The biggest problem for any woman during pregnancy is to avoid consuming their most loved delicacies and frankly speaking this makes them cranky, but one cannot complain about that. So, one of the frequent questions asked by pregnant women is whether they can have steak or not and this depends on the diet plan that the doctor has advised you. Now, there are certain benefits of eating steak while pregnant, but the steak is only healthy if it is well cooked. Raw or semi-cooked steak can harm the fetus. So can you eat steak when pregnant? Well, the answer is yes.
Learn About The Risks, Effects and Benefits Of Eating Steak While Pregnant:
Benefits of Eating Steak:
- Now according to the research done on Dutch women, the chance of the baby getting colicky reduces when they increase their intake of Steak.
- Steak is also a good source of iron and protein which is very necessary during the pregnancy period.
- The vitamin B12 is present in high amounts in steak which helps in developing the nerve cells in the baby’s brain and it also improves the sleep cycles. So steak during pregnancy is quite beneficial.
- Pregnant women feel irritation after consuming food; the irritation can be reduced by consuming steak. So eating steak while pregnant has quite a few health benefits.
Infections from Steak:
There is no risk as such when it comes to eating steak during pregnancy. But there are a few things which can cause infections by eating steak, Steak when not cooked well or raw steak can give you trouble in your pregnancy. There are chances of infections spreading and various harmful bacteria entering your body.
- Uncooked steak contains bacteria which causes salmonella.
- It is known to all that the immune system gets weak during pregnancy so that the body does not reject the fetus as a foreign body. You are prone to get infected during this phase.
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Risks from Steak during Pregnancy:
Risks occur due to consuming uncooked steak in pregnancy; these risks can be life threatening to the fetus as well as the mother.
- Salmonella makes you feel very sick though it generally does not affect the fetus.
- Salmonella typhi; a rare kind of salmonella can harm the fetus and it increases the chances of preterm labor, miscarriage or stillbirth.
- Listeria has also been found as a major reason for preterm delivery, miscarriage or infection in the newborn child.
Long Term Effects:
Now even after informing you about all the risks and the infections caused by eating uncooked or raw steak if you still continue eating uncooked steak then be ready for the long term effect which can not only harm your pregnancy but will also cause problems to the developing baby inside you. The long term effects will be experienced by you if you continue eating raw steak for long.
- Long term effects of toxoplasmosis can increase the level of infections in your unborn baby.
- Your unborn child may sustain from development disorders such as mental deficiencies, hearing or visual problems and autism.
- If congenital toxoplasmosis infects your baby then he/she might suffer from lung disorders, enlarged spleen or liver problems.
Prevention:
Now even if all the above information cannot deter you from avoiding or reducing the intake of steak then here are a few prevention tips to help you consume healthy steak which will rather help you in your pregnancy.
- Proper cooking will kill almost all the bacteria and parasites which reside in the steak
- Be sure that the juices look clear rather than red or pink while cooking steak
- Wash uncooked steak properly to make sure that there are no contaminated juices.
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Pregnant woman have to be really careful of what they eat and what they don’t. A lot of bacteria from contaminated food can cause serious problems to both the baby and mom. Bacteria can be killed by cooking at high temperatures. Hence, it is advised to eat only cooked steak to ensure that nothing happens to your baby.
