At the moment of Eid al-Adha, almost everyone wants to taste dishes made from sacrificial meat, including pregnant women. It is legal for pregnant women to eat sacrificial meat. Eating meat will not interfere with pregnancy as long as it is not eaten in large quantities and pays attention to how to process it.
For many people, meat tastes better when it’s rare, for example medium-rare or medium to steak. However, for pregnant women, they need to be more careful in consuming meat, including not eating undercooked meat.
Below it will be discussed whether pregnant women can eat half-cooked sacrificial meat and tips on eating safe sacrificial meat.
1. Why can’t pregnant women eat half-cooked sacrificial meat?
medium rare beef illustration (unsplash.com/Jason Leung)
Explained site Baby Centre, Undercooked meat is a nest of bacteria Toxoplasma gondii. These are tiny parasites that can trigger a disease called toxoplasmosis. Apart from eating undercooked meat, toxoplasmosis can also occur from touching feces or litter box cat.
Eating undercooked meat also increases the risk of food poisoning from bacteria Salmonella. What’s more, during pregnancy, the immune system changes and its main goal is to protect the developing baby. This makes pregnant women more susceptible to food poisoning.
Also Read: Not Always Because of Cats, You Need to Know These 7 Facts about Toxoplasmosis
2. The danger of toxoplasmosis for pregnant women
photo-of-pregnant-woman-in-white-dress-holding-her-2100341-52e51e4961269357631058a1f4dcf899.jpg?resize=900%2C599&ssl=1" width="900" height="599" layout="responsive">illustration of pregnant women (pexels.com/Garon Piceli)
If a pregnant woman is infected with toxoplasmosis, it can spread to the fetus and lead to serious infection. The risk of infection and severity depend on the timing of infection in the mother.
Explained site Love Our Littles, if the infection occurs during the first trimester, the risk of infection is about 10 percent. The risk of infection increases at a gestational age of more than 28 weeks, which is between 55-80 percent.
Although infection is more common in the last weeks of pregnancy, the consequences are far less severe because the baby’s organs are already forming. Meanwhile, if the infection occurs in the first trimester, it can cause severe damage to the brain.
3. Tips for cooking meat for pregnant women
illustration of cooking meat (unsplash.com/Bernard Tuck)
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It does not mean that pregnant women cannot eat meat at all. What is emphasized here is how the sacrificial meat is processed.
Explained site AptaClub, the main key to being able to eat meat safely during pregnancy is ensuring it is fully cooked. The way to tell when meat is done is that it doesn’t have any pink color or traces of blood. Cooking the meat to perfection ensures that all harmful bacteria are killed before the meat is eaten.
After preparing raw meat, you should always wash your hands, surfaces and cooking utensils thoroughly. This is because bacteria can spread easily to any object it touches, including kitchen countertops, cutting boards and knives.
Also, as much as possible keep raw meat away from other ingredients, especially ready-to-eat foods, such as bread, salad, or fruit. This is because this food will not be cooked before eating so that the harmful bacteria that stick to it will not die.
4. The benefits of eating meat for pregnant women
illustration of a woman eating processed meat (pixabay.com/Sasin Tipchai)
Beef and goat meat are very good sources of protein for pregnant women, quoted from the page Healthline. Beef is also rich in iron, choline and various B vitamins, which are required in high amounts during pregnancy.
Iron is an essential mineral that is used by red blood cells as part of hemoglobin. Pregnant women need more iron because blood volume increases during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester.
Low iron levels in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy can lead to iron deficiency anemia, which increases the risk of low birth weight and other complications. To increase iron absorption, pair iron-rich foods with a source of vitamin C, such as oranges.
Also Read: 5 Fruits That Can Help Lower Cholesterol Levels After Eid
