Sushi and deli meat

epaprn · January 2014

Let's hear it! I've heard sushi from reputable restaurants is ok, as is deli meat from boars head. Others have said no way to both. I've also heard veggie sushi is ok as long as it isn't prepared near raw fish. Yet others say they ate both all the way through.
What does your OB say? STM's, what's your experience?

caden1206 · January 2014

I don't eat sushi, but my OB only recommends once a week. I also microwave lunch meat, again recommended by my OB. Over the years I have heard different things. I know women who ate sushi and deli meat all throughout their pregnancies and everything was ok.

RebeccaRyan · January 2014

I eat fresh deli meat (aka publix subs with boars head meat). And from good restaurants I'll order cooked sushi.

beck12803 · January 2014

As for the sushi from a reputable place, is there ever an appropriate time to eat sushi from a (pun totally intended. Haha) 'fishy' place? Lol. But I only ate the veggie ones with both pregnancies. Just in case.

I always ate/eat deli meat though. So far, so good. It's got to be whatever you're comfortable with, though.

kate6214 · January 2014

Ask your doctor. Mine was more concerned with caffeine and tuna fish. I love sushi, but can't stomach the thought of fish at all right now

AmandaR204 · January 2014

I think that stuff is totally blown out of proportion.

purplestarz · January 2014

I just realized I had sushi twice in the last two weeks (before I knew I was pregnant). Whoops! Not to mention the wine...

Personally, I'm trying not to touch anything that could be harmful until after talking to my doc.

LM915 · January 2014

Everyone is different. Personally, I never eat sushi, so that's irrelevant. I love myself a turkey sandwich, but I won't do deli meat when pregnant. Listeria scares the crap out of me.

LovingStepMom · January 2014

I love sushi and during pregnancy will eat it without raw fish (as in I make sure to get California rolls, etc).... And I ehat deli meat

hunterjumper102 · January 2014

I don't eat sushi but would imagine the veggie ones would definitely be ok. I ate lunch meat throughout my first pregnancy and never worried about warming it up.

bumpuser5078523 · January 2014

With proper food handling, moderation is key.

bumpuser5078523 · January 2014

When I had horrible food aversions all I could eat was Arbys turkey and swiss deli sandwiches. Yummy!

jg1011 · January 2014

I was pretty good my first pregnancy. Held out till around 6 month mark on sushi and then gave in. My OB said technically he was supposed to tell me no, but as long as it was from a place I knew it was fresh it would be fine. (He asked me what women in Japan do? Likely not abandon ALL fish. Likely eat it in moderation.)

As for lunch meat, I was careful. But again, if that was what I thought I could eat and stomach, that is what I ate. I tried to get fresh roast beef and fresh turkey when possible rather than regular cOld cuts.

I would say moderation is the key.

portentosa · January 2014

Mine said I can eat whatever I want in moderation. But I still follow all the rules, I don't like risking food poisoning when it affects more than me (I also scrub my fruits/veggies really well and avoid bagged salad and gardening while pregnant). It's all about what you're comfortable with.

ang2016 · January 2014

I have an early OB appointment on Monday and I have a big list of questions! I know I really want a sub from Jimmy John's!

woahbabyno4 · January 2014

I've had sushi and deli meat through three pregnancies. Both were good quality and deli meat nitrate free.

JSS1002 · January 2014

I don't understand why the brand of deli meat makes a difference - the reason it is a no-no is because of the risk of listeria, which can occur during the slicing process.

The only thing my doc told me not to eat during my last pregnancy was raw sushi, so I avoided it. I had a few turkey sandwiches,but mostly deli meat didn't sound good to me, so I skipped it. She had suggested just warming it up in the microwave if I did it (which also didn't sound good to me).

It is one of those things where it is probably fine, but if it WASN'T fine and I got sick or harmed baby, I'd feel like a moron, so I mostly just skipped it. Same with wine. My doc said an occasional glass was okay,but 1) it didn't sound good to me, and 2) I felt like I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened.

henderson1026 · January 2014

everything in moderation. lots of things carry risks, decide what you are and are not comfortable with.

brachysira · January 2014

I think it is a misconception to say that you should do these things in moderation. The problem with deli meat and sushi is that they carry with them a low risk of infection with pathogenic bacteria that pose a risk to the health of your baby. The risk is low, so it is possible to go one's entire pregnancy and not have any problem and to know many people that have. This does not mean the risk is not real, just that it is not super high. If you eat these things in moderation, you lower your risk more because the number of chances you have for exposure decreases. But that doesn't mean that you can't get exposed even if you only eat the item once--you might be unlucky and be the person who gets the bad meat on the day you choose to eat it. You might decide, my desire for a turkey sandwich is greater than my desire to do everything to avoid a miscarriage that I can. If you frame it that way, you probably would not want to take the risk, even knowing it's low.

woahbabyno4 · January 2014

JSS1002 said:

I don't understand why the brand of deli meat makes a difference - the reason it is a no-no is because of the risk of listeria, which can occur during the slicing process.

In addition to listeria, nitrates are to be avoided, which is one of the reasons hot dogs are also written off. Boars Head doesn't use nitrates, which is why the brand matters.

Kateysomething · January 2014

Cooked/veggie sushi for me. Deli meat, I am simply more careful about how long it has been unrefrigerated.

trebekastan · January 2014

reverey said:

woahbabyno4 said:

JSS1002 said:

I don't understand why the brand of deli meat makes a difference - the reason it is a no-no is because of the risk of listeria, which can occur during the slicing process.

In addition to listeria, nitrates are to be avoided, which is one of the reasons hot dogs are also written off. Boars Head doesn't use nitrates, which is why the brand matters.

The other great thing about Boar's Head is that it's gluten free...so no fillers. It's the only lunch meat I buy if I buy it at all.

Exactly. I get lunch meat from whole foods where they use a whole roasted turkey breast (read no fillers). That's where the potential risk comes in.

portentosa · January 2014

brachysira said:
I think it is a misconception to say that you should do these things in moderation. The problem with deli meat and sushi is that they carry with them a low risk of infection with pathogenic bacteria that pose a risk to the health of your baby. The risk is low, so it is possible to go one's entire pregnancy and not have any problem and to know many people that have. This does not mean the risk is not real, just that it is not super high. If you eat these things in moderation, you lower your risk more because the number of chances you have for exposure decreases. But that doesn't mean that you can't get exposed even if you only eat the item once--you might be unlucky and be the person who gets the bad meat on the day you choose to eat it. You might decide, my desire for a turkey sandwich is greater than my desire to do everything to avoid a miscarriage that I can. If you frame it that way, you probably would not want to take the risk, even knowing it's low.

Thank you! @brachysira

This is exactly why I follow the food rules despite my OB saying I can eat anything in moderation and my mom rolling her eyes and telling me she ate prime rib and corn dogs while pregnant with me.

Even in moderation, every individual time I might choose to eat something I'm taking a risk. Granted a small risk and granted I could still get poisoned by something not on the nono list (a friend of mine got botulism from canned fruit), but I prefer to do whatever I can to protect my baby. I LOVE sushi, rare steak, and eggs over easy.... but 9 months without them isnt that long.

SingleMom31 · January 2014

I don't like sushi, so that was a non issue, but I asked specifically about deli meat with my first. She said that as long as it was from a reputable place (i.e. not a gas station sub) that it didn't pose any more risk than any other food. Just for fun, I found this article - I found it interesting that the top five foods are all ones not traditionally mentioned. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2011/10/21/the-latest-on-listeria-where-the-germs-lurk/

portentosa · January 2014

@smileygirl18 Yeah, everything is a risk, I mentioned that I understand that. I also mentioned that I scrub my fruits and veggies really well (no way to scrub a cantaloupe though). Whats important to me is to minimize risk where ever I can.

Like I said in my first post, everyone has their own comfort level with this stuff. I'm not going to flame anyone for eating this stuff.

bookqueen · January 2014

I don't like sushi. I ate deli meat all through my last pregnancy and will do the same this time. I only buy the package kind (not the kind they slice at the counter.

portentosa · January 2014

@smileygirl18

I 100% agree with and do what you do (except I do allow a little caffeine) and I agree that it's a crap shoot. Nothing worth really getting worked up over. I, like you, just like to be cautious.

chardonnay24 · January 2014

During my last pregnancy, my OB said as long as I got it from a reputable and clean restaurant and deli, it would be fine. She was pretty relaxed. I didn't take any chances, though. I'm a lot more relaxed this time around, but my midwife felt obligated to tell me that if I "had" to have turkey, I'd have to steam it or face dire consequences.

I'm going to do it anyway.

caden1206 · January 2014

brachysira said:
I think it is a misconception to say that you should do these things in moderation. The problem with deli meat and sushi is that they carry with them a low risk of infection with pathogenic bacteria that pose a risk to the health of your baby. The risk is low, so it is possible to go one's entire pregnancy and not have any problem and to know many people that have. This does not mean the risk is not real, just that it is not super high. If you eat these things in moderation, you lower your risk more because the number of chances you have for exposure decreases. But that doesn't mean that you can't get exposed even if you only eat the item once--you might be unlucky and be the person who gets the bad meat on the day you choose to eat it. You might decide, my desire for a turkey sandwich is greater than my desire to do everything to avoid a miscarriage that I can. If you frame it that way, you probably would not want to take the risk, even knowing it's low.

All of this, plus my OBVIOUSLY is concerned with sushi because of potential mercury in seafood.

caden1206 · January 2014

^^^above, wouldn't let me edit...not obviously in CAPs, but OB was auto corrected. Sorry.

JSS1002 · January 2014

woahbabyno4 said:

JSS1002 said:

I don't understand why the brand of deli meat makes a difference - the reason it is a no-no is because of the risk of listeria, which can occur during the slicing process.

In addition to listeria, nitrates are to be avoided, which is one of the reasons hot dogs are also written off. Boars Head doesn't use nitrates, which is why the brand matters.

Weird. Nobody ever mentioned nitrates to me during my first pregnancy (which was pretty recent- he's only 9 months old). I ate plenty of hot dogs. I think almost every packaged food contains nitrates, doesn't it?

Sarah053009 · January 2014

JSS1002 said:

It is one of those things where it is probably fine, but if it WASN'T fine and I got sick or harmed baby, I'd feel like a moron, so I mostly just skipped it. Same with wine. My doc said an occasional glass was okay,but 1) it didn't sound good to me, and 2) I felt like I'd never forgive myself if something bad happened.

@JSS1002 - this is me too!

right now I want a bologna sandwich so bad I can hardly stand it! I know the risks, but of course I checked with my doctor's office and they said exactly what they did with my first pregnancy......"we recommend that you avoid deli meat"...........and so I do.

trebekastan · January 2014

JSS1002 said:

woahbabyno4 said:

JSS1002 said:

I don't understand why the brand of deli meat makes a difference - the reason it is a no-no is because of the risk of listeria, which can occur during the slicing process.

In addition to listeria, nitrates are to be avoided, which is one of the reasons hot dogs are also written off. Boars Head doesn't use nitrates, which is why the brand matters.

Weird. Nobody ever mentioned nitrates to me during my first pregnancy (which was pretty recent- he's only 9 months old). I ate plenty of hot dogs. I think almost every packaged food contains nitrates, doesn't it?

They are in all meats with fillers and smoked or cured meats like bacon or ham. They do sell uncured bacon now which is just as good. I don't think there is a specific risk to the baby with them in themselves, they are just know cancer causers. And then there's people who eat bacon everyday and are fine, luck of the draw I guess.

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