A pregnant woman has shared her solution to enjoy cured meats—and the internet is questioning her choice.
In the clip, Grace Booth (@gracebooth97 on TikTok) is seemingly on vacation in Italy and holding a sandwich containing deli meats.
Renowned for its charcuterie-style meats such as salami and prosciutto, Italy is the European destination to sample some high-quality food—some of which is deemed off-limits to pregnant people.
The video, which has been viewed over 800,000 times, sees Booth displaying the salumi panino and acting out the accompanying audio.
Fans of Keeping Up with the Kardashians will recognize it from the scene where Kourtney Kardashian picks up a donut and says: “I can’t eat this but how exciting is it to smell it?”
Pregnant women are advised to avoid consuming cured and soft cheeses due to the risk of foodborne illnesses such as salmonella, which can lead to severe complications such as miscarriage, stillbirth and birth defects.
These foods may contain harmful bacteria or parasites, and can also have high levels of nitrates and nitrites.
To reduce these risks, it’s advised that pregnant women should choose pasteurized products, thoroughly cooked meats and avoid ready-to-eat deli meats (unless heated).
To propose a solution to her dilemma, Booth captioned the video: “I’m going to have to come back for the deli meats.”
Pregnant woman drinking milk, sitting on sofa. Grace Booth’s video sparked a debate on the nutritional advice for pregnant women around the world.
Pregnant woman drinking milk, sitting on sofa. Grace Booth’s video sparked a debate on the nutritional advice for pregnant women around the world.
Makidotvn
Since it was posted on July 1, Booth’s video has invited multiple comments contesting her decision not to eat the Italian cuisine from other TikTok users.
One commented: “You 100% can! Women in countries like Italy would be eating it the whole way through pregnancy,” while another shared that Booth could eat cooked ham such as prosciutto cotto and mortadella.
Others had a few questions about Booth’s video, with one asking: “I thought cooked meats were okay?” and another: “Why can’t you have cheese?”
An Italian native also weighed in on the debate and shared that her mom “ate that every day” when she was pregnant.
One resonated with Booth’s situation and commented: “I feel your pain! This was me last April while visiting Florence, I had to watch my husband eat all the delish salamis.”
For many pregnant women, dietary restrictions are a necessary but challenging part of resisting pregnancy cravings for the health and safety of their baby.
Newsweek reached out to @gracebooth97 on TikTok. We could not verify details of the case.
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