Please reassure me - have eaten undercooked pizza

[MammaMia1234]

I am getting stressed out as I had a frozen margarita pizza for lunch today, and it wasn't till I bit into it that I realised the middle was cold. I spat it back out and put it back in for 5 more minutes. Then again bit a bit off and still quite cool, but this time I just ate that but. I put it back in again and was fine the 3rd time but have just scared myself. Worried I might get listeria. It had mozzarella, cheddar and Monterey jack. I feel so silly for chewing that bite.

[PassTheCremeEggs]

There's nothing on that list that you couldn't eat uncooked - why do you think you could get listeria?

[WilliamHerschel]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it at all!

[Runningupthathill82]

There's nothing whatsoever to worry about.

[MammaMia1234]

I don't know. Just on case the one of the cheeses wasn't pasteurised or if listeria was introduced later on in the production process.

[Acardwithbigletters]

During pregnancy, I ate:

• rare steak
  
• unwashed fruit and veg
  
• Brie
  
• an undercooked sausage (unintentional that one)
  
• few glasses of wine
  
• much caffeine
  
• sushi
  

He is now 6.5 old and a huge pita a little blessing.

Don't worry :)

[PotteringAlong]

But you can eat all of that uncooked? You must have had a non-toasted cheese sandwich whilst pregnant? It's no different.

[Acardwithbigletters]

6.5 months old, that should say.

[MammaMia1234]

I know I'm probably being silly. Just have this horrible image of having harmed the baby. And I'm just really scared.

[PassTheCremeEggs]

Take a deep breath and think about it reasonably. Neither cheese nor tomato needs to be cooked. Therefore it won't matter one bit if it was frozen when you ate it. I know it's easy to get stressed in pregnancy but you're being ridiculous!

[minijoeyjojo]

Firstly all the things that are in the pizza would be fine to eat raw. Secondly there are on average 180 cases of listeria in the U.K. each year (government stats). So in a population of circa 65 million, 180 people get listeria. Im hoping that showing you the actual occurrence of listeria who'll help put your mind at rest. It's rare and its massively unlikely for you to have got it from your pizza.

[Acardwithbigletters]

Honestly relax.

The NHS goes way way OTT with the things it recommends you avoid.

I'm a really anxious person too but during pregnancy what helped me was reading lots of research around their recommendations. Most of it is just to err on the side of caution, the risk of most things is totally negligible.

[MammaMia1234]

Thanks for the reassurance everyone. I am very anxious so far in this pregnancy, so probably overreacting. Do you think all the cheese on the pizza would have been pasteurised though?

[Acardwithbigletters]

Of course, it's very very unusual to have unpasteurised cheese. And even if you'd cooked it in that case it would still have been unpasteurised.

[Teakind]

To add to what others have said, you can eat 'banned' items like sashimi if they have been frozen first as it kills the germs. Your cheese will have been pasteurised too as this is the UK and none of those cheeses are on the no list.

I get myself worried about food too as so much of pregnancy feels out of your control but at least you can decide what you eat. As someone who is also over cautious, I can honestly say I wouldn't worry about this at all.

[PeachBellini123]

A shop brought pizza (or takeaway) will 100% not use unpasterised cheese. Even if it did it would be incredibly rare to get listeria.

You really need to try to calm down. Stress has got to be far worse for you even if you did eat something 'banned'

[Runningupthathill82]

OP, you are massively overreacting. Please try to calm down - as the pp said, this level of stress won't be going you any good.

If it helps to reassure you, I ate masses of oozing unpasteurized cheese (in France) in both my pregnancies as I know the listeria risk from cheese is so very, very low. The "risk" from frozen cheese on a pizza is non existent.

[GinIsIn]

Even if the cheeses were unpasteurised, which they 100% would not be, if the pizza has been frozen then that would kill the bacteria in any case.

Give yourself a little shake, and stop being silly - there's nothing there you couldn't eat uncooked so of course you haven't harmed the baby!

[PotteringAlong]

Unpasteurised cheese is often made in small numbers so it's actually really expensive- it's definitely far too expensive to be on a frozen shop bought teacher.

[PotteringAlong]

That should be pizza!

[HanarCantWearSweaters]

I only eat organic, farm raised teachers thank you very much Pottering.

[m33r]

OP to reassure you, when I was pregnant I worried myself stupid that I didn't reheat a cooked pizza which had sat in the kitchen for about 3 hours. So crazy to worry but I totally understand! Try to chill.

My LB is now 19 months!

[haveacupoftea]

I read the NHS advice that you shouldnt est cooked meat thats been sitting out for more than 2 days...i've been known to eat meat thats been out of the fridge for 2 days

[seven201]

Do you suffer from anxiety? I really think you should get some advice about your anxiety. You have absolutely nothing to worry about from that pizza.