Can I Eat Spam While Pregnant? Complete Guide
Is it safe to consume Spam while pregnant? You certainly can! But, you must be cautious about how much you consume. Spam is made from processed ham and ground pork, but it also contains preservatives and seasonings.
Though these are not harmful to a baby, you should restrict your consumption of Spam to reduce the risk of listeria.
Spam And Pregnancy
Pregnant women should avoid eating refrigerated meat spreads to prevent Listeria from entering the baby. Although canned meat spreads are safe, they should be avoided.
While spam is not a health issue, canned meat spreads are. Canned meats are pasteurized, which means they’ve been cooked at high temperatures to kill all bacteria. As a result, you can eat it cold directly from the can.
If you’re worried about the sodium content in spam, eat a couple of pieces. They are typically packaged in a tin or pouch, making them easy to transport and cook.
You may also buy turkey spam, which is considerably healthier and lower in sodium. When prepared properly, turkey is a safe substitute for spam during pregnancy. Cook turkey and ham slices to the desired temperature and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
So Can You Eat Spam While Pregnant?
You can prepare your own Spam if you’re concerned about the health risks of consuming it while pregnant. If you’re still worried, here’s the deal: you should avoid cooking it.
Although it does not taste particularly good when fried, it is totally safe to consume cold. To make cooking easier, buy Spam pouches that are already cooked when they leave the factory.
Because it has been pasteurized and cooked at a high temperature, canned and tinned Spam are entirely safe to consume during pregnancy. Any bacteria found in the raw meat are killed during this process.
Some ham products are neither pasteurized nor shelf-stable, whereas Spam is both safe and shelf-stable. Spam is not only safe for pregnancy, but it also contains no hazardous ingredients.
While avoiding these foods is a smart approach to avoid feeling sick while pregnant, it is still preferable to do so. Listeria, which can cause food poisoning in pregnant women, may be present in some of these foods.
Most canned soups and pasta are acceptable to consume, but deli meats, salad meats, and lunch meats must be cooked to 165°F before eating.
Meats You Should Avoid During Pregnancy
While pregnant women should eat more fruits and vegetables, some meats should be avoided. This also applies to deli meat, which may have a very small level of listeria present.
Foods that have been precooked, however, are susceptible to cross-contamination and may not necessarily be safer. The longer they lie on the shelf, the greater the risk of listeria. Bacteria-contaminated foods such as hot dogs and bacon should also be avoided.
While toxoplasmosis is not harmful to women who are not pregnant, it can be harmful to an unborn child. Cooking the meat properly will eradicate the parasite if it has this infection.
Undercooked meat may contain toxoplasmosis, an infection that can cause miscarriage or stillbirth. The best way to avoid infection and keep your baby healthy while pregnant is to fully cook meat.
Pregnant women should also stay away from liver pate, which can carry listeria, in addition to undercooked meat. It’s crucial to drink enough water while pregnant since dehydration can trigger preterm labor and contractions.
Moreover, you should avoid eating unwashed produce because it may be contaminated with toxoplasmosis. Other pollutants in the soil, such as weeds or pesticides, may be present in fish high in mercury.
If properly prepared, soft cheeses are a good bet. To ensure there is no listeria risk, soft cheeses should be cooked. Undercooked soft cheeses may contain listeria bacteria, hence soft cheeses should be cooked until firm.
If you do consume cheese, make sure to go for the cooked type because these are typically pasteurized. Cheese prepared from raw milk or unpasteurized milk should be avoided even if they are normally harmless.
FAQs
Q1: When expecting, is canned meat safe to eat?
You can consume canned goods including shelf-stable pâtés, meat spreads, and canned smoked seafood.
Q2: Is Spam pasteurized?
It’s already cooked spam. Also, it is pasteurized during the canning process, making it thoroughly cooked and secure to consume right out of the can. You can either eat spam raw or cook it by frying it in a skillet until it is crispy, depending on your preferences.
Q3: Is spam raw or cooked?
It’s a convenient addition to a variety of cuisines because it’s precooked and may be eaten hot or cold. To replace other meats in some of your favorite recipes, including burgers, tacos, or fried rice, try cooking up some Spam.
Q4: What ingredients are in Spam?
Finding out that Spam is not the preservative-filled mystery meat you may have assumed it to be may come as a welcome surprise. Actually, there are just six ingredients in SPAM. On the brand’s website, they are all listed. These are pork, salt, water, potato starch, sugar, and sodium nitrite (counting as one), along with the addition of ham meat.
Q5: Which is more healthy bacon or spam?
Bacon has 898 calories per 100 grams while spam only has 293 calories, making bacon 206% more caloric than spam. In comparison to spam per calorie, bacon has a lower protein content, fewer carbohydrates, and a higher fat content.
In other words, eating spam while pregnant is safe. Despite the fact that it is not the healthiest cooked meat alternative available due to its high fat and sodium content, occasionally eating it won’t hurt a pregnant woman any more than it would anyone else. Because spam has been pasteurized, all of the harmful bacteria have been eliminated, making it safer for expectant mothers to consume than cold deli meats.
When it comes to foods you might eat while pregnant, moderation is frequently the best policy to follow. This rule equally applies to spam as it does to any other item you might include in your pregnancy diet. Spam should be considered a rare alternative rather than something to avoid, especially if you typically like the product.
Conclusion:
Spam can be a safe addition to your pregnancy diet if consumed in moderation. To ensure it is safe to eat, make sure that it is cooked until firm and heated up thoroughly. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind the high fat and sodium content of Spam when making dietary decisions during pregnancy.
Reference:
https://www.webmd.com/baby/ss/slideshow-what-not-to-eat-when-pregnant