Many women wonder – can you eat summer sausage while pregnant?
Summer sausage is a fun breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is best served with your sunny side up or with your other favorite cold cuts.
Kids and adults go crazy about this sausage because of how tasty and appetizing it is.
But if you are pregnant, it can be a bit tricky eating this food to your heart’s content. After all, aren’t there things you need to think about such as its impact on your child’s health?
Are there risks involved with eating a summer sausage if you are expecting?
We address these questions and pin down the facts to help you understand better what exactly you can expect from eating this type of food during pregnancy.
What Is In a Summer Sausage?
Basically, it is made up of ground meat.
Summer sausages are cooked by frying, and these are usually served hot.
The ground meat is processed with spices. Among the ways the ingredients are processed include boiling, baking, curing, and smoking.
Since these sausages contain ground up ingredients, it is very important to cook and heat them up really well. Otherwise, you may end up consuming the ingredients raw or half-done.
You see, meat contains bacteria. It is the cooking process that kills the bacteria and prevents these from wreaking havoc to your body.
As we have mentioned earlier, sausages contain ground meat. And as for which part of the animal the meat comes from, it is actually from various parts. This is why this increases the risk of contamination from bacteria.
Thus, you need to make sure that you cook the sausage very well to eliminate this bacteria. But at the same time, if you allow it to cool, the bacteria can grow again. This is why you need to serve sausages when they are still hot.
Summer Sausages – Should Pregnant Women Eat Them?
The case is quite different from summer sausages.
For instance, it does not require refrigeration. If it is still unopened, you can simply store it in your pantry. But once you have opened the case, you need to refrigerate it.
As for the typical way of consuming summer sausages, it is usually cold. You don’t have to heat it to eat it.
Now, as for the components of this type of sausage, it is a little different from the other ones out there. It has less water, yet there are more nitrates and salt to it. This is why bacteria does not grow too fast in this type of food. Yes – it can still grow but just not as quickly as with other types of sausage.
Here is another thing you need to know about summer sausage: It is a slice of deli meat.
Keep in mind that deli meats are not exactly ideal for pregnant women because of the possibility of having bacteria in this food. Well, unless you heat it very well, then it should be good to go. Otherwise, it may not be very safe for you and your child.
Thus, let us state it once more for the purpose of clarification – summer sausages are fine to consume, as long as you heat it up well. Eating it up cold is not ideal because of the bacteria in it that can pose risks to you and your little one.
Read More: Can Pregnant Women Eat Hotdogs? Worry No More, Here Is The Answer!
Additional Facts about Other Types of Sausages
In addition to summer sausages, there are other ones out there that many people are quite fond of.
These include turkey sausages, liver sausages, battered sausages, and Vienna sausages.
Battered sausages are deep-fried and crispy. Again, as long as you cook it all the way through without any pink in the center, it should be okay. But it is not exactly the healthiest thing to eat because of the high level of fat and oil.
Turkey sausages are not any different from pork and ham in terms of the safety level during pregnancy. You just need to be sure that you serve it steaming hot after cooking it very well.
Now, Vienna sausages are generally canned ones. First, there is the issue with cans containing BPA and mercury, which are not suitable for pregnant women. As for cooking these sausages, you need to fry or bake them until well-done. Never eat it cold or right out of the can to avoid health issues.
Liver sausages or liverwursts are not suitable for pregnant women. These contain very high levels of vitamin A, which may pose health risks to you and your child.
Safety and Precautions on Sausages
Sausages are meat-based wrapped in casings.
There are those without casings, yet they are also classified as sausages because of the way they are processed and made.
Some sausages are eaten on their own while others are covered in batter or wrapped in some kind of pastry. Others are used as pizza toppings while there are those added to sandwiches and burgers.
No matter how you prefer to eat sausages, the rule of thumb remains – you need to cook them thoroughly and avoid eating them straight from the can. This way, you are not exposing yourself to a very high risk of contracting health problems due to bacteria in semi-cooked sausages.
Casings used in sausages are also controversial. For instance, there are natural once obtained from sheep or pig intestines while others are collagen-based. As for others, these are often plastic, which makes them stronger.
If you are eating sausages wrapped in plastic, make it a point to remove this casing. It is toxic to your body, which also exposes your unborn child to the toxin in it.
Conclusion
Overall, summer sausages and a few other types of sausages should be fine to consume by pregnant women.
Just be sure to follow correct cooking procedures each time to prevent yourself and your child from exposure to harmful bacteria in undercooked sausages.
We also encourage you to check out this video to learn more about this topic:
