silly question I know to do with ham!

[isitnearlyteatime]

I know its a silly question but Ive had conflicting advice about eating ham

can you eat sliced ham from a supermarket as in the packaged slices from bernard mathews or any supermarket brand or any other brand?

Ive had different advice about this and its the one thing Im craving at the moment and as for the majority of my pregnancy Ive been having a rotten diet due to nausea with no protein it would be great to know I could safely enjoy this and get some protein at the same time which Ive been sorely lacking in my diet

any advice greatly received

Yes, you can.

I'm not sure, but there is some concern about deli meats in general. You're advised to heat them to be safe? Hopefully someone more up to date will be along in a minute

Yes you can, it's cooked/cured and safe. You'd need to me more careful with meat that's been left uncovered and possibly not at a safe temperature, eg from a deli counter.

This is the current advice from the NHS website:

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/foods-to-avoid-pregnant.aspx#cured

Pre-packed meat is safe to eat if you're pregnant
Pre-packed meats like ham and corned beef are safe to eat in pregnancy. Some other sites (maybe from other countries such as the USA) may suggest that you avoid pre-packed meats in pregnancy but here in the UK we do not.

It does advise you to be cautious with cured meats like parma ham and salami, which can come uncooked and so may carry a risk of toxoplasmosis. It suggests freezing or cooking it.

many many thanks for all your replies - that's really helpful

Im now off to the supermarket to buy lots of pre-packed ham - hooray - I will finally be able to eat some protein :-)

I have been eating deli meats (ham, smoked meat, turkey) almost everyday for lunch at work (easy to make and pack when in a hurry).

I pop the sandwiches in the microwave for 50secs to 1min - just enough to warm it up a bit and eliminate the already miniscule risk of getting listeriosis/listeria. Eat away I say :)

I eat ham constantly.

My rule of thumb is if the NHS foods list says it's OK, it's OK. I also eat hard stilton (pasteaurised) because the NHS also OKs that.

I decided to pick one very reliable source and stick with it as the tinterweb is scary!

As long as it is cooked its all cool.
Just be cautious of cured/dried meats.

Yep, NHS Choices website is my go-to for consistent, evidence-based and non-scaremongering food advice.

It seems happy enough with ham consumption - so am I!

Also acceptability of stilton is the best news ever! I worked out by this logic Shropshire blue is also fine. Hurrah for sensible advice!