Sausage is a ubiquitous food popular for its spicy taste and crumbly texture. But though people like it, it’s also a highly processed food high in saturated fat, sodium, and nitrosamines. So, is eating sausage during pregnancy a safe choice? Learning this is essential as eating highly processed foods can expose you and your unborn baby to several health risks. Read on as we tell you all about different types of sausages, their safety for pregnant women, some health benefits, side effects, and tasty sausage recipes to try making at home.
Is Sausage Safe To Eat During Pregnancy?
Sausage is safe to eat during pregnancy if it is completely cooked and eaten hot. Sausages made of ground beef, pork, lamb, or veal should be cooked to 160 °F, and those made of ground turkey and chicken should be cooked to 165°F. (1) You need to cook the meat until there is no more pink left inside and the juices dry up (2). With all these precautions, however, do make sure to check with your doctor before you plan to include sausages in your diet.
Types Of Sausages: What Is Safe And What Is Not
Sausages are made of ground red meat or poultry and have a casing made from the intestine of the animal. They could be pan-fried, broiled or barbecued. The processed meat product is available in uncooked and ready-to-eat forms. Fresh and smoked sausages are uncooked while dry, semi-dry, and cooked are ready-to-eat. Know if you can or cannot eat each variety, here (3) (4):
1. Fresh sausages
Fresh sausages are finely chopped particles of meat, which are usually cured and seasoned. The varieties include fresh pork sausages, fresh beef sausages, breakfast sausages, whole hog sausages, and Italian sausage products. Safety during pregnancy: Fresh sausage is safe to eat if you refrigerate it properly and cook thoroughly. Uncooked sausages may contain listeria and hence are unsafe to eat (4).
2. Cooked and/or smoked sausages
Cooked or smoked sausages are made of chopped or ground meat. They are seasoned, cooked and/or smoked. This category includes liverwurst, hot dogs, bologna, cooked bratwurst, braunschweiger, cooked Thuringer, and salami. Safety during pregnancy: Do not consume seasoned sausages unless they are completely cooked and are piping hot.
3. Dry and semi-dry sausages
Dry and semi-dry sausages are cured with salt and sodium nitrite, cultured, mixed with ground or chopped meat, placed in casings, fermented and then dried. Semi-dry sausages are partially dried. Pepperoni, Lebanon bologna, and summer sausage come under this variety. Safety during pregnancy: The fermentation process and lack of moisture usually kill the pathogenic bacteria in dry sausages. However, it is good to avoid dry sausages when you are pregnant as a few types of bacteria, such as E.Coli, can survive the dry fermentation process. (4)
Side Effects Of Sausages During Pregnancy
While you can ensure that a home-made sausage is safe to consume, there is no guarantee that a ready-to-eat product is free from food-borne diseases. A sausage can affect you in more ways than one during pregnancy:
1. High fat and salt (sodium) content
Two links of pork sausage contains 170 calories and 15g fat. Foods high in calories could lead to excess weight gain, which could pose problems during and after the pregnancy. So, the type and quantity of sausage should be selected cautiously during pregnancy. Two sausages can meet 50% of your daily sodium requirement of 6g. Sausages are the third largest individual contributors of salt in our diet. A survey in the US has shown that many sausages are full of ‘hidden and unnecessary salt’ (5). The sodium content in sausages can range from 100mg to nearly 2g. High sodium levels can affect fetal renal development (6) and may also affect the mother’s health. Thus, eating sausage without bun is a good idea as the bun can add another 180-200mg of sodium to the meal (7).
2. Listeria
Listeria monocytogenes is a bacteria that can lead to listeriosis disease. Listeriosis can result in miscarriage, severe sickness, premature babies, or death of a newborn. Fermented or dry sausages carry the risk of listeria (8).
3. Toxoplasmosis and other bacteria
Toxoplasmosis is very rare in pregnant women but could be dangerous. It leads to brain damage or blindness in the baby, premature birth, jaundice, and psychological development problems in the newborn. Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii present in raw and uncooked meat. (9) Poorly cooked sausages could be carriers of other bacteria such as salmonella and E.coli. Salmonella causes diarrhea, vomiting, fever, dehydration, and abdominal cramps. E.coli leads to anemia and urinary tract infections among others.
4. Heartburn
The high amount of spices added in sausages could result in heartburn (10), especially in the third trimester, when the uterus expands to accommodate your growing baby, and presses on to your abdomen. The expansion pushes the acid back into the esophagus. This is not harmful to the baby, but the acidity will make you uncomfortable. Having a glass of milk after a sausage may avoid this irritation.
Benefits Of Eating Sausage
Would processed meat like sausages have any health benefits? Yes and, here are a few. However, you need not consume sausages for these benefits alone because you may get these from other healthier foods too.
Sausages contain all the nine amino acids and are high in proteins that are required to maintain your muscle strength (11). They are rich in vitamin B-12 needed to make hemoglobin and metabolize the body fats and proteins (12). Iron is necessary for a pregnant woman to maintain hemoglobin levels and to avoid anemia. A 1oz cooked pok sausage has 0.34mg of iron (13). An important point to consider is that these benefits are also present in foods that are healthier than sausages.
7 Safety Tips To Eat Sausages
Pregnancy food cravings make you defy reason, but they also result in guilt pangs after you indulge in them. Here are a few tips for you to eat sausage without the baggage of guilt:
12 Tasty Sausage Recipes
1. Quick sausage and squeak
You will need:
8 sausages 2 chopped celery sticks 3 chopped mushrooms 2 chopped onions 3 chopped carrots
For the squeak:
Any amount of vegetables you wish to use Any amount of mashed potato you wish to use 1 egg yolk Cheese for topping Salt as per taste Black pepper as per taste Oil Ready made gravy or leftover gravy
How to:
2. Italian sausage and rocket penne
You will need:
2tbsp olive oil 1 diced red capsicum 2 sliced brown onions 1kg Italian sausages 2 crushed garlic cloves 1 cup water 500g penne pasta 3 cups baby rocket Salt and pepper to taste ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
How to:
3. Chorizo sausage salad
You will need:
2 medium chopped red onions with the roots intact 2tsp olive oil 6 fresh chorizo sausages 2 bunches rocket Whole baby beetroot 200g feta cheese For Dressing: 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2tbsp vinegar 2tsp honey
How to:
4. Fruity curried sausages
You will need:
1tbsp olive oil 20g butter 2 finely sliced onions 1tbsp corn flour 1tsp curry powder 500ml chicken stock 2tbsp apricot jam 6 cooked and chopped sausages 90g sultanas
How to:
5. Honey and balsamic glazed sausages
You will need:
1tsp olive oil 6 sausages ¼th cup brown sugar 2tbsp balsamic vinegar 1tbsp honey 2tsp Dijon mustard 1 sprig of rosemary
How to:
6. Sausage hotpot
You will need:
600 g sausages 2 diced rashers bacon 1 diced onion 1 diced carrot 1 diced potato 1 finely crushed garlic clove ¼tsp Tabasco sauce 6 to 8 chopped basil leaves ¼tsp dried thyme 1 cup beef or chicken stock 1tsp tomato paste 2 stalks chopped parsley 420g diced tomatoes 420g flour bean mix 1 cup cooked pasta Water
How to:
7. Sausage kebabs
You will need:
1 small red onion 1 medium zucchini 500g chipolata sausage 8 cherry tomatoes 2tsp olive oil
How to:
8. Cowboy casserole
You will need:
600g baking potatoes 8 sausages 1 diced onion 2 diced carrots 400g baked beans 400g mixed and drained beans 2tbsp sunflower oil 300ml beef or chicken stock 2tsp curry powder 1tbsp tomato puree 50g grated cheddar cheese Water
How to:
9. Gluten free sausage rolls
You will need:
400g gluten free puff pastry 400g gluten free sausages 1tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley 1tsp finely chopped fresh sage Salt as per taste Black pepper as per taste 1 beaten egg
How to:
10. Creamy curried sausages
You will need:
5 thick sausages 1 sliced onion 1 diced carrot 1tsp sweet paprika 1tsp turmeric 1tsp curry powder Freshly cracked pepper 2 sliced zucchini 100g green beans 1 tin light and creamy evaporated milk 1 glass water 1tsp corn flour 1tbsp brown sugar
How to:
11. Sausage and spinach lasagna
You will need:
1tbsp olive oil 1 diced onion 1 crushed garlic clove 400g chopped tomatoes 700g tomato passata 250g frozen spinach 3 sheets fresh lasagna 8 cooked and lengthwise halved sausages For the Béchamel sauce: 30g butter 1tbsp plain flour 1½ cups warm milk 1 cup grated tasty cheese
How to:
12. Baked sausages and butterbeans
You will need:
1 sliced brown onion 6 large sausages 2 sliced capsicums 400g drained butterbeans 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves 2tbsp thyme leaves 400 g chopped tomatoes Parsley for garnish
How to: If you are not comfortable with any of the ingredients above, substitute them with some alternatives. Your health and comfort should help you decide what and how you eat.
As the sausages are made from pre-cooked meat, you cannot be sure if they are cooked thoroughly. There could be the risk of bacteria still being alive in it. High levels of sodium may create trouble for women who have swollen legs due to water retention. Spices could aggravate the heartburn. Spices may give you heartburn. Eating them occasionally will not cause health issues. A DIY sausage can be a healthy alternative. It will give you the freedom to use lean meats, fresh herbs, a lot of vegetables, and limited salt (15).
