It is only normal that women have the longing for certain foods during pregnancy. The irony is that not all these foods are safe for them. Straight away, alcohol is a no-no. So, don’t even think about taking it in your condition. But there are even foods that are safe but that have to be consumed reasonably.
Some foods that are high in caffeine are examples. Also, while eating eggs is not much of a problem, pregnant women should avoid partially cooked or raw quail, goose, or duck eggs.
Well, this begs the question of whether women can eat sausages when pregnant, or if they are to avoid them. Even if you are not pregnant or close to a pregnant person, you can add to what you already know about pregnancy by continuing to read this IST Health sexuality article.
Summary
Is Sausage Safe for Pregnant Women?
To be quite fair, the answer to this question is not so straightforward. For starters, this depends on:
- The type of sausage
- How it is cooked or prepared
- How much of it is consumed
Some sausages offer pregnant women nutritional benefits. However, they are far from the best option for getting these nutritional benefits. This is besides the fact that several boxes have to be ticked to ensure sausages are safe for pregnant women.
Even sausage foods that tick all the right boxes do not have to be consumed every day of the week. This is because excessive consumption of sausage food can cause heartburn (at the very least) during pregnancy. This uncomfortable feeling can go on for minutes and even much longer. If you have heartburn during pregnancy and need to use antacids, you may want to find out if you can take Tums while pregnant.
Kinds of Sausages Women Can and Cannot Eat During Pregnancy
Below are the basic kinds of sausages and if they are safe for consumption or should be avoided by pregnant women:
Fresh Sausage
Sausages in this category are popular in Italian cuisines. Its chopped meat source is mostly beef or pork. However, there are other varieties including fish. The good news is that pregnant women should be fine eating fresh sausage.
But this is with the condition that you cook and store it properly. Proper storage (through refrigeration) and cooking will make sure harmful bacteria like Listeria and a bunch of other bacteria are gotten rid of. By the way, Listeria is a bacterium that is very common in unpasteurized milk and foods made from and with such milk.
Dry or Semi-Dry Sausage
As the name implies, the preparation of this kind of sausage means that moisture is extracted. Lebanon bologna and summer sausage (deli meat) are good examples of dry or semi-dry sausages. The moisture extraction options include drying and fermentation and bacteria are gotten rid of using these methods.
But unfortunately, you cannot be sure that all the harmful bacteria (like Listeria) are removed. It is for this reason that we strongly advise against eating any sausage food made of dry or semi-dry sausages.
Cooked or Smoked Sausage
Most sausage lovers seem to love this kind more than other options. An example is the popular hot dog. It is obtained from ground or chopped meats that are well seasoned. How much and well they are cooked is what determines if eating cooked or smoked sausage is safe during pregnancy.
This means that you have to expose your cooked or smoked sausage to the right amount of heat and at the right time. If the temperature is supposed to be somewhere around medium heat for example, then it should be no cooler than that.
Making sure that the healthy state of the pregnant woman and the baby is not on the line is dependent on this. This is because both pregnant women and the baby in their womb can be exposed to certain harmful bacteria when cooked and smoked sausages are not properly cooked.
So, if you are boiling it with water, ensure it is properly boiled in water. If you are frying it with oil in a pan, make sure it is properly fried. Pregnant women stand the risk of contracting certain harmful bacteria if they do not have this kind of sausage prepared this way.
We have other posts on our website that you will find helpful. For example, you can read this article that discusses when women start showing pregnancy signs.