Confused about cold cuts - what can I eat?

[Headmeister]

I understand there's a threat of listeria with cold cuts and that you *can* eat them as long as they're heated up to a certain temp, but is it ALL cold cuts and what is the temp they need to be heated to? I ask because right now I'm craving a turkey sandwich from a local deli and I'm stumped as to whether I can even eat that or not. And, being that I'm still having food issues, to be craving something that doesn't make me gag is huge for me, so I'm sad at the thought I possibly can't have it. Help???

[busymama77]

Fresh deli meat is MUCH better than pre-packaged deli meat - that's what my OB told me. I've been eating ham and swiss sandwiches quite a bit throughout this pregnancy. What you don't want to have are any uncured meats like salami, prosciutto, carpaccio, etc., and any mystery meat like hot dogs or braunschwagger (sp?).

HTH!

[MeepyCat]

Short version: Enjoy your sandwich.

Long version: While deli meats (indeed, so far as I can tell, all food) carry a small risk of listeria, the recommendation to either avoid them or heat them is not universal - some doctors tell patients not to eat them, others feel that the risk is so small that the recommendation makes no sense.

IF you've been having issues with morning sickness and you're actually craving food (not chalk or dirt or anything clearly unsanitary), the usual recommendation is EAT IT! You need calories and nutrients!

[BlackSheepPDX]

My understanding is also that fresh deli meat is better than packaged, according to "the rules." I personally find the whole thing a bit nutsy, and I've been choosing to eat nitrate free salami and ham that I get from my awesome local market. Hot dogs are fine, assuming you HEAT them (most people do). I also think properly prepared cured hard salami is probably LESS of a risk, because it's MADE to last with out going bad. AND if you read carefully they are warning about UNPASTEURIZED soft cheeses, which you pretty much can't GET in the US. So again, I eat feta and blue cheese and whatnot. I'm also planning to eat sushi from my trusted sushi restaurant, where the fish is all previously frozen (it's fresher that way AND it kills parasites, which is the concern with sushi, other than obvious mercury content fish issues). But, I'm just one crazy lady on the internet, and I'm definitely...a black sheep.

[2sweetboysmom]

Originally Posted by BlackSheepPDX

My understanding is also that fresh deli meat is better than packaged, according to "the rules." I personally find the whole thing a bit nutsy, and I've been choosing to eat nitrate free salami and ham that I get from my awesome local market. Hot dogs are fine, assuming you HEAT them (most people do). I also think properly prepared cured hard salami is probably LESS of a risk, because it's MADE to last with out going bad. AND if you read carefully they are warning about UNPASTEURIZED soft cheeses, which you pretty much can't GET in the US. So again, I eat feta and blue cheese and whatnot. I'm also planning to eat sushi from my trusted sushi restaurant, where the fish is all previously frozen (it's fresher that way AND it kills parasites, which is the concern with sushi, other than obvious mercury content fish issues). But, I'm just one crazy lady on the internet, and I'm definitely...a black sheep.

ITA. I must be a black sheep too. The only milk my lactose intollerant stomach can take is.... Organic Pastures Raw Whole milk...you know unpasturized milk...and I'm pregnant...and still drinking it..Shhh don't tell.

[icy02]

I will say that I don't follow any "rules" regarding food and pregnancy. I TRY really hard to eat healthy. I eat some kind of lunch meat probably 5 days/week or more. I eat proscuitto, ham, turkey, etc.. and I NEVER heat it up. Yuck. That would be nasty. My point is that I've not been sick yet and not really planning on it

I eat a lot of unpastuerized cheese and I drink raw milk (yes I drink organic pastures too). Some bacteria is actually good for you!!

[judybean]

I don't follow the 'rules' either.

In fact, I found this lovely... this past weekend there was a couples retreat for some clients of my midwife (eight couples in total) and on Sunday we were sent home with sack lunches.... on the sandwiches were (ready for this?! ... .....) .. TURKEY lunchmeat and SPROUTS! Both of which are often on the 'naughty list' of foods not to eat. But, that was the meal for all the preggo women and their husbands I loved every bite of that DELICIOUS sandwich!!

[lunarlady]

My doctor told me "if it's not raw, uncooked when it should be cooked, or something unpasturized sold from the back of a truck on the side of road somewhere, go ahead and eat it."

Best advice I've ever gotten when pregnant! His only amendum to that was to watch out for murcury in some fish. But it was great to hear that I don't have to microwave my sandwhiches or go out of my way to get one that is "toasted". Eat up!

[the elyse]

[HonkyTonka]

I'm no saint when it comes to staying away from no-no foods, but I figured I should mention a few things...

The risks of listeriosis can be pretty severe (miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth or a very sick newborn). With the recent outbreaks (like the one in Canada where 22 of 57 confirmed cases died) it seems to me that the benefit of consuming listeria-prone foods may not necessarily be worth this risk.

I have avoided deli meats (except once last week) because they are filled with salt, didn't make up a huge part of my diet pre-pregnancy, and have the risk of listeria. However, I would feel better about eating deli meat from a deli (where you can see the meat sliced in front of you) than the high surface area pre-sliced meat.

Clearly, the choice is yours. Do what you feel comfortable with.

[SuzieQ3417]

Originally Posted by HonkyTonka

I'm no saint when it comes to staying away from no-no foods, but I figured I should mention a few things...

The risks of listeriosis can be pretty severe (miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth or a very sick newborn). With the recent outbreaks (like the one in Canada where 22 of 57 confirmed cases died) it seems to me that the benefit of consuming listeria-prone foods may not necessarily be worth this risk.

I have avoided deli meats (except once last week) because they are filled with salt, didn't make up a huge part of my diet pre-pregnancy, and have the risk of listeria. However, I would feel better about eating deli meat from a deli (where you can see the meat sliced in front of you) than the high surface area pre-sliced meat.

Clearly, the choice is yours. Do what you feel comfortable with.

It's interesting how different people react to potential risk (I mean this in a nice way). I read up on that Canada outbreak, and I'm amazed that despite the magnitude of contamination (220 products), only 22 died. Who knows how many actually got sick, since likely many people did not report it. Certainly being pregnant puts you at increased risk (as does being elderly or having a compromised immune system), but one of the people that died was a healthy woman in her 30s...no healthy person would ever imagine that they could die just from eating lunchmeat.

I haven't paid too much attention to the "off-limit" foods of pregnancy, though I'm not exactly going out of my way to eat them. I haven't had a whole lot of deli meat, but only because it never made up a huge portion of my pre-pregnancy diet.

As the PP mentioned, if you're ok with the risks, then by all means go ahead and eat the food...if you're not, then don't.

Personally I am a happier/calmer individual (and I believe this translates into my overall health) when I don't spend every meal questioning and worrying about the safety of each bite of food that goes into my mouth.

[Carma]

My doc. only talked about avoiding Salami etc. because of the nitrites/nitrates.
I have been eating other cold cuts, but I make sure they are freshly cut.

Carma

[mamabearsoblessed]

I had the most amazing italian roast beef sandwich last week.... mmmmm.



subbing...

Congrats on your pg Mama! You've gotten some great responses here...

[claddaghmom]

NAK

i cut out deli meats completely. it's not even listeria really. they're crap and i have enough crap in my diet as it is. watching how they are made was enough as well lol.

[Jenica]

I eat a lot of the stuff that's on the bad list. Raw milk, yogurt cheese, and cold cuts. I feel that I have less of a chance of getting sick from the raw milk products, because I know the source, than from regular milk from the grocery store.

If you want to eat the "risky" stuff but don't feel totally safe doing so, one thing you can do is take some really good probiotics. There's been studies done that show that they can help protect against food poisoning. If you have a lot of good bacteria in your gut they will fight off any bad you ingest, lessening your chances of getting sick.

[COgirl19]

reading this thread has made me desperately crave a cold Italian sub with:

Ham
Salami
Pepperoni
Provolone Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Hot Peppers
Onions
Oregano, Salt and Pepper
Oil and Vinegar
Some more hot peppers

[BlackSheepPDX]

Originally Posted by COgirl19

reading this thread has made me desperately crave a cold Italian sub with:

Ham
Salami
Pepperoni
Provolone Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Hot Peppers
Onions
Oregano, Salt and Pepper
Oil and Vinegar
Some more hot peppers

Sounds DELICIOUS! One for me, too please!

[jecombs]

I continue to eat cold cuts throughout pregnancy. If I feel like being "good" I will heat them up first. I was told to heat until steaming in the microwave and that will kill the listeria. For my microwave, this adds up to about 20 sec. worth of heating. Sometimes I don't bother though and I just eat the sandwhich!

[Hannah32]

I avoid cold cuts, but I have eaten them a few times without heating up.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

NAK

i cut out deli meats completely. it's not even listeria really. they're crap and i have enough crap in my diet as it is. watching how they are made was enough as well lol.

This is how I feel too