Can you eat chorizo when pregnant?

Find out if it's safe to eat chorizo during pregnancy, plus precautions to take to keep you and your baby healthy.

The official advice on eating chorizo in pregnancy

The NHS doesn't say you should avoid eating chorizo completely when pregnant, but it does advise being cautious.

This is because cold cured meats like chorizo are raw, so there's a very small risk of food poisoning. Raw meat can contain parasites that cause toxoplasmosis, an infection which can cause health problems for your baby and in rare cases miscarriage or stillbirth.

Many pregnant women prefer to only eat chorizo if cooked. According to NHS Wales, you can also freeze it for four days before eating to kill off any parasites.

What about cooked chorizo?

Cooked chorizo is safe to eat during pregnancy, just make sure it's been fully cooked and you eat it straight away. Cooking kills off the bacteria, so it's fine to have cooked cured meats, such as pepperoni on pizza or chorizo in a stew.

Delicious chorizo recipes

Love chorizo? Why not try one of these great pregnancy-safe recipes?

• Chicken and chorizo stew
• Chorizo, new potato and chicken traybake
• Chorizo roast potatoes
• Chorizo hotpot
• Lamb stew with chorizo

We like The Whole 9 Months, a week-by-week pregnancy nutrition guide, packed full of recipes and medical advice. See more details here at Amazon.

Take a look at

Foods to avoid in pregnancy: your definitive guide

Confused about what you can and can't eat during pregnancy? These are the foods and drinks you should avoid or cut down on to protect your baby.

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