When it comes to not eating only vegetables, beef, meat, or however you call it is one of the main components of those dishes. With many options in cuts and how it is prepared, meat is one versatile plate to enjoy; if you are into that.
Since prehistory, humans have been dealing with meat, more predominantly raw meat. And after discovering what fire can do to the meat, the cooking of meat has just taken off since. It is not strange to hear in a restaurant people asking for fully cooked steaks, medium rare or almost raw.
But when it comes to pregnancy and meat consumption, you would probably be asking: Can I eat medium-rare steak when pregnant? Is it good at all for me or the baby? We are going to take a look if you could and if you do not let’s explore the reasons why.
Can you eat steak while pregnant?
Before answering “can I eat medium-rare steak when pregnant?”, we need to take a look at its main kind of cut; its most preferred one by the people: steaks. And see if eating a steak, or two, during your pregnancy time is good or bad. So, can you eat steak while pregnant?
In a word: Yes. It is actually good for you and your baby to eat a steak during gestation. However, you have to make sure the beef you are eating or thinking about eating needs to be well cooked. The meat should maintain a safe and good internal temperature.
“Maintaining a safe and good internal temperature” is just another fancy way to describe well-prepared and cooked meat; not anything like raw, pink, or medium-rare steak since those have not been completely cooked at all, and have lower temperatures inside than cooked ones.
That internal safe temperature is about 63 degrees Celsius, or 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea behind all this technicality is safety. You do not want to risk your future baby with a craving that may have bacteria, that may cause some nasty illnesses, do you?
If you are not preparing the steak or beef, maybe being on a restaurant or the house of some friends or family, you need to make sure to ask for meat that is ordered “Medium well” or “Well done”, since those two are the kinds of steak that are well cooked.
What if I ate some undercooked beef?
If you are asking yourself “can I eat medium-rare steak when pregnant?”, it is possible that you may just eat a piece of meat that was not very well cooked, being raw, or bloody, or else. It may sound scary given the warnings that are above, but you may also ask: What if I ate some undercooked beef?
Well, for instance, you do not need to be that alarmed. Sure, it may be a risk that some would qualify as unnecessary, but it is not the end of the world. Your body would still have defenses to deal with any intruder, only without that much power than when you are not pregnant.
If you decided to take the plunge into this risky endeavor, you could try to see how is going with your body after consumption. Any weird symptom should be checked out after by a doctor, especially diarrhea, fever, or muscle pain.
Since any of the symptoms would definitely something to do with bacteria, it is probably required the use of antibiotics. The issue is, when you are pregnant, something like an antibiotic should only be prescribed and consumed with strict medical surveillance.
Why you should not eat medium-rare steak when pregnant?
This is the answer for can I eat medium-rare steak when pregnant. It is not like you can’t eat these kinds of meat; it is more like you shouldn’t eat them when pregnant. But why though? Why you should not eat medium-rare steak when pregnant?
To put it simply, listeria… And salmonella, toxoplasmosis, and many other infections produced by bacteria and parasites that could live in raw, undercooked meat. It is not like every single piece of meat has these pathogens; but, it is better to be safe than sorry, isn’t that right?
Listeria is weird and rare these times, but if it does happen; it may mean a really bad time for you and your baby. An infection by listeria bacteria could be that bad that may cause preterm labor, miscarriages and stillbirths; all of these do not sound right for that period in your life and that of your child.
Salmonella, E. Coli, and many others would also appear in an undercooked or raw meat. The risk is there, even with all the care, the cleanliness and hygiene of all the processes from the producer. In any stage of this, the meat could get contaminated by seemingly minor situations.
To avoid those risks, it is always best to clean the meat that is going to be prepared, and cook it thoroughly. In some circumstances where you are not the one cooking the meat, always ask for one that is fully cooked, without blood or with a pink color (undercooked), especially if you are expecting.
Conclusion
Well, to wrap things up with the question can I eat medium-rare steak when pregnant? Yes, you can eat these kinds of steak if you want; the issue there is not just will, however. It is rather that you should not be eating that and similar kinds of meat that are not well cooked.
The reason is quite simply bacteria and parasites. These pathogens would not live in a piece of steak that has been thoroughly cooked, and that has a good internal temperature. The same can’t be said on undercooked meats; their reproduction could thrive in an environment like that one.
And if you ate some meat that was not entirely cooked, rest assured that it is not the end of the world. But you may need to take a look at your health the following hours to see if there are any changes. If there are, always ask the help of your doctor.
