It is okay for pregnant women to eat Lean Cuisine Pizzas. You should consider certain aspects of the meal though, to make it as safe as possible. Avoid certain pizza toppings, cook your food thoroughly and make sure it is part of an overall healthy diet.
Cheese
A pregnant woman should avoid certain cheeses. Soft cheeses, including brie, feta, gorgonzola, Camembert and Roquefort, are just a few cheeses that pregnant women shouldn't consume. These cheeses are often made with un-pausterized milk. During the pasteurization process, harmful bacteria inside milk is removed. Eating cheeses that have not been pasteurized can contain listeria. This bacteria can cause harm to your baby or even result in miscarriage. Before eating a Lean Cuisine pizza read the ingredients to be sure there are no un-pasteurized cheeses.
Meat
Your Lean Cuisine pizza should not contain smoked or deli meats such as pepperoni, bacon or sausage. These meats carry a high risk of listeria contamination. Though these meats are fully cooked, the chance for bacteria to invade the meat between cooking and packaging is high. Pregnant women should absolutely avoid smoked, deli or processed meats on their pizzas. If your pizza does not contain any of the banned meats, but does contain others such as chicken, be sure the meat is fully cooked. Undercooked meat can carry coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis or salmonella, which can all be harmful to your fetus.
Microwaves
It is safe to cook your Lean Cuisine pizza in the microwave. A common pregnancy myth is that cooking with the microwave can be harmful. Dr. Pamela Berens, associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, explains that this is just untrue. According to Berens there is no scientific proof to the claim that microwaves can harm your growing baby.
Considerations
As long as your Lean Cuisine meets the criteria concerning meat and cheese consumption during pregnancy, it is safe to eat. However, before chowing down on a pizza everyday for lunch, consider the nutritional needs of you and your baby. Pregnancy is a time in which many of your vitamin and mineral needs increase. For example, you need to get more iron, folate and calcium than normal. An occasional Lean Cuisine pizza is fine, just don't sacrifice your overall nutrition.
References
- American Pregnancy Association; Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy; 2011
- American Pregnancy Association; Listeria and Pregnancy; 2011
- Health Leader; Pregnancy Paranoia; Anissa Anderson Orr; 2004
- "Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy"; Roger W. Harms, M.D.; 2004
