Written by Editorial Team
Are you pregnant and love eating hot dogs? Have you heard about numerous warnings about eating hot dogs during pregnancy? Hot dogs are quite popular at barbecues, gatherings, picnics, and of course, basketball games!
A hot dog, also known as a frankfurter or wiener, is a popular barbecued food consisting of a steamed or grilled sausage placed in a slit bun with different sauces, cheese, and sometimes, vegetables. But is it safe to eat hot dogs when you are expecting? Read on to know more!
In This Article
Unlike determining if a particular vegetable or fruit is safe to consume during pregnancy when we are assessing a cooked product like hot dogs, we need first to determine if each of them is safe to consume during pregnancy, in isolation or in combination. So let us first see what a hot dog contains.
Hot dogs are a yummy snack that has a cooked sausage put between a partially sliced bun and topped with sauces. Let us look at what ingredients make up a regular hot dog:
Now, while none of these ingredients can potentially harm the child (as long as healthy and hygienic cooking standards are maintained), a quick look at the list will also tell you that all the ingredients are processed, and not very healthy. So, should you be eating hot dogs during pregnancy?
[Read : Mayonnaise During Pregnancy]
There is no reason to avoid hot dogs during pregnancy completely.
While the dish is definitely not healthy—we will come to this in the next section—it is also not necessarily harmful to the pregnant woman or the growing fetus as well. One thing that we need to be very careful about is that the hot dogs are cooked very well, at a temperature of over 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Why is this important? All processed meats, such as sausage, are known to be contaminated by a bacteria named Listeria during the packaging stage of the production. The good news is that heat can kill Listeria. The bad news is that if by some means the bacteria is consumed by the mother, it gets passed on to the fetus, and this can lead to stillbirth or miscarriage. So the key is to ensure that the meat is cooked thoroughly. Listeria infections are rare, but pregnancy is not the time to take any unwanted risks.
Here are some of the risks pregnant women experience when having hot dogs during pregnancy:
Cooking hot dogs any of the common methods are fine, and its temperature is the important thing to look out, and the internal temperature should be 175f/75c.
When you are cooking hot dogs and have it as soon after cooking it and don’t leave it sitting or cooling down for a long time, when cooking from frozen be careful, they are cooked well or not.
Some cooking methods are given below, and always it depends on the size and shape of the hotdogs.
Hot dogs should be oven-baked for ten minutes at about 350F/175c temperature and cook them well on all sides, Follow the instructions given on the pocket.
It is rather than keeping the hot dogs in hot water as instructions tell you to do given on many packets, boil the hot dogs well for 2-3 minutes. The hot dogs should be steaming hot in the water when taken it out. Don’t keep the hot dogs in the warm water before serving for a long time.
it is a common method to microwave hot dogs with some water in a safe bowl. More people wrap the hot dog in a paper towel and cook for a minute, but the time depends on the microwave power only. So it varies.
[Read : Smoked Ribs During Pregnancy]
So, as we said before, it is ok to consume hot dogs during pregnancy as long as you cook it at a high temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. That said, it is also not necessarily healthy.
So, in conclusion, there is no reason to avoid hot dogs during pregnancy completely. If you are craving for one, go ahead and have it, after making sure that is it properly cooked to kill the bacteria that might be present. But at the same time, make sure you make up for the lost nutrition by adding more healthy and varied dishes on your plate for the next meal. Also, do consult your doctor before adding hot dogs to your pregnancy diet.
Have a safe pregnancy!
Read Also: Is Eating Pizza During Pregnancy Safe?
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
Meditation During Pregnancy
Top 500 Baby Boy Names Starting With V
Vaginal Examinations During Labor – Importance, Frequency and Types
Magnesium Citrate During Pregnancy
Gongura During Pregnancy – Is it Safe to Eat, Top Benefits and Side Effects
NyQuil During Pregnancy – Safety, Dosage And Side Effects
Get regular updates, great recommendations and other right stuff at the right time.