Can you eat beef while pregnant?

Yes, you can eat beef while pregnant. The important part is how the beef has been prepared. Current NHS guidance says whole cuts of beef, such as steaks or cutlets, can be eaten if they have been thoroughly cooked on the outside. Minced beef, burgers and rolled joints need to be thoroughly cooked all the way through.

Raw or undercooked meat should be avoided during pregnancy because of the risk of infections including toxoplasmosis.

So beef itself does not need to disappear from your diet. You simply need to pay attention to the type of beef dish and how it has been cooked.

Can you eat steak while pregnant?

This is where the guidance is a little more specific than a simple rule that all beef must be cooked until there is no pink.

The NHS says whole cuts of beef and lamb, such as steaks or cutlets, can be eaten during pregnancy if they have been thoroughly cooked on the outside. NHS guidance on cooking meat also states that whole cuts of beef or lamb can be pink inside, or rare, as long as they are properly cooked on the outside.

This is because contamination on an intact whole cut of meat is generally associated with the outside surface.

That advice does not apply to every beef product. Burgers, minced beef and rolled joints have different cooking requirements.

If you are unsure whether a piece of beef is an intact whole cut, particularly when eating away from home, asking how the dish is prepared can make the decision simpler.

Can you eat burgers and minced beef while pregnant?

Yes, but they should be thoroughly cooked all the way through.

The NHS specifically lists thoroughly cooked minced meat and burgers as safe during pregnancy and says there should be no trace of pink or blood after cooking.

A burger is different from an intact steak because mincing can move bacteria from the surface throughout the meat. For this reason, NHS food safety guidance says burgers and other minced meat products need to be cooked all the way through.

This applies to homemade burgers as well as burgers served in restaurants and takeaways.

If a beef burger arrives pink or undercooked in the centre, ask for it to be cooked thoroughly before eating it.

Why is raw or undercooked beef a concern during pregnancy?

One of the reasons pregnancy guidance advises avoiding raw or undercooked meat is toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite. The NHS explains that the parasite can be found in undercooked meat and contaminated soil.

Many people who develop toxoplasmosis do not realise they have it, but an infection acquired during pregnancy can sometimes affect the pregnancy or baby. This is why prevention matters.

The NHS advises pregnant people not to eat raw or undercooked meat. It also recommends washing hands, knives and chopping boards thoroughly after preparing raw meat.

Keeping raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods is another straightforward way to reduce cross-contamination in the kitchen.

What about roast beef?

Roast beef can be eaten during pregnancy, but the way the joint is prepared matters.

An intact whole cut of beef may be pink inside if it has been thoroughly cooked on the outside, in line with NHS guidance for whole cuts of beef.

Rolled joints are different. The NHS says rolled joints of meat must be thoroughly cooked all the way through.

If you are buying sliced roast beef, ready-to-eat beef or a prepared meal, follow the product’s storage instructions and use-by date. NHS guidance says processed cold pre-cooked meats should be kept chilled and eaten before their use-by date.

If you cannot tell what type of joint has been used or how it was prepared, check with the person who cooked it or choose an option you feel more confident about.

Can you eat beef carpaccio or steak tartare while pregnant?

Raw beef dishes should be avoided during pregnancy.

That means dishes such as steak tartare, which is made from raw beef, do not fit NHS pregnancy food safety guidance.

Beef carpaccio is also normally served raw or very lightly prepared rather than thoroughly cooked. It is therefore best avoided during pregnancy.

The same principle applies to other raw meat dishes. Freezing, curing or seasoning meat is not the same as cooking it.

If a menu description is unclear, ask whether the beef is served raw or undercooked before ordering.

Is beef nutritious during pregnancy?

Beef can form part of a varied pregnancy diet if you choose to eat meat.

The NHS describes meat as a source of protein and several vitamins and minerals, including iron, zinc and B vitamins. Iron is important because the body uses it to make red blood cells.

That does not mean you need to eat beef specifically. Protein and iron can come from a range of animal and plant foods, and pregnancy diets can look very different from one person to another.

There is also an important exception within beef products. The NHS advises avoiding liver and liver products during pregnancy because they contain high levels of vitamin A, which can be harmful to an unborn baby.

If you have been told that your iron levels are low, speak to your midwife or GP rather than changing your diet or starting supplements based on general advice alone.

What if you accidentally ate undercooked beef while pregnant?

It is easy to become worried after noticing that something you ate appears on a pregnancy food avoidance list.

The NHS says that if you have already eaten a small amount of food or drink that should be avoided during pregnancy, it is unlikely to affect your baby if you did not become ill.

If you are worried or develop symptoms, speak to your midwife or GP. They can advise you based on what you ate, how it was prepared and how you are feeling.

There is no reliable way to tell from taste or appearance alone whether a particular piece of meat carried an infection.

When to get professional advice

Speak to your midwife or GP if you have eaten raw or undercooked beef during pregnancy and are worried, particularly if you feel unwell afterwards.

The NHS advises contacting NHS 111 if you are pregnant and feel unwell after eating food or drink that should be avoided during pregnancy. It also advises getting help from NHS 111 if you have symptoms of food poisoning, including vomiting and diarrhoea, for more than 48 hours, or symptoms that could be linked to toxoplasmosis.

Possible symptoms of toxoplasmosis can include a high temperature, aching muscles, tiredness, feeling sick or swollen glands. These symptoms can have many different causes and should not be used to diagnose toxoplasmosis yourself.

If you are seriously unwell or have a life-threatening emergency, call 999.