Hot Dog
Processed
A hot dog is a cured, pre-cooked sausage of pork, beef or both, served in a soft bun. It is fine in pregnancy once it has been heated until steaming hot; the reason for care is listeria, which can grow on ready-to-eat meats in the fridge.
Why it's good in pregnancy
A hot dog gives you around 6 g of protein and some B12, and a properly heated one is a quick, safe meal at a barbecue or a game. It is the ease, not the nutrition, that earns it a place now and then.
Key nutrients
Serving ideas
Safety
Hot dogs are sold cooked, but listeria can grow on them in the fridge after packing, and in pregnancy listeriosis can cross the placenta even when you feel only mildly unwell. The FDA and ACOG advise heating hot dogs until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F), before eating, and avoiding them cold or lukewarm; keep the juice from the pack off other foods. Once heated through they are safe. The other reason to keep them occasional is that one frank carries around 500 mg of sodium plus nitrites, and processed meat is best kept to a small part of any diet.
Heat until steaming hot, 74°C (165°F), never straight from the pack.High in salt and nitrites, so keep them occasional.Boil, grill or microwave hot dogs until they are steaming hot right through and the skin starts to split; if a vendor's dog is sitting lukewarm in water, ask for one straight off the grill. Eat them straight away rather than letting them cool, and wash hands and surfaces after handling the pack liquid, which can carry listeria onto salads and bread. Keep opened packs no more than a week in the fridge. Choose lower-salt or nitrite-free versions if you eat them often, and load the bun with onions, tomato or slaw rather than extra sauces.