Craving foods like sausage during pregnancy is common among pregnant ladies, due to great flavor of these kinds of food. The same goes for chorizo! But, is it safe to eat chorizo while pregnant?
Chorizo is not a nutrient-dense food and it may higher the risk of infections. Therefore, it is not recommended to have chorizo when pregnant as a part of your diet. If you follow the guidelines, you can have this sausage once in a while. Do you want to learn guidelines?
This article on Hipregnancy will tell you all the important rules and guidelines about consumption of chorizo while pregnant. Read on to learn what you should do when it comes to eat chorizo.
Is chorizo a high risk food?
Chorizo is a kind of sausage, made of cured pork meat. Since chorizo is usually not cooked, it is considered as a high-risk food, which can put pregnant ladies at the high risk of infections. This spicy sausage can be contaminated with harmful bacteria and parasites, such as Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, C. botulinum, and Campylobacter.
Furthermore, cured chorizo contains ingredients, like salt, nitrates, nitrites, and natural sausage casings. You should be cautious while eating chorizo, since these ingredients can be a cause of issues, including high blood pressure and early delivery.
Consider, chorizo is not the only high-risk food for pregnant women. Other food options like bacon has chemical ingredients (nitrate and nitrite) similar to chorizo. To learn more, Check bacon while pregnant.
Can pregnant women eat chorizo?
Pregnancy is a time when you need to eat nutritious food to provide nutrients for the growth and development of the fetus. Therefore, you should add pregnancy superfoods into your diet. There is a complete guide on what can pregnant woman eat. Check it to see whether you have a healthy diet or you need to change it.
Now, let’s discuss consuming chorizo while pregnant. Chorizo is known as a spicy pork sausage that comes in different forms, including cured, fresh, fermented, cooked, and smoked. Since pregnant ladies are advised to avoid cured, raw or undercooked meat, consuming uncooked chorizo when pregnant is not safe.
Whenever you want to eat chorizo pregnant, you can only eat the cooked varieties. This can reduce the risk of infections, as cooking can destroy and kill harmful bacteria and parasites. Be aware that, if you eat uncooked chorizo pregnancy first trimester, second or third trimester, you will be at the risk of infections, miscarriage, and birth abnormalities.
Hipregnnacy recommends you not to eat chorizo out during pregnancy. The same goes for foods like hot dogs while pregnant; because you are not sure about the process of cooking chorizo. It might be undercooked!
Different types of chorizo while pregnant
Overall, chorizo falls into two categories: uncooked and ready-to-eat. The uncooked ones known as Mexican chorizo, and read-to-eat known as Spanish chorizo. Let’s continue to see how they are different.
- Mexican chorizo
This kind of chorizo is uncooked, fresh, raw, fermented, or smoked. Consuming Mexican chorizo while pregnant is not recommended, as it can be contaminated with harmful bacteria and parasites, and lead to infections and illnesses.
Mexican chorizo needs to be fully cooked before serving to make it a safer option. In addition, since Mexican chorizo is made fresh, it needs to be kept refrigerated or frozen.
- Spanish chorizo
Spanish or ready-to-eat chorizo is dry, smoked, and cured and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Although curing and smoking process can kill some bacteria, but can’t make chorizo totally safe, with no bacteria. Therefore, even Spanish chorizo is not a pregnancy-safe food.
If you want to eat this kind of pork chorizo while pregnant, you should cook it before serving until steaming hot. (For consuming lunch meat while pregnant, the same rule applies.)
Can I have cooked chorizo while pregnant?
Generally speaking, it is ok to eat cooked chorizo while pregnant, but you should not over eat. Although cooking can make meat a safe food for pregnant women, it is advisable to consult your doctor before adding such foods into your diet.
For instance, if you want to eat chorizo, bacon, or ham while pregnant, check with your doctor or healthcare provider. Always keep in mind that each pregnancy is unique and what works on others might not work on you.
To be on the safe side, try to eat fresh chorizo instead of processed varieties. Because, processed chorizo contains high levels of salt and nitrates, and nitrites, that can lead to health issues. In addition, if you want to cook, bake, or grill chorizo at home, cook it to an internal temperature of 160F to destroy harmful germs.
Potential risks of chorizo when pregnant
Consuming unsafe chorizo while pregnant, can highly increase the chance of foodborne illnesses and in severe cases, it can be a cause of miscarriage. Therefore, if you experience the following symptoms after having chorizo, contact your doctor:
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Blood in urine or stool
- Fatigue
- Fainting
Hipregnancy warns you about the above symptoms. You should call your doctor whenever you experience the mentioned signs. Take everything seriously while pregnant to keep your baby healthy. Do your best to protect your little baby, as your overall health affects the health of the developing fetus.
Conclusion
Chorizo is a spicy pork sausage can be eaten during pregnancy, as long as it is fully cooked. It is better to limit your intake of chorizo and have it rarely. Before having chorizo while pregnant, talk to your doctor and follow your provider’s guidelines.
In this article on hi pregnancy, we tried to answer pregnant ladies’ top questions regarding chorizo and pregnancy. If you any other questions, let us help you. Do share your questions with us via comment.
FAQs
1. Can you eat cold chorizo when pregnant?
No, it is not a good idea to eat cold chorizo in pregnancy. Try well-cooked chorizo instead to prevent possible dangers.
2. Can you eat salami and chorizo when pregnant?
Salami and chorizo are not nutrient-dense foods, but if you cook them thoroughly until steaming hot, you can have them in pregnancy. To learn more about salami, check “Can pregnant women eat salami?”.
3. Can I eat cooked cured chorizo when pregnant?
Yes, cooking cured chorizo can make a safer option for pregnant ladies and their babies as well. However, it is better to limit your chorizo intake and have healthier options instead.
4. Can you eat chorizo on pizza when pregnant?
Chorizo on pizza can be safe for you while pregnant, as long as it is fully cooked. Otherwise, you should not have it during pregnancy.
