Roast beef deli meat may seem like a healthy lean-protein source for pregnant women, but danger lurks in the deli case in the form of a deadly bacteria. Women who consume food contaminated with the bacteria listeria during pregnancy are up to 20 times more likely to contract food poisoning than non-pregnant individuals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to the danger of food poisoning, some components in roast beef deli meat may be unhealthy for you and your developing baby.
Pregnancy Nutrition
Eating healthy and nutritious foods is important in pregnancy, especially since the foods you consume supply everything that your baby uses to grow and thrive. Roast beef deli meat tends to be high in salt, which can be unhealthy for a pregnant woman and her developing baby. In particular, a woman who has pregnancy-induced hypertension or pre-eclampsia may need to control her salt intake if advised to do so by her doctor. Avoiding deli meat may be one strategy to help control sodium consumption. Other unhealthy components of roast beef deli meat include nitrates, cholesterol and saturated fat.
Listeria Bacteria
Roast beef deli meat, along with other types of deli meat, can be contaminated by the bacteria listeria. Listeria is highly resistant to things that typically kill other forms of bacteria, including nitrites, salt and acids. Because deli meat can become contaminated after cooking, but before serving, it can lurk in deli meat undetected. Most normal adults and children do not become severely ill from listeria-contaminated food, but during pregnancy, this type of food poisoning can be particularly dangerous. While listeria contamination of roast beef deli meat is rare, the levels of contamination required to cause problems are quite low. Even a few bacteria on the deli meat in a sandwich can cause food poisoning.
Food Poisoning in Pregnancy
Listeriosis, the illness caused by the bacteria listeria, can have devastating consequences during pregnancy. Miscarriage and stillbirth are two complications that can arise from a bout of listeriosis during pregnancy. When the mother contracts food poisoning with listeria late in the pregnancy, the baby may be born with meningitis, a bacterial infection of the brain. Another potential consequence to the baby is the development of septicemia, a bacterial infection that has spread throughout the bloodstream of the infant. About a third of all listeriosis cases occur during pregnancy, according to the National Toxicology Program.
Solutions
According to the March of Dimes, heating deli meat until it is steaming hot can destroy the listeria pathogen and make the meat safe to eat during pregnancy. Heating the meat in a microwave for 30 seconds or more should sufficiently bring the meat to a steaming, and therefore safe, temperature. Healthier sandwich fillings that can replace roast beef deli meat are freshly cooked roasted chicken, cooked turkey breast, steak and cheese, egg salad and tuna.
