Ham-Nitrites?

robinsonr810

I heard that you can't have hot dogs because of the nitrites so I'm obviously avoiding those. But then I noticed that my deli meat ham (that I only eat HOT to kill the possible Listeria) contains sodium nitrites. Are the nitrites just best to not eat a lot of them, or should I be avoiding my deli meat ham as well? Before I knew about them having nitrites I had talked to my dr about deli meats and all he said was make sure they are hot, he didn't mention anything about ham having nitrites and to stay away. So just wanted to get some thoughts from others on this subject. Thank you!

allelsefaild

robinsonr810 said:

I heard that you can't have hot dogs because of the nitrites so I'm obviously avoiding those. But then I noticed that my deli meat ham (that I only eat HOT to kill the possible Listeria) contains sodium nitrites. Are the nitrites just best to not eat a lot of them, or should I be avoiding my deli meat ham as well? Before I knew about them having nitrites I had talked to my dr about deli meats and all he said was make sure they are hot, he didn't mention anything about ham having nitrites and to stay away. So just wanted to get some thoughts from others on this subject. Thank you!

No hot dogs? Oops. I had 2 on Thursday. Oh well.

Then again, I also ate a cold sub from Jersey Mike's on Wednesday.

Bad me.

ETA: now this is all I can think about:

cleblanc18

You can have hot dogs as long as they're cooked at high temps....

robinsonr810

So the sodium nitrites aren't harmful?

allelsefaild

I've never heard of sodium nitrates being harmful personally. However, I'm also not one to freak out and completely stop eating foods I love because I'm pregnant.

allelsefaild

I know with the lunch meat, it's the risk of Listeria, not sodium nitrates. I've also read multiple times that the risk is incredibly reduced as long as you get it from a reputable source. Hence, my super sub dinner Wednesday.

MissPink818

Nitrites can apparently cause a variety of diseases, and becomes carcinogenic when heated. It's one of the things I try to avoid as best as I can but it can be tough. It's hidden in certain 'natural' sandwich meats under the name 'cultured celery extract'. Everything in moderation though. I try to avoid sandwich meats during my pregnancy but it's hard because I love a good sub!!

julie1445

Theres nitrates in a lot of food that we eat naturally. Such as beets, broccoli, garlic, cucumber to name a few. Theres been studies that products like hotdogs and sandwich meats which use natural nitrate vice sodium nitrates are actually have higher levels of nitrates. Personally mideration is everything, nothing wrong with a hotdog or bacon every once in a while.. Just not all the time

ohdrama09

If I wasn't eating lunch meat here and there I wouldn't be eating period.  It stays down.  

divinemsbee

Moderation moderation moderation. Personally, we buy nitrite/nitrate free bacon (Applegate farms and Pederson's are two brands I really like, Applegate's turkey bacon is the best I've ever eaten). I buy uncured or in-house roasted lunch meats when I get them, which have lower levels. That said, the siren call of the Costco hotdog is hard to resist. So I have one every once in a while.

melsner

I don't plan on cutting out hot dogs or deli meat from my diet. That being said, I don't eat those things often so I'm not worried about it.

julie1445

Mmmm costco hotdogs... And poutine. So hard to resist each time

Lalala2326

There is no hard and fast research on nitrates/nitrites particualrly in pregnancy. There has been some evidence at increasing cancer risk, but nothing has been conclusively linked. Like others said, I think best is moderation. I knew all this when pregnant with my daughter and just ate it in moderation, and I'm doing the same this time. I limit deli meat/hot dogs/etc... because they are just not as healthy as alternatives, and I limit bacon/sausage/etc... cause its just not that healthy and my cholesterol skyrockets in pregnancy anyway (was around 350 when I got tested end of pregnancy for life insurance with my daughter). Did I eat ham anyway at Christmas? yes. Did I make ham and bean soup out of the leftovers and eat that too? yes. Do I continue to put ham on the menu every week. No. If you look hard enough you will find there are a LOT of things (particularly preservatives like nitrates/nitrites) that have controversial evidence suggesting they are harmful. I do my best to just make sure I'm eating as varied a diet as possible and as many whole fruits/veggies/unprocessed meats/etc... as I can.

KimC2010

Oops! I've been eating a turkey sandwich everyday for lunch. I only use two slices and I heat it until my cheese starts to brown. I don't even know what else to eat for lunch. I'm afraid of raw veggies because of listeria, but I only have an hour and 10 min each way from work to home. I know I shouldn't eat canned soup because of bpa in the can lining. This eating for pregnancy is kind of difficult.

SummerOH

You can largely eat whatever you ate pre-pregnancy. I eat sushi, lunch meat, soft stinky cheese, coffee, occasional wine in the later trimesters, etc. Today I had sunny side up eggs for breakfast. Don't be ridiculous and put yourselves in a bubble.

allelsefaild

SummerOH said:

You can largely eat whatever you ate pre-pregnancy. I eat sushi, lunch meat, soft stinky cheese, coffee, occasional wine in the later trimesters, etc. Today I had sunny side up eggs for breakfast. Don't be ridiculous and put yourselves in a bubble.

This. Now to get my husband to be on the same page so I can stop sneaking around eating these things.

kcebeling

If only pot brownies made the acceptable list. *sigh*

Lalala2326

KimC2010 said:

Oops! I've been eating a turkey sandwich everyday for lunch. I only use two slices and I heat it until my cheese starts to brown. I don't even know what else to eat for lunch. I'm afraid of raw veggies because of listeria, but I only have an hour and 10 min each way from work to home. I know I shouldn't eat canned soup because of bpa in the can lining. This eating for pregnancy is kind of difficult.

Okay don't be crazy on the veggies and BPA thing. Wash your veggies and use fresh when possible, but you get exposed to BPA just form handling grocery store receipts. You are going to have an insanely ridiculous time trying to figure out what to feed your baby when you start solids if you go this black and white on stuff. I remember one lady back when my daughter was almost 1 that kept complaining that she was terrified trying to find things to feed her baby because everything was harmful (BPA, nitrates, pesticides, arsenic contamination, etc...) She was going so nuts the poor kid had only had a handful of different foods at almost a year old and she was worried about her nutrition once she stopped formula at a year old. Try to just eat a variety and keep everything in moderation or you aren't going to be able to eat anything and end up depriving both you and your baby of necessary nutrients and a healthy appreciation of good foods.

Whether you choose to avoid some of the more controversial ones (alcohol, unpasteurized dairy, etc...) is up to you, but please do not just start avoiding everything potentially harmful - because that is the vast majority of food out there.

SummerOH

quietdownfiish said:

SummerOH said:

You can largely eat whatever you ate pre-pregnancy. I eat sushi, lunch meat, soft stinky cheese, coffee, occasional wine in the later trimesters, etc. Today I had sunny side up eggs for breakfast. Don't be ridiculous and put yourselves in a bubble.

I also eat all the things. I even had a few sips of a Bellini on NYE. I have zero guilt.

Me too! Minus the peach stuff. OK, It was straight up champagne. A whole, delicious glass of it. Paced out with food. Yummm.

diwersen

My question is about deli meat??(Maybe that calls for a new thread but I'm too paranoid of the "education" that comes with starting a thread that's already been started.

I've heard you're supposed to microwave deli meat but that sounds scarier than just eating the meat? After 9.5 weeks of no appetite I had THE BEST turkey wrap from new seasons and I can't wait for another one.

Also, baby and I survived food poisoning at 8 weeks; is that what listeria is?

kcebeling

@diwersen‌ Listeria is a type of food poisoning, but not all food poisoning is listeria. Some ladies on the board believe that you are more likely to get listeria from cantaloupe than lunch meat and many have enjoyed deli sandwiches and seem to be fine. It really boils down to your own comfort level.

kamarks08

I just wanted to say I've had three hot dogs this week. They were delicious.

I also want Jimmy Johns right meow.

No regrets.