Keeping a healthy and balanced diet is important all through your life. However, when you are pregnant, you must become even more alert towards the food you are consuming. It is extremely important that you give special attention to your diet, avoiding foods that could harm you and your baby.
Is it okay to eat deli meat during pregnancy?
Your nutrition is extremely important when you are pregnant because your baby also derives nutrition from you. Deli meats, though delicious, are known to be contaminated.
These meats often contain listeria which is associated with miscarriages. Since listeria also has the ability to crossover the placenta and reach the growing fetus, there is a possibility that the baby may get food poisoning or may have certain birth defects due to the listeria.
If listeria causes blood poisoning, it might threaten the life of both baby and mother.
While Deli meats may contain bacteria, if you have a craving for them during pregnancy, make sure that you reheat the meats before you eat them. This reduces the risk of getting poisoned.