Worried - Just eaten Subway!!

[ferens06]

I think it's common sense really. Subway is a company that generally can be trusted for its hygiene etc and everything is prepared in front of you so you can see it's handled properly.

I've only ever had food poisoning twice in my life and they were mistakes made by friends or family and not supermarkets or shops. Listeria risk is also really very low.

 

[babydust1990]

Tbh with you, I ignore most of the food rules... I mean I won't eat raw meat/sushi/undercooked eggs (unless their lion eggs of course ) but as for things like deli meat and cheeses, I'm happy to accept the tiny risk! I've never had food poisening in my life and I've eaten in some dodgey places haha!

 

[taybaby925]

Im in the US too and was told to avoid deli meats. I got a whole list of things that were okay and what to avoid

 

[cassarita]

I love subway. Infact I think I might eat it for lunch!!

 

[DaisyAnne]

I'm in the U.S., too, and I'd heard of it before with my sister-in-law's pregnancies- but I don't think all doctors worry about it. I think the info my doctor gave me mentioned it, but honestly it's a low chance you'll get listeria- and yes, pregnant women are more susceptible to getting it, but it is only a low chance of getting it- it's just a precaution that some doctors recommend and some don't bother. If we avoided everything that had a low chance of risk, we wouldn't have much left!
If I want subway, I eat it and I just ask them to toast it extra.

 

[ferens06]

i flout the rules too, i've had things in small doses. The odd bit of stinky cheese here and there etc. The only thing I haven't had so far that's on the naughty list is pate.

 

[firecracker25]

this is the first time I've heard of this... I had a subway just the other week, and I was fine.

I have been very strict with myself when it comes to what not to have (eggs, caffine ect) so this was my little treat lol.

 

[korndogger123]

I am in the U.S. too and I got a list of foods to avoid by my Mid-Wife, Deli-meats, and hot dogs were on the list. (It did state, to heat them until steaming if you did eat them.) I have eaten both, hot dogs heated on the bbq grill, and deli-meat sandwhiches not heated.

 

[Jobean03]

Italian BMT is my favorite. I have it weekly.

 

[missk1989]

you can have deli meat as long as it is heated so having it toasted would have done the trick but next time i would ask them to microwave and toast just to be safe.

 

[Lola90]

I've eaten so much subway I may well give birth to an italian BMT

 

[Sunshine12]

You can have deli meat no problem. The US are more cautious about it but in the UK its not something you have to avoid.
The guidelines suggest you should avoid cured meats because they arent cooked but TBH I think thats just precautionary. I eat parma ham, proscuitto etc regularly and I dont for one minute worry that Ill become ill. I wouldnt worry. The whole guidelines about what you can and cant eat are a tad extreme in my opinion (which is why I ignore almost all of them)x

 

[ShockingB]

Yummy yummy, subway!!!!!!

 

[Wildfire81]

my midwife told me because we're in the UK the standard rule's don't apply to us . . . it's something to do with American/ continental deli meat's we shouldn't be having, try not to worry sweet, you're not in the first tri anymore so it doesn't pose the same threat as it originally did

That's strange. Born and raised in America... Fourth pregnancy and never even heard of not eating deli meats until BnB. I would think our doctors would tell us this???

I agree.. my OB said that does not apply in the US, but in European countries....

 

[LeighAnne]

my midwife told me because we're in the UK the standard rule's don't apply to us . . . it's something to do with American/ continental deli meat's we shouldn't be having, try not to worry sweet, you're not in the first tri anymore so it doesn't pose the same threat as it originally did

That's strange. Born and raised in America... Fourth pregnancy and never even heard of not eating deli meats until BnB. I would think our doctors would tell us this???

I agree.. my OB said that does not apply in the US, but in European countries....

Yeah. So you can see the humor in it right?

 

[ourturnnext]

I'm so pleased to read this post because I have MISSED subways and now I feel reassured enough to go back and have one. Isn't tomorrow meatball marinara 1.99 day?? Hope so

 

[M&S+Bump]

i flout the rules too, i've had things in small doses. The odd bit of stinky cheese here and there etc. The only thing I haven't had so far that's on the naughty list is pate.

The reason we're told to avoid pate is two-fold - for the listeria risk if it is made/stored incorrectly, and because it is a 'concentrated' source of vitamin A.

Listeria risk is negligible as with most foods as long as you take care where you buy it and how you store it - I'm pretty sure pre-packaged and sterile pate from a supermarket never gave anyone food poisoning. Home-made pate from the dodgy deli on the corner however..

The vitamin A thing is based on some studies which showed an increased risk of birth defects with high exposure to vit A - but the amounts of vit A involved were HUGE and you'd need to eat 5-6 whole packets of pate, every day for a prolonged period, to get anywhere near the amounts they were studying.

And if we're not supposed to eat cold meat I'm screwed - we've just been to Spain for 10 days and I ate the cold meat from the buffet every morning for breakfast, had cured ham on at least two pizzas (theoretically cooked by being on the pizza but in reality barely luke-warm so probably worse than if it was cold!) ate rare steak, runny eggs, salmon that was a little rarer than I would have liked (but delicious), drank WINE - you pick a food off that 'banned' list, and I have probably had it both last pregnancy and this (apart from stinky cheese but I don't eat that anyway and if I did, wouldn't avoid it!)

I've never had food poisoning in my life, I don't intend to start now - and even if I did get it, the majority of types are only unpleasant for me and not a threat to the baby in any way.

Most of the things that we read about being 'banned' on here are the result of conflicting advice from different care providers in different countries with a hefty dose of (usually Google-induced) paranoia thrown in for good measure and then twisted and exaggerated by the Chinese Whispers effect. If you weren't specifically told to avoid it by your own doctor/midwife, then don't worry about it. If you were, use your common sense, do a little research and in the majority of cases, still don't worry about it anyway!

 

[LeighAnne]

i flout the rules too, i've had things in small doses. The odd bit of stinky cheese here and there etc. The only thing I haven't had so far that's on the naughty list is pate.

The reason we're told to avoid pate is two-fold - for the listeria risk if it is made/stored incorrectly, and because it is a 'concentrated' source of vitamin A.

Listeria risk is negligible as with most foods as long as you take care where you buy it and how you store it - I'm pretty sure pre-packaged and sterile pate from a supermarket never gave anyone food poisoning. Home-made pate from the dodgy deli on the corner however..

The vitamin A thing is based on some studies which showed an increased risk of birth defects with high exposure to vit A - but the amounts of vit A involved were HUGE and you'd need to eat 5-6 whole packets of pate, every day for a prolonged period, to get anywhere near the amounts they were studying.

And if we're not supposed to eat cold meat I'm screwed - we've just been to Spain for 10 days and I ate the cold meat from the buffet every morning for breakfast, had cured ham on at least two pizzas (theoretically cooked by being on the pizza but in reality barely luke-warm so probably worse than if it was cold!) ate rare steak, runny eggs, salmon that was a little rarer than I would have liked (but delicious), drank WINE - you pick a food off that 'banned' list, and I have probably had it both last pregnancy and this (apart from stinky cheese but I don't eat that anyway and if I did, wouldn't avoid it!)

I've never had food poisoning in my life, I don't intend to start now - and even if I did get it, the majority of types are only unpleasant for me and not a threat to the baby in any way.

Most of the things that we read about being 'banned' on here are the result of conflicting advice from different care providers in different countries with a hefty dose of (usually Google-induced) paranoia thrown in for good measure and then twisted and exaggerated by the Chinese Whispers effect. If you weren't specifically told to avoid it by your own doctor/midwife, then don't worry about it. If you were, use your common sense, do a little research and in the majority of cases, still don't worry about it anyway!

Well put. With an emphasis on the "common sense" in most paranoia food issues.

 

[hope79]

This topic comes up at least once a week. I'm from the US and my doctor laughed when I asked him what the hell is the big deal with the deli meats?? He said if I want a deli sandwich, to have one. I ate deli meat with my last 2 sons, both were born JUST FINE. My obgyn and his wife have 4 kids...he told me if he said that his pregnant wife never had a deli sandwich when she was craving one, he'd be lying to me. Lysteria comes from unsanitary places and meat sitting out in uncleanly places, US, UK, India, it doesn't matter. Your chances of getting lysteria are so slim it's insane. Eat the deli meat if and when you please. I have a deli sandwich and Subway, Cousins etc., at LEAST every other day..sometimes 2 sandwiches in a day. And I'm fine. I think the whole lysteria thing has literally just been blown out of proportion.

 

[pinklightbulb]

We're told it here too, but not about any specfic meat from specific countries, just 'avoid deli meat'.