Can Pregnant Women Eat Hot Dogs?

With so many foods to avoid during pregnancy, it’s natural to wonder whether hot dogs—a comfort food for many—are safe for you and your baby.

The answer is yes, if you prepare them correctly and limit your intake. Find out when eating hot dogs can be dangerous, what safety precautions you should take, and why you should still limit your hot dog consumption when you’re expecting.

Yes, again, eating hot dogs while you’re pregnant is safe—as long as you cook them properly.

Undercooked hot dogs (and unpasteurized toppings like sauerkraut and soft cheeses) can contain Listeria monocytogenes, a type of harmful bacteria that can cause a disease called listeriosis. 1

Your immune system is depressed while you’re pregnant. This makes you 10 times more likely to contract listeriosis if you’re exposed to it.

Although the symptoms of listeria during pregnancy can often be mild and flu-like (fever, muscle aches, fatigue, headaches, vomiting or diarrhea), it’s important to be cautious. If you get it while you’re carrying a child, you’ll be at risk of serious pregnancy complications, including: 1

• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Health issues in your newborn
• Infant death
• Low birth weight
• Premature labor

Fortunately, you can avoid Listeria (and these complications) by being careful about how you prepare your food.

How to prepare hot dogs for safe consumption

To kill any Listeria bacteria in a hot dog, cook it at 165°F (74°C) or until it’s steaming hot. 2 If you can’t do this, don’t eat it. Also, never eat hot dogs that have been sitting at room temperature for over 2 hours or in the freezer for over a month. 3

Avoid adding any unpasteurized foods as toppings. Choose pasteurized versions or other safe condiments, such as ketchup, mustard, relish, or cooked onions.

Lastly, continue to document your pregnancy symptoms and diet in your journal or pregnancy tracker app so that you can flag any warning signs if you do get sick (which you hopefully won’t) and get immediate treatment.

Even though eating cooked hot dogs during pregnancy won’t put you and your baby in immediate danger, you shouldn’t eat them too often. That isn’t because there’s anything particularly unsafe about them; they just aren’t very healthy.

Hot dogs are a type of ultra-processed food. They typically contain high amounts of: 4

• Salt
• Unhealthy saturated fat
• Nitrates and nitrites (chemicals to prevent bacterial growth and maintain color) 5
• Other chemical ­additives (e.g., coloring, flavoring, and preservatives)

These additives won’t benefit your baby’s growth and development, and overconsumption may compromise his health. 6 It’s important to stick to a pregnancy-friendly diet that consists of natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed meat.

The upshot is that it’s OK to eat hot dogs, but only in moderation, as an occasional treat. The same goes for other junk food you may find yourself craving.

Hot dogs labeled “nitrate and nitrite-free” aren’t necessarily healthier

You may have read advice claiming that hot dogs labeled nitrate and nitrite-free are healthier options because they don’t contain those chemicals. This isn’t true.

That label doesn’t actually guarantee that the product is free of nitrate and nitrite. In most cases, it just means they use nitrate and nitrite that were taken from vegetables (e.g., celery) instead of being made artificially. 5 7

Contrary to what you might assume, natural nitrate and nitrite aren’t healthier than artificial chemicals. Both are linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer. 5 7

Pregnancy cravings can be intense, especially during the first trimester. 9 It’s perfectly normal to find yourself dreaming of hot dogs (among other foods).

The key is to satisfy your cravings in moderation and prepare the foods properly. Unless your doctor forbids you from having it, don’t stress out about having a hot dog or another food that isn’t very nutritious every once in a while.

As long as you’re mostly eating healthy pregnancy snacks and your doctor didn’t detect any issues during your prenatal checkups, you just need to be extra careful about your diet, and you and your baby should be fine.