Ok I am a sandwhich fanatic and am having a really hard time not going to the deli everyday for a rare roast beef on sourdough slice.....oh it makes me crazy!
I have no problem giving up sushi and soft cheese but what is the likely hood of me having complications due to lunch meat? ↓
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Name: mjvdec01 | Date: Jul 10th, 2008 4:05 PM
Deli meats are fine as long as they are heated. Ask them to heat it in the microwave before serving it to you and you will be fine. I know, it is a pain, but listeria is worse. Listeria wouldn't so much affect you as it would your baby. It is really not worth even the slightest risk. You can still have your sandwich, just warm. ↑
Name: joeby321 | Date: Jul 10th, 2008 10:07 PM
wow this is crazy- I never knew this so I too have a question to ask. It says that deli meat is fine to eat as long as it is reheated do you by any chance know how long it has to be reheated for? Also do we have to eat it warm or can we wait for it to get cool before we eat it. I don't want to sound stupid but lately I crave Subway all the time and I am just about 6 months pregnant and a very high risk and I just don't want to add any other risks to this pregnancy. Thanks for all the info.. time to do more research =) ↑
Name: E586467 | Date: Jul 10th, 2008 10:13 PM
Make sure when they heat it that it is steaming or else it won't kill enough of the bacteria. With my 1st I never realised about the deli meat & had it quite often in my 3rd trimester, luckily my dd was perfectly fine. I found out about heating deli meats when I got preg with my 2nd I was much more careful & I am now preg with #3 & will continue to be careful as it is just not worth the risk of what it can do to the baby. ↑
Name: POOF | Date: Jul 10th, 2008 11:18 PM
deli meat has to be cooked again to destroy listeria. my gfs dr told her that if you really really have to eat deli meat get the prepackaged kind from the supermarket. there is much less chance it is cross-contaminated w/listeria because of how it is processed. and absolutely no bologna unless it is COOKED. one study said approximately 80% of bologna is contaminated w/listeria. in a healthy person most likely nothing will happen but in a pregnant or immuno suppressed person it can cause nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pains. ↑
Name: joeby321 | Date: Jul 10th, 2008 11:37 PM
wow, thanks for the info guys. This is my 3rd pregnancy.. and I did eat lunch meat with both my other pregnancies but this one I am very high risk and am lucky not to be in the hospital so I better play it safe and just cut it out completely.. =( Thanks so much for all the helpful info, I truly appreciate it! ↑
wow i never knew Subway was a problem. I had heard about the risk of listeria but was told the biggest concern is the cleanliness of the place you get the food from. I still eat sushi from my favorite japanese restaraunt. I only eat california rolls (no fish) and smoked salmon rolls if i go there. ↑
Name: POOF | Date: Jul 28th, 2008 8:04 PM
its not about cleanliness...you cant see bacteria. something can be contaminated with listeria, e coli, salmonella and smell and taste perfectly fine. cut on the same deli slicer, everything else is contaminated. ↑
In that case anything could be contaminated. You could get ecoli or salmonella from a restaraunt if they aren't clean in their food handling practices. So in that case you might as well say not to eat at any restaraunt while pregnant. ↑
Name: Malica | Date: Jul 28th, 2008 11:50 PM
No one even mentions this in Canada from what I've seen between pamphlets at the doctor's office to Canadian pregnancy books. Sushi and unpasteurized soft cheeses are all I was warned against. There are such good food handling techniques these days very few people get food poisoning like listeria. I've never had food poisoning myself as far back as I can remember. ↑
Name: Crystal83 | Date: Jul 29th, 2008 1:47 PM
I have never heard of this before! I've had 3 pregnancies and ate lunch meat just like normal throughout. In fact, I used to be a manager at Subway throughout my first 2 pregnancies and I practically lived off subs for years! Never had any problems, all the meat is fresh. I'm in Canada as well and have never heard of this, was always just told about the cheese and fish. I ate alot of tuna subs while I was pregnant too and never had any problems. My 4 year old loves tuna, she wants to eat it everyday, maybe thats why, lol! ↑
Name: POOF | Date: Jul 29th, 2008 3:36 PM
there was a study in the US that showed that as much as 80% of bologna is contaminated with listeria. normally listeria doesnt bother a healthy person. but it can affect a pregnant mother and it is very easy to cross contaminate on a deli slicer as it is not cleaned with bleach after each use...Listeriosis is an opportunistic pathogen: it is most prevalent in the elderly, pregnant mothers, and AIDS patients. With improved healthcare leading to a growing elderly population and extended life expectancies for AIDS patients, physicians are more likely to encounter this otherwise rare infection (only 0.7 per 100,000 healthy people are infected with virulent Listeria each year).[1] Better understanding the cell biology of Listeria infections, including relevant virulence factors, may help us better treat Listeriosis and other intracytoplasmic parasites. Researchers are now investigating the use of Listeria as a cancer vaccine, taking advantage of its "ability induce potent innate and adaptive immunity."[5][9] (that was courtesy of wikipedia) google it if you want or ignore it. you asked the question, i gave you the answer...as did mjvdec01. deli meat is fine as long as you cook it before eating it. and yes, anything anywhere can be contaminated...it is a risk everyone takes when eating...but we all deal with it and as long as food is cooked properly everything is fine. but the deli meat thing isnt new, at least not in the US. ↑
Name: FlyBear | Date: Jul 29th, 2008 5:25 PM
Dang it, now you guys are worrying me... I had subway last night... not toasted. :( ↑