Can You Eat Salami When Pregnant?

What pregnant women eat has high effects on their unborn babies’ health. Salami is a kind of deli meat that most pregnant women have questions about its consumption while pregnant. The most important question about this food is: “Can you eat salami when pregnant?”

This article will cover the answer to the above-mentioned question and other important points about salami. If you want to get your answer, read this article on “Hipregnancy” to the end.

Can I eat salami while pregnant?

Salami is raw, processed meat that is known as an air-dried, fermented, and cured sausage. The ingredients that combine to make salami are lamb, chopped beef, pork, poultry meat, wheat, salt, vinegar, cornstarch, herbs, wine, spices, and minced fat.

The NHS advises pregnant women to limit their salami intake and avoid consuming it as much as possible because salami can cause food poisoning when pregnant and put mom and baby at risk of health issues.

According to American Pregnancy Association, cooking salami and other deli meats like lunch meat while pregnant until they are steaming can make them safe to consume.

Therefore, if you are pregnant and eager to add salami to your diet plan, limit your consumption and cook it until it is steaming. Remember that the safest way is to avoid salami and other types of deli meat during pregnancy.

Also Read: What Can Pregnant Woman Eat?

What are the risks of eating salami while pregnant?

Doctors warn pregnant women to be aware of what they eat during pregnancy. Salami is one the foods that falls into the category of things not to eat when pregnant and should be avoided as much as possible because of the following health problems and infections it causes;

1- Salami is rich in salt and sodium, which can cause high blood pressure and swelling and puts the mom and baby at high risk.

2- It is not nutrient-dense food and contains lots of fat and cholesterol, leading to health issues like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Recommend you read on article “spicy food pregnancy“.

3- When pregnant women eat salami, nitrate in this type of cured meat can harm the fetus.

4- Salami can cause food poisoning like, listeriosis infection, which can increase the risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, and preterm labor.

5- It is the main cause of salmonellosis in pregnant women, a food-borne infection that can harm the health of the baby and mother. It can make urine dark, endanger fetus, and lead to intrauterine sepsis. 

6- Consuming salami during pregnancy can cause fever, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea.

7- Salami can be a source of toxoplasmosis infection which can pass to the fetus and cause learning disability and vision problems in the baby after birth and, in severe cases, lead to death.

What do I do if I eat unsafe salami during pregnancy?

You may consume uncooked salami or overeat it during pregnancy. It is not unusual for pregnant women to consume unsafe-pregnancy foods. If you consume salami during pregnancy, you may experience one of the following common symptoms;

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Chills
• Fever
• Muscle aches

It is essential to know the symptoms mentioned above will not appear right after pregnant women eat salami. For example, the symptoms of listeriosis may occur within 12-30 days of consuming salami, or the symptoms of salmonellosis will occur after 12 hours to 3 days of consuming this cured food.

You should know that whenever you experience the above symptoms during pregnancy, you should visit a doctor immediately. You must be checked up as soon as possible due to not put yourself at risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and other health problems.

What kind of salami can you eat when pregnant?

Salami can be safe to consume during pregnancy after being cooked completely. The internal temperature of salami must reach165℉ (75℃) due to kill bacteria that may exist in it. If you can’t measure the temperature, look for the hot steam, bubbling, sizzling, and crispy salami.

It is ok for pregnant women to eat salami, but they should take it in moderation. Here are some popular dishes that contain salami and are safe to eat during pregnancy;

• Stews and soups
• Dried, sizzling, and steaming salami
• Toasted sandwiches with steaming hot salami
• As toppings on the pizza, which is steaming and sizzling

Conclusion

In general, it is recommended that pregnant women avoid consuming deli meat during pregnancy as much as they can. But what about salami? Can you eat salami when pregnant? Yes, they can eat salami, but it must be taken in moderation and must be cooked thoroughly due to kill bacteria that exists in this food.

If you consume undercooked salami, the presence of bacteria can lead to severe health issues such as listeriosis, toxoplasmosis, and salmonellosis. Therefore, if it is possible for you, put aside salami during pregnancy; if not, try to consume it in a safe way.

Do you know any other points about salami and pregnancy? If yes, share your ideas with us.

FAQs

1. Can I eat cooked salami while pregnant?

Overall, it is better to avoid salami and other types of deli meats during pregnancy, but consuming cooked salami in limited amounts doesn’t seem to cause any health issues.

2. Can you eat salami on pizza when pregnant?

If the salami is part of cooked pizza topping and the pizza is freshly made, it is safe to consume salami on pizza during pregnancy, but you should not overeat.

3. Can I eat uncured salami while pregnant?

Just eating well-cooked, uncured salami is safe during pregnancy; this means you should cook salami until steaming hot to make it a pregnancy-safe food option.

4. Can you eat dry salami when pregnant?

You can enjoy eating dry salami while pregnant, but it should be fully cooked.