Are Lunchables Safe to Eat While Pregnant?
When you find out that you’re pregnant, there are a multitude of things that start to run through your mind. It quickly becomes clear, however, that some things that were once easy or could be done without much of a second thought suddenly become more difficult or—worse—dangerous to the health of both a pregnant person as well their unborn child. Smoking cigarettes, eating certain foods, or lifting and carrying a certain amount of weight at any given time all take on different meanings.
To that end, many women wonder about what cravings are safe for them to indulge in over the course of their pregnancy and what ones should be tabled for later. Things like alcohol and smoking will obviously have to wait, but what about simpler comforts, like eating a Lunchable?
In this article, we’ll talk about the possible risks of eating Lunchables while you’re pregnant, what you can do to minimize these risks, and ultimately, come to the conclusion of whether or not it’s safe for you to eat them while you’re carrying your baby.
Table of Contents
Overview
Lunchables are a popular brand of food and snacks for children manufactured by Kraft-Heinz in Chicago, Illinois and marketed under the Oscar Mayer brand. They were originally introduced in Seattle in 1988 before being released to the rest of the nation the following year, in 1989.
Lunchables offers products with over 30 different kinds of meal combinations—including crackers, pizzas, chicken nuggets, small hot dogs, small burgers, nachos, subs, and wraps.
And while these easy, portable lunches are geared mostly towards children, being on the market for over 30 years means that many of the mothers of today grew up eating Lunchables themselves, and thus still have a sentimental fondness for them—and may develop a craving for them over the course of their pregnancy.
In the rest of this article, we’ll talk about:
- Possible Health Risks
- What Lunchables Are Safest, and, ultimately,
- Can You Eat Them While Pregnant?
By the end, you should have a solid understanding of whether it’s safe or not to indulge in the occasional Lunchable!
Possible Health Risks
It’s no secret that many of the varieties of Lunchables on the market come with some form of processed meat and cheese products. And while this is normally not an issue for most women who aren’t pregnant, deli and processed meats come with an added risk for those women who are in the form of Listeria.
Listeria is a food-borne bacterial illness that can be very serious for pregnant women. While the woman herself may be able to handle the illness fairly well, the disease can be fatal for unborn babies and newborns and can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and even death in newborns.
Given this, it’s important for women to be especially diligent to avoid instances where they may be exposed to listeria bacteria, which typically means avoiding deli meats in case they may be contaminated.
Generally speaking, it’s perfectly safe to indulge in processed meats every now and then (just ask Chrissy Teigan), as the risk of contracting Listeria is generally pretty low—but to be forewarned is to be forearmed, and you should be aware that consuming any kind of cold or undercooked meat could potentially pose a problem.
Which Lunchables Are Safest?
Keeping in mind the fact that many Lunchables come with some form of processed meat, and processed meats are generally best left avoided while pregnant, it makes sense that the safest Lunchables to eat are those that come without meat.
Unfortunately, however, being owned by a big deli meat giant like Oscar Meyer means that most of the products that Lunchables are known for contain some type of meat—usually ham or turkey.
However, you do have two options if you find you can live without the meat but are still craving the comfort and familiarity of a Lunchable: the Extra Cheesy Pizza Lunchable as well as the Nachos with Cheese Dip and Salsa variety.
Can You Eat Them While Pregnant?
Ultimately: YES. It’s fine to eat a Lunchable every once in a while during your pregnancy if you find you’re having a strong craving for one.
While it’s obviously wisest to avoid the ones containing meat to limit your risk of contracting Listeria, that doesn’t leave you with too many options to choose from when it comes to Lunchables.
Fortunately, however, it’s not completely unsafe for pregnant women to eat processed meats, with many mothers forgoing the “avoid at all costs” rule and indulging themselves as they see fit.
As long as you take some precautions (i.e. making sure the package is completely sealed, that you don’t leave it sitting out of the fridge, etc.) to avoid your chances of getting sick—by all means, enjoy your Lunchable, mama!
