Can You Eat Steak While Pregnant?
Yes, but cook it through — rare, blue, or bloody steak is best avoided in pregnancy.
The full answer
Beef is a great source of protein and iron in pregnancy; the issue is only how it's cooked. Raw and undercooked meat can carry toxoplasma (a parasite) and bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which are riskier in pregnancy. That's why the advice is to cook steak until it's no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear — to a safe internal temperature of at least about 145°F (63°C) for a whole cut, and many guidelines suggest erring a little further during pregnancy. Skip rare, blue, and 'bloody' steak, plus steak tartare and carpaccio, which are raw. A thoroughly cooked steak is a nutritious, iron-rich meal — pair it with vitamin-C foods to absorb the iron better.
How to eat steak safely
- Cook until no longer pink inside and the juices run clear
- Whole steak: at least ~145°F (63°C) — err toward well done in pregnancy
- Pair with vitamin-C foods to boost iron absorption
When to avoid: Avoid rare, blue, or 'bloody' steak, steak tartare, and carpaccio (raw beef).
Pregnancy food-safety basics
Most “can I have this?” questions in pregnancy come down to four things. Listeria — a bacterium that survives the fridge — is why chilled ready-to-eat meats, pâté, and mould-ripened soft cheeses are heated or avoided. Mercury is why certain fish are limited. Caffeine is capped at about 200 mg a day. And alcohol is best avoided entirely, as no safe amount is known. Cooking food until it’s steaming hot kills listeria and most other bugs, which is why “heat until steaming” solves so many of these questions.
For the full picture, see our pregnancy safety guide, and track your pregnancy with the How Far Along Am I? calculator and the week-by-week guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you eat steak while pregnant?
- Yes, but cook it through — rare, blue, or bloody steak is best avoided in pregnancy. Beef is a great source of protein and iron in pregnancy; the issue is only how it's cooked. Raw and undercooked meat can carry toxoplasma (a parasite) and bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which are riskier in pregnancy. That's why the advice is to cook steak until it's no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear — to a safe internal temperature of at least about 145°F (63°C) for a whole cut, and many guidelines suggest erring a little further during pregnancy. Skip rare, blue, and 'bloody' steak, plus steak tartare and carpaccio, which are raw. A thoroughly cooked steak is a nutritious, iron-rich meal — pair it with vitamin-C foods to absorb the iron better.
- Why is steak something to be careful with in pregnancy?
- Beef is a great source of protein and iron in pregnancy; the issue is only how it's cooked. Raw and undercooked meat can carry toxoplasma (a parasite) and bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which are riskier in pregnancy. That's why the advice is to cook steak until it's no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear — to a safe internal temperature of at least about 145°F (63°C) for a whole cut, and many guidelines suggest erring a little further during pregnancy. Skip rare, blue, and 'bloody' steak, plus steak tartare and carpaccio, which are raw. A thoroughly cooked steak is a nutritious, iron-rich meal — pair it with vitamin-C foods to absorb the iron better.
- When should I avoid steak during pregnancy?
- Avoid rare, blue, or 'bloody' steak, steak tartare, and carpaccio (raw beef).