Why You Might Not Want To Eat Hot Dogs While Pregnant

Pregnancy comes with a host of strange symptoms for many expectant moms. According to Medical News Today, different things cause nausea, mood swings can happen frequently, and compliments on that "pregnancy glow" can pour in. And food cravings happen, but no matter how unyielding a hankering may be, there are certain things doctors tell pregnant women not to eat. 

Sashimi and raw sushi are both off the table, Healthline suggests. Other recommendations include swapping out mercury-riddled tuna for salmon, not adding salmonella-prone sprouts to salads, passing on rare rib-eye steaks and stomaching them well-done, forgoing brie for a pasteurized cheese, and staying away from raw cookie dough. And pregnant women should scrub their fruits and vegetables well, leave their doggie bags behind, and avoid pot lucks (via WebMD). 

These aren't the only things you'll need to dodge, duck, and weave either. Hot dogs could be a problem too, but there's something you can do about it.

There are things you don't want to know about hot dogs — and they can be harmful to your unborn bundle as well. Nutritionist Heather Hanks points out that they aren't good for anyone — hot dogs are highly processed, which leads to inflammation, and they contain cancer-causing nitrates (via Romper). If you add sugar-laden ketchup and a white flour bun and the inflammatory properties of a hot dog skyrocket. However, if those facts don't lessen your hot dog hunger and you're currently yelling, "I only want to know if they hurt pregnant people," you may be relieved to hear that "it all depends." 

Eating wieners raw is always a bad idea. Even if they're precooked, hot dogs can become contaminated with listeria after they've been processed and packaged (per the FDA). If you really want to eat a hot dog while you're pregnant, you'll need to take extra caution while preparing it. It must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of two minutes before any listeria present will be killed off, according to Romper. 

Having to stick a meat thermometer into a hot dog may sound like a pain in the posterior, but there is good news. After engaging in this lengthy hot dog preparation, you may never suffer from this particular unhealthy craving again.