cold meats??

[julesy]

I have recently had a talk with someone at work, and they said that they avoided cold meats (ie shaved ham etc) throughout the whole pregnancy. I have been eating cold meats (only the ones I have bought mind you), and don't usually continue eating them from the same packet after 2-3 days for fear of it all going off. I just palm it off to the hubby (who, by the way is LOVING all the leftovers he gets because I am paranoid!)

Has anyone else avoided the whole cold meat thing at home? I don't buy ready made sandwiches or visit salad bars or anything...but I thought I could control the likelyhood of food poisening better at home with my own prepared food.

Any thoughts??

Julesy

[*Belle*]

Hi Julesy

Im 12 weeks pregnant and I asked my OB this question recently. She told me to avoid all cold meats especially salami. However - if you like Ham you can eat it hot - eg, on a ham and cheese toasted sandwich as long as the meat is hot all the way through. Also you can have ham and cheese or whatever else inan omelette too. But I have had to say I had ham in an omelette last week and I didnt like the taste at all! Also re soft cheese, as long as its pasturised its fine. Better if melted but still ok if cold if pasturised.

hope this helps

Bel
xxx

[ShootingStar]

Ive actually heard that too about deli meats and have avoided eating them. Perhaps because if you think about it, the meats at the deli have been sitting out, and you dont know how long or if theyre at the right temperature or contaminated etc?
Ive heard BBQ chicken is bad aswell basically cos you dont know if its cooked enough.
I think alot of foods to be avoided is ones that can cause food poisoning. :-k

[Danni]

there is a bacteria called LYSTERIA (sp)

it is contained in all processed meats like ham, salami, strass etc and is also contained in soft cheeses.

it is best to avoid all of these foods throughout your whole pregnancy as these can be very harmful to the foetus.

[Alan]

I agree with Danni.
You should avoid cold meats and all soft cheeses

[julesy]

Thanks guys that 's really helpful. None of the literature I have read thus far has informed me of this, and my pregnant friends all ate cold meats too. I just hope it isn't too late for me. Now I'm scared! I had some salami yesterday!

[Freya]

I dont think youll have any problems from the salami but now you know to avoid them. I was told the same thing by my OB although I have had shaved ham on pizza (its cooked though so I figured it ok).

[kazz30]

I have avoided all cold meats, soft cheeses etc... throughout this pg. I always think it is better to be safe than sorry, than take a risk. Having said that though I have had ham on pizza, but it was thoroughly heated through.

[Melbo]

I've had bacon and ham cooked but not others ... luckily not too crazy about salami =)

The listeria leaflet can be a bit daunting at first, particularly if you are somewhere eating out. There are so many things on it that sometimes your best option is the high fat takeaway.

I've already got my post-labour food shopping list sorted: hot dog, coleslaw and sushi are at the top of the list. :smt016

[Fee]

I've already got my post-labour food shopping list sorted: hot dog, coleslaw and sushi are at the top of the list. :smt016

Me too! I want deli olives stuffed with fetta and Brie cheese. Mmmm.

[julesr]

Hi Julesy

I'm half Italian and I adore deli meats, olives, soft cheeses etc so that listeria brochure is killing me - the absolute bane of my life :fuming: ! SO fed up with not being able to eat what I want and I'm only 11 weeks!

I've already told hubby that he is to come and visit me in hospital with a little esky containing all that stuff I'm not allowed to have right now! I'd love to throw that brochure out the window but I'd hate myself forever if I ate something that caused a problem.

Having said that though, I've occasionally had home made pizza with ham, prosciutto, salami or brie (cooked to within an inch of its life though!) I did some further listeria research and found this very interesting (Australian government) site that states salami is actually lower risk than some other meats, including ham -

Cheers!
Another Jules

[caddie]

I have just read the info from food standards association! Very informative,i didnt know i couldnt eat feta.I had some today! I feel abit disheartened because im going to melbourne on tues and i will have to make sure all food is fresh and piping hot when i buy out! Does this mean plane food is a no-no? I know that wouldnt be given steaming at 75degrees! Decisions decisions!

[julesr]

My link was removed because Belly Belly won't allow links - however it easy to find if you google listeria on Australian sites only. My reason for posting it was to make people feel better, I'd gotten myself quite worked up about a few things I'd eaten until I found this site which gave me some peace of mind and I'm sure I can't be the only paranoid pregnant lady out there!

I'm being incredibly careful with the food thing and have paid close attention to making sure anything that might be higher risk is only VERY occasionally eaten and, if so, well and truly heated according to official food standards guidelines. As long as the feta was thoroughly heated it would have been fine. It is not as high risk as mould-ripened cheese but it is higher risk than hard cheese.

In terms of plane food - if you are travelling outside of main meal times (ie mid morning, mid afternoon or late evening) generally Qantas just give you some kind of pre-packaged cake or cookies. I would take some food with me on the plane in case you feel the need to reject anything you aren't sure of and then you won't need to go hungry. Being prepared is the best way! I've read the same advice in diet books about plane food - if you want to stick to an eating plan, take your own food...and I'd say the same principle applies in this situation. (Doesn't stop it being a nuisance though, huh? )

Julesr