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Category: Is It Safe?

Asked by ArmyWife2315

Q: Is it safe to eat lunch meat while pregnant?

I'm 17wks and I've been having terrible cravings for turkey lunch meat.
My doctor only said cooked turkey was okay, but my cravings are starting to be a little annoying,

Is it okay to eat a little bit?

It's my first time really being pregnant (early mc in august) so I'm extremely paranoid /:

This question was asked Apr. 9, 2014 11:39pm
Category: Is It Safe?

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Answers (11)

Answered by Loris201 - Feb. 7, 2018 9:16am

Hey. I read a lot on this topic. My doctor gave a lot of useful information. Here is the most important thing that I can tell you. Pregnant women should remember their diet to ensure that the necessary nutrients necessary for proper fetal development are taken on a daily basis. In addition, these nutrients ensure that women-healthy bodies cope with various changes caused by pregnancy.

The daily diet, including a lot of healthy food for pregnant women, should have a balanced amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins from fruits and vegetables. A pregnant woman with a unique diet because of beliefs, special dietary requirements or health conditions should consult a doctor to know the right foods to eat, despite their diet. There are both foods that are recommended, and foods that should be avoided during pregnancy.

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Answered by mrsamanda - Apr. 16, 2014 2:06pm

I think it differs from doctor to doctor, but my doc says he is not worried about me eating any lunch meat or sushi. It's the Listeria bacteria that they are worried about, and there hasn't been any cases of Listeria from lunch meat in a very long time. The last outbreak in the U.S. of Listeria came from cantaloupe or something like that. I wouldn't worry if you're not eating loads of it all the time.

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Answered by Melc2808 - Apr. 12, 2014 5:54pm

You should be fine in moderation. I read this about lunch meat and my mom and in laws (and hubby (who is in the medical field)) laughed at me saying I was being rediculous. I've sense decided that going without is a little crazy but I will eat it in moderation. I found this "the ACTUAL chances of you getting ill from listeria are pretty small. Approximately 2,500 people in the whole US become "seriously ill" from listeria per year. About 500 of those die. Approximately 1/4 of those who contract listeriosis are pregnant women, and apparently pregnant women are 20x more likely to contract listeriosis than a healthy non-pregnant adult. Note, however, that the current US population is about 300 million. So the number of people who actually die from listeriosis is about 16 hundred-thousandths of a percent of the population. " so a very small number contract it and the last article found of a pregnant woman contracting it was from a woman eating a cantaloupe not deli me

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Answered by Sparkle0406 - Apr. 11, 2014 8:56am

Its a personal preference and everyone will do whatever is best for them and different countries advise different things, for instance in France they're not told they can't eat soft cheeses etc but in the UK and general advice is to avoid during pregnancy.
Simple answer is If you have doubts dont do it or cook a turkey breast or ham yourself and ensure its chilled correctly, which is what i did (after 20yrs in food industry i know how to do this) and it should be ok though, but again personal preference. Good luck

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Answered by gotababylady - Apr. 10, 2014 10:24pm

I LOVE lunch meat but I don't like it heated up. Personally I would not risk eating it cold. It's just not worth taking that chance. It doesn't matter where you buy it. getting it at one store doesn't make it any safer than another. The meats come from the the same processing plants whether you buy it at a bargain store or an expensive store. It's way better to wait then take a chance that you can't take back. Maybe you get lucky and nothing happens but why take the risk?? A bit of lunch meat is not worth your babies life, I'm glad nothing bad has happened to the previous poster but I don't suggest taking her advice.

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Answered by Sparkle0406 - Apr. 10, 2014 8:08pm

I've eated ham turkey breast etc since my 2nd trimester if you want it have it, i would just be careful where you get it from

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Answered by jennavee - Apr. 10, 2014 3:13pm

It is definitely wise to be careful about eating lunch meat. If you do plan on eating it, heat it up. The risk of listeria is in raw veggies too...they just don't tell you that!
It's really best to play it safe if you are worried about it though, wash your veggies and heat up lunch/deli meat!

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Answered by Bostonmama08 - Apr. 10, 2014 1:39pm

I agree with eag923. I avoided lunch meat my entire pregnancy because of the risk it poses.

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Answered by Steph35 - Apr. 10, 2014 11:59am

As long as you heat it up first, it should be okay. I was never much of a deli meat eater but I know I ate some finger sandwiches here and there:-)

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Answered by chehowca - Apr. 10, 2014 7:50am

I fully support the previous poster's response.

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