lunch meats

i know its been a subject here and there, but i am concerned with eating lunch meat while pg. i have read over and over that it can containe bacteria, and it should be avoided or heated. i have been craving a darn sandwich other than the veggie ones i have been eating. so i called my ob and asked, the asst said to eat as much lunch meat as i wanted. that it wont hurt. i did today!! but then i started worrying. i know you can find bacteria in everything. raw veggies are also at stake. what do you do? does you dr say its ok? with my son i craved them and had to have them all the time! im starting to get the same feeling. i guess ill just listen to what the dr says, unless you can tell me that it is really dangerous.

[toyml99]

I was told by my doc that they have never seen one case of LIsteria that comes from raw meat.  They told me to eat it and my doc said she did the whole time she was prego.  I didn't take the chance but I am an over worrier.  Everyone else I talked to ate cold lunch meat when they were preggo.  I had lunch meat but just heated it first.  I would say enjoy!

[Nicole24]

My dr. said its ok as long as it hasnt been sitting out for long. I eat it all the time.

[tiredbuthappy]

my dr also said it's ok as long as it hasn't been sitting out, and as long as it looks cooked (not pink). i avoid it at work functions where it's been sitting out for who knows how long, but we buy from the deli at the supermarket and eat sandwiches regularly.

[Darkestlight]

My sis in law ate them the whole time she was pregnant. I've been eating them. They say be careful cause of listeria, but other than that i wouldnt worry bout it. =)

[pertykitty]

thank god cause if i couldnt eat a sandwich id die!! lol. after reading the odds of getting sick from it i figured it was pretty safe. thanks you all made me feel better!!

[RockRose]

pertykitty - when you say you're craving a sandwich,  that could mean ANYTHING!   ;D

Is it the nitrates in lunchmeat that make them a concern in pregnancy?  I know hotdogs are loaded with them,  and packaged lunchmeats.  

But you can make a sandwich out of just about anything.  Really nice bread,  fresh chicken salad you make,  or fresh roast beef from your oven,  or turkey you cook,  or whatever.

Also,  if you go to the deli in the grocery store I'm sure you can get meats that don't have any nitrate preservatives in them.

[pertykitty]

sounds like you read the same article. then  you read you can get the bacteria from raw veggies and fruit as well. it can come from contaminated soil or water. it can possibly live in your intestines for a very long time, so its possible to have it in your system from a sandwich you ate months and months ago. if you dont feel comfortable eating it then definatly dont! i have never heard of anyone falling ill this way, it is so rare.

[rubyolivia]

I didn't know there was a problem with lunchmeat up until a couple weeks ago! I eat at Subway just about everyday at lunch so I kinda panicked. I asked about it at my appointment and my doc told  me just to eat it! He said it's fine as long as it hasn't been sitting out for hours on end. :)

[pertykitty]

no alcohol?? just kidding. a freakin margarita on the rocks sounds soooo good. so i bought some frozen limeade instead. just as good lol.
rr my big problem right now is raw meat. i want to puke if i see it so i havent been doing much cooking that way lol. i think ill be careful not to eat sandwich meats too often, i do enjoy my veggie or hummus sandwiches, i was just thankful to be able to eat them. its a bacteria called (i might be a little off) listeria or lysteria. but it is also found in raw veggies, in soil. thanks everyone.

[mommabean]

It's not the nitrates that make deli meat off limits, it's that deli meat can contain the bacteria listeria. Other food contaminants will stay in the digestive track, but listeria enters the blood stream so the fetus can easily be infected. Symptoms are difficult to decect and can result in stillbirth. Heating deli meats untill steaming hot will destroy the bacteria, so hot sandwiches are a safe way to go. Listeriosis IS very rare. According to the U.S. department of health and human resources,  2,500 people become seriously ill with listeriosis each year in the U.S.. Of these, 500 die. Pregnant women are about 20 times more likely than other adults to get listeriosis because of supressed immune system. About one-third of listeriosis cases happen during pregnancy.  
Personally, I'll pass on the cold cuts because if anything went wrong in my pregnancy, I want to have the peace of mind that I did everything that I could to prevent it.  Yes the chance of contracting listeriosis is very low but the chance is still there. Most people do go ahead and eat the lunch meat.

[lovethebops]

My doc has never voiced any concerns over lunchmeat, in fact, I didn't know there was ever an issue w/ it. Some of the things I was told to avoid was a lot of seafood or fish (which is fine by me, I won't TOUCH the stuff), Feta or other unpasturized cheese or foods, And raw meat, obviously and alcohol, duh..I'm sure fresh cold lunch meat is fine...

[mommabean]

ya it looks like we did ready the same article. fortunately, cooking and washing and pasturizing will kill the stuff though. it's the food that is contaminated after processing that you can't really do anything about unless you heat it. i'm just not a risk taker during pregnancy. if i know that there is a risk no matter how small, i do my best not to take it. basically if I ate the meat i would worry like crazy because that tiny chance of becoming ill is still there. sometimes i'll roast  boneless chicken breasts and slice them thin for sandwiches in substitute for lunch meat. my friends however are more laid back and eat it all. my best friend ate sushi during her pregnancy. sushi is what I miss the most. i can live with out lunch meats but i miss my sushi when i am pregnant! i think whatever the mother is most comfortable with is the way to go. during my last pregnancy i suffered migraines which can only be treated with tylonol during pregnancy. my doctor suggested to have a small cup of coffee when i felt one coming on because the caffine opens blood vessels in the head. i had a friend who reemed me for it and said it would hurt my baby. she had a glass of red wine every night during her pregnancy. to each their own, you know? like you said, it's about whatever you are comfortable with.

[pertykitty]

mamma cant you eat cooked sushi?? i just read the raw fish. id kill for a dragon roll right now mmmmmm. kinda funny drinking a glass of wine nightly is ok but a cup of coffee for a migraine isnt. everyone is so different, you are doing a great job.