I feel stupid........

[jlh213]

Not to be a stickler, but although the risk is relatively moderate in general with all of these things, I believe pre-packaged meats are also advised to be avoided. I think these are classified as 'luncheon meats' as distinguishable from 'deli meats' which seem to be those behind the counter. Unfortunately listeria can enter pre-packaged meats before packaging, and can survive even in little or no oxygen (vacuum packaging) so the risk is still there.

At least that's how I interpretted it: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/pregnancy_gateway/infections-listeria.html

https://www.marchofdimes.com/nutrition_risks.html

I think the advice is different in different countries. I rechecked the information given by the midwife and it doesn't say anything about not eating packaged meat.

I checked the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/917.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=130 which says in the UK they do not advise you to cut out cold meats. I think it is to do with the risk factor of contracting it is low here? The NHS website also states there was only 156 cases of contracting listeria in the whole of UK in 2010.

It has kind of put me off ham sandwiches though, maybe i will stick to tuna or cheese!

I've read you shouldn't eat tuna when your pregnant either... because of the mercury content.. just fyi

My OB said that tuna was fine as long as it isn't albacore =] I eat tuna about 3 times a week =\ LOL

 

[Kage76]

i think the problem is that different countries have different guidelines on deli meat. In Australia, any ham, salami or cold meats are a no no unless they are heated to piping hot. (ie in a toasted sandwich) from what i understand is the issue of Listeria contamination in the processing of the meat - rather than any issues from the meat sitting behind the deli counter

 

[artiste]

I heard that the danger of deli meat can be from the slicing machine not getting cleaned properly and growing bacteria.

 

[JadeEmChar]

I miss ham

Anyway i have read you can eat tuna but no more than 3 times a week here and any cold meats are a no no....Grr to listeria!!!!

 

[wavescrash]

I totally get the risk and wanting to avoid it altogether. I had a cold cut sub from a sub shop today at work (it's what we ordered for dinner) and I was a bit worried about it. I asked several older women/mothers that I work with what they think and not a single one of them had heard you couldn't eat deli meat/cold cuts. When our parents were pregnant, they weren't being told to avoid these things either and look at all of us... we're here and plenty alive. All the mothers at my work said the same thing, their children are all alive.

Now, I probably won't eat any more cold cuts/deli meat but I'm not going to sit here assuming I've contracted listeria and caused serious harm to my unborn child. I survived many deli meat sandwiches that my mother ingested while pregnant with me.

 

[Kage76]

I Guess it all comes down to the risks you want to take. I mean I could have walked out and been hit by a bus while I was pregnant but it did not stop me leaving my house. I mean it becomes very hard to eat out if you obey every rule and a couple of times I ignored the risk and had salad items on things like a souvlaki- however overall even through the chance of me getting listeria was very very small I in most cases chose to stay well away from the cold cuts and salads- for no other reason that I would not have been able to forgive myself if something happened to my baby that i could have prevented. And in reality i found work arounds- if i really wanted a ham sanga I would just make sure it was toasted and really hot and used baby spinach leaves instead of lettuce on the toastie.

 

[BrandysBabies]

Oh dear lord?! Why can't I eat lettuce????

 

[Mid.night]

Lettuce? I thought salad was fine as long as you wash it first?

 

[natasha82]

Lettuce IS OK just wash it first. If you believe everything you read you wouldn't eat a thing during pregnancy. Our own mother's and grandmothers ate a whole host of stuff that is supposedly forbidden and we all turned out fine didnt we?

 

[kat2504]

The list of forbidden foods is different in different countries it seems! If we added all the no go items together into one big list we would have to starve.
In the UK we are told that the risk from cold meat stored in hygienic conditions is so microscopically small that it is no more dangerous than any other food, such as fruit or salad. A cold ham sandwich is absolutely fine apparently.