Fertility Center of Las Vegas

Pregnancy Nutrition Update
Listeria and Lunchmeat

Q. Dear Lory, RD
I have been told by a few friends of mine that I should not eat hot dogs and lunchmeat while I am pregnant because I may get sick from it. Could you shed some light on this?

Thanks,
Kim
New Hampshire

A. Dear Kim,
I have spent considerable time reviewing nutrition literature and scientific research, as well as fielding questions from women who were concerned about eating lunchmeat and hot dogs during pregnancy.

There is much false information on Internet blog sites regarding this precaution, and this misinformation can be dangerous. To your health, and that of your unborn baby. So let me take this opportunity to attempt to set the story straight .

First and foremost, the reason we suggest avoiding these food items, or at least cooking them in the microwave until steaming hot, is that the food product may have come into contact with the listeria bacteria after the cooking process and before the packaging is completed.

This particular bacterium multiplies well in cold conditions, such as a refrigerator.
Once ingested, the bacterium may cause the illness listeriosis. Pregnant women are more susceptible to the illness than non-pregnant women.

During one blog visit, I did read someone suggesting that listeria is extremely rare, so women should not change their habits more than washing their hands prior to eating. On the contrary, the Center of Disease Control, (CDC), has estimated 2,500 persons will become seriously ill each year from listeriois and among these, 500 will die.

Upon further examination, it was also noted that pregnant women account for 27% of these cases. The CDC also claims that pregnant women are 20 times more likely to become infected than non-pregnant healthy adults.

If you do become infected with listeriosis while pregnant, you could experience a miscarriage, premature delivery, infection to the newborn, or in about 22% of cases of perinatal listeriosis, death to the newborn.
Therefore, consuming cold lunchmeats and cold hot dogs does come with an increased health risk for both you and your unborn baby. These items should be heated until steaming prior to ingestion, and never served on the same plate as when they were cold. For instance, after heating hot dog, serve on a clean plate.

I hope this helps,

Sincerely,
Lory, RD

Got Nutrition Questions? Ask Me Now!

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Lory Hayon, B.S., R.D.
Registered Dietitian & Nutritionist.
Lory@FertilityCenterLV.com