofurky brand makes awesome fake deli meat. In the produce section of any Kroger or Whole Foods.

I would suggest getting low sodium and MSG free deli meats.

So, I asked my doctor about this just last week. I'm 10 weeks pregnant. My last pregnancy I avoided all deli meats and sub sandwiches. When I asked him about it though, he said out of all the many many women he has seen over all his years, he has never seen or met one woman that came down with listeria from deli meats. That being said, he said he would definitely avoid the meats that are cut from the deli. Those are the most dangerous because the meat is handled a lot and sits there. The safest meats are the prepackaged meats especially the nitrate free ones. Then he said to follow the directions and consume within 7 days of opening. He thinks Subway subs should be safe because the meat is usually fresh there because of the quantity they go through. He did recommend having the sandwich toasted just to be on the safe side. Good luck!

http://www.babycenter.com/406_is-it-safe-to-eat-deli-meat...

It's not just deli meats that you shouldn't eat. It's all cooked meats because bacteria can grow in them at refrigerator temperatures. That said, it's OK to eat all cooked meats, including deli meats, once they're heated to a steaming temperature.

This article gives more info that could help you decide what is safe and not safe.

I avoided it for the most part, packaged, deli or otherwise, but I did indulge every few weeks because it's hard to cut yourself off from everything. Although the chances are slim to none that you'll encounter listeria, it will make you sick and you'll get over it, but it's lethal to babies. I would put it on the "try to avoid" list, and just be picky about where it's coming from when you do decide to eat it.