Eating ham during pregnancy ?

Question

Has anyone ever eaten any ham during there pregnancy? I havnt had any since i found out i was pregnant (i am now 35 wks) but last night i slipped up and had 4 pieces of meatlovers pizza (as i went out and there was nothing else to eat). I've read alot about not eating ham and other cold meats and as i said this is the first time throughout the pregnancy.

Has anyone else ever eaten ham or other meats during pregnancy? Should i be worried?

Answer 1

Yea, its ok to eat deli meat that has been heated until it it steaming.  The heat kills any bacteria it might have.  Just so you know I have eaten deli meat cold more then once during my pregnancy and I'm 29 weeks and have not been sick.  Not eating deli meat is a new thing because people that had kids five years ago were never told not to eat it.  Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be fine.  

Answer 2

i eat ham and chesse sandwiches....yummy!!

Answer 3

Its lunch meat and raw meat, not just meat in general.

Answer 4

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and I ate a ham sandwich yesterday

Answer 5

I ate ham sandwiches when i was pregnant and other kind of meat too. you just have to make sure the meat is fully cooked before eating it.

Answer 6

I wouldn't worry a bit. I'm 9 weeks along and had some ham just tonight, as a matter  of fact. You're always going to hear about things pregnant women should avoid and you shouldn't take every little thing you hear seriously. I've learned pregnancy is just like everything else as far as a person's health is concerned: You can't get it all right all the time no matter what you do, because you're always going to be damned if you do, damned if you don't. All those experts and researchers out there have different opinions and everything will always have someone somewhere out there saying it's good and someone else saying it's bad. Babies were born for years to women who smoke, drank, took aspirin, ate bleu cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes, and they survived it. Of course, we know things now that we didn't know then and realize today that some of these things, especially drinking and smoking should be avoided in pregnancy. But I don't think every pregnant woman should worry herself that every little thing she does or eats might be bad, because there's always going to be something. Be proactive and investigate what's good and not good for pregnancy, but don't take every little thing to heart. Avoid the obvious hazards and do what you can to take care of yourself and your baby, but I say don't worry about ham. Eat it if you want to.

Answer 7

Don't panic- they recommend not eating too much ham and so on because of the levels of nitrates, but a few pieces won't do any harm. The other reason you're told not to eat cold deli meats is because of the risk of listeriosis. However, if the meat is cooked/ heated (like on a pizza) then the listeria bacteria can't survive. So pizza is fine- I've had a slice or two of supreme quite a few times since the start of my pregnancy.

Answer 8

I think you are safe since the pizza is baked at high temperature. Anything cooked is safe, plus you are in wk 35. It is best to avoid raw food in first trimester of pregnancy when the vital organs are forming

Answer 9

out of curiosity where did you hear that? As far as i know, you can eat anything you want. Healthier is better, but no meat? That's just crazy, unless you live in a very poor nation with no FDA, i think just about any food is safe.

Answer 10

you should be fine...you are very far along and the ham was cooked. i know, i wouldn't touch cold cuts w/ a 10 foot pole when i was preggo

Answer 11

i think i have heard this before but my doctor never mentioned anything to me, i have to google it now

Answer 12

i think its because of the preservatives. with my first kid all i wanted was hot dogs. you just have to not over do it.

Answer 13

It has to do with listeria. If the cold meats have been heated (and were still hot when you ate them) it should be fine because the heat kills the bacteria. I had some meat lovers pizza the other night too!!!

Answer 14

If it is on a pizza and it has been cooked thoroughly then it is not likely to be a problem. I have been eating toasted deli meat sandwiches throughout my pregnancy, and my dr said this is fine!