Deli meat?!

kmrose22 · December 2015

I'm new to posting so I'm not sure if this has been discussed yet! The other day I ate a leftover deli roast beef sandwich and I'm kind of freaking out about it! I did nuke it for 2 minutes! Anyone have anything to ease my mind! Thanks

kbrands7 · December 2015

My OB just said to heat meat until it sizzles to be safe. It's the risk of listeria that is the major issue with lunch meat. I would think that eating heated leftovers is safe. Some worry about nitrate content too, but not all doctors seem to be concerned about that.

babykasper · December 2015

Haha! There was a post about what we are all doing that we aren't supposed to and tons of us commented we were still eating sandwich meat!

I actually asked my doctor at my appointment on Tuesday because we eat all organic food, and I've been dying for a turkey sandwich! She said as long as I cook it (microwave it or toaster oven first) it's perfectly fine! She said the bacteria on it is what they worry about, but if you cook it... Like you did... It's fine!

She did say limit it though... Because of the preservatives and nitrates! So enjoy and don't beat yourself up!

lalala2004 · December 2015

If you heated it up, you're fine. Sometimes I don't even do that much!

Kennedy0830 · December 2015

Guess I should start warming up all of that salami I've been inhaling lately... 'Pregnancy Rules' are hard.

doozer1345 · December 2015

I was told it's better to have deli meat than the stuff in a container. I always get my lunch meat from the actual butcher/deli. The fact you nuked it makes you better than me.

jumpy57 · January 2016

My doctor told me not to worry about it. Since I like to research everything I checked the CDC website and the incidence rate is really really low. I love sandwiches and often go to Jimmy Johns.
https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/statistics.html

concreteayngel · January 2016

When I'm in the mood for turkey, I have a sandwich made at the deli where the turkey is sliced fresh. It's the prepackaged junk that you really have to worry about.

I've even had salami a couple times. I'm in the "Most of these rules are horseshit" camp.

PYLWhammy · January 2016

My OB said that as long as it's not coming from a sketchy place, not to worry. He said don't even bother heating it up.

Kennedy0830 · January 2016

Did it again. No self control for the salami (sliced from the deli)... I'm having a salami baby and not ashamed.

kmrose22 · January 2016

So apparently cheese sliced at the deli is bad too?! I just ate a grilled cheese from a deli. I can't keep up with everything that's a no-no!

laurenmdrn16 · January 2016

Basically, you shouldn't eat anything that would give the average person (pregnant or not) food poisoning. If you have eaten from the deli a million times and never had to be hospitalized for listeria poisoning, I doubt that just because you are pregnant they have suddenly started using bacteria-infested meat and cheese. I too think that we get a little too hung up on the Pregnancy Rules. Obviously, some are really important like not smoking or drinking excessively, but things like deli meat, tuna fish, and cheese are fine in moderation. Just steer clear of sketchy gas station sandwiches that have been sitting out forever. But I would recommend that to anyone, pregnant or not!

gamommyx3 · January 2016

laurenmdrn16 said:

Basically, you shouldn't eat anything that would give the average person (pregnant or not) food poisoning. If you have eaten from the deli a million times and never had to be hospitalized for listeria poisoning, I doubt that just because you are pregnant they have suddenly started using bacteria-infested meat and cheese. I too think that we get a little too hung up on the Pregnancy Rules. Obviously, some are really important like not smoking or drinking excessively, but things like deli meat, tuna fish, and cheese are fine in moderation. Just steer clear of sketchy gas station sandwiches that have been sitting out forever. But I would recommend that to anyone, pregnant or not!

I feel like you're saying that 7-11 sushi is not a good life choice

Ugh I meant that as a joke but even typing it made me a little queasy.

laurenmdrn16 · January 2016

Lol @Aquinna82 ! I actually heaved at the grocery store when I walked by the prepackaged sushi! Just the thought of sushi that had been prepared goodness-knows how long ago and is sitting in packaging for a day makes my stomach turn.

kp90 · January 2016

Just for the record... day old, left over sushi... is also a no go. -_-

baby-2-due · January 2016

I just can't control myself some days! I get a turkey and cheese sandwich and stuff my face bcuz it's sounds and tastes so delicious! I limit myself, but I don't have sweet cravings or anything like that just for cold turkey sandwiches and mashed potatoes with brown gravy! My dr said that as long as I'm not making a habit of it, eating it once in a while is fine bcuz the chances of getting listeria are so small. So I justify it once a month or maybe twice, just to satisfy the crave! But if there is summer sausage I'm all in haha don't feel bad it is hard to follow every pregnancy rule out there! The only person who ever makes me feel guilty about it is my older sister so it's good she lives so far away hehe

JessicaB0627 · January 2016

Yes, the occurrences of listeria are pretty low, but I think the advice that "as long as it's not from a sketchy place" isn't exactly true. Listeria thrives and replicates at refrigerator temperatures, so meat being left out at room temperature actually has zero effect on the probability of listeria poisoning. The reason they want pregnant women to be careful is because listeria can have little effect on normal, healthy individuals, but it can cause major complications for pregnant women and unborn babies. The most recent listeria outbreaks haven't been from deli meat though. If you eat melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew) you should wash the outside of the melon with soap and water before cutting it open. The listeria lives on the outside and is distributed throughout the melon when the knife is run through it.

I personally know a woman that was affected by the cantaloupe listeria outbreak (in 2011) when she was 27 weeks pregnant. She had eaten it a month before her symptoms started and it threw her into pre-term labor.

I don't want to fear-monger, but the threat of listeria is not non-existent.

mmemartinez · January 2016

I think that is precisely why it's not worth obsessing over the rules. Until that outbreak, no one was saying pregnant women should be careful about melons. It could be in ice cream, meat, cheese, fruit, veg, peanut butter...etc. there's no way to know, but it does call into question our food cleanliness....

JessicaB0627 · January 2016

@mmemartinez I'm not encouraging anyone to obsess over it, but it could take a month for symptoms to present in enough people to trace it back to the source of the listeria, and by that time it would be too late. I'm just saying that being somewhat cautious of potential sources of listeria is smart, because the effects can be extremely serious (as rare as they may be).

ETA: All the information I learned about listeria and where listeria can be found (we very specifically talked about melons) was in college prior to the 2011 outbreak. The information was there, people just didn't care.

amovin21 · January 2016

My doctor said from the very first appointment lunch meat was fine as long as I ate it within say 5 days, but not once it's get that slimy feeling. So that's what I've stuck to and so far no issues. She did say to be careful eating it out since you don't know how long it's been "out" for (either sitting out or sitting in a fridge). So I've only had lunch meat at home on sandwiches I've made myself and have skipped eating them out.

missnc77 · January 2016

I don't care so much about listeria as I do limiting nitrates. If I buy deli meat, I try and stick with organic/natural brands that are nitrate free and get sandwiches from the deli at Whole Foods. I know I sound like one of "those" people. I never really cared about nitrates until getting pregnant, but there have been links between nitrates and birth defects, and I figured if all I'm doing is switching brands and paying a little more, then it certainly doesn't hurt to avoid. Plus, it encourages me to leave the bacon off burgers and chicken sandwiches. Mmm...bacon.

Deli meat?!

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