Is It Ok to Eat a Pink Burger When Pregnant

Nadja86 Well-Known Member

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So last Friday I went out with DH and ordered a hamburger without thinking to ask for it well-done. It came back probably medium/medium-well, only slightly pinkish. I was a little hesitant but DH thought it looked fine so I ate it.
Now I am starting to worry... Spent too much time Googling toxoplasmosis and I'm freaking out a bit. I'm wondering if I should ask my doctor for a test or if that would cause more worry/stress than it's worth.

Anyone had a similar experience?
cscbeth8421 Well-Known Member

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Totally fine. I eat medium burgers and runny eggs all the time. All is well here!
MindUtopia Well-Known Member

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I wouldn't worry at all. You can very rarely get toxoplasmosis from meat, but normally it's a parasitic infection you get from contact with contaminated soil or cat feces. You're much more likely to get it gardening than you would eating undercooked meat, though certainly it's possible if not likely. E. coli or listeria would be much more likely in undercooked meat, but you'd probably be starting feel ill already, so I would try not to let it worry you too much. When I was pregnant, I hardly limited anything I ate and was fine.
Nadja86 Well-Known Member

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Thanks everyone for your support and reassurance.
MindUtopia, I have actually read that the most common way to get toxo is from undercooked meat, especially pork... Last night when I was talking to DH about it, he told me he cooks pork tenderloin to 145 F (the temp on the meat thermometer), which is about 5 or 6 degrees below what it takes to kill toxo... I can't remember how many times I've eaten pork tenderloin this pregnancy, if at all.

I'm trying not to go too crazy, but I think I might talk to my GP the next time I see her.
xSweetTartx Well-Known Member

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I like to think of it this way- how many times (in your lifetime) have you eaten these foods in this condition and gotten sick from it?
While we are more sensitive in pregnancy, it's not by much. The risks are very low when you are receiving your food from a reliable source.

We tend to worry more when we have little ones and that's not a bad thing but googling will drive you mad. In my opinion from my own googling, 90% of the time the results you get are the crazy "and then the apocalypse started" results. You have to dig for the good ones.

I would do your best to not worry and talk to your provider when you can if it will reassure you!
Nadja86 Well-Known Member

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Thanks, sweettart, I agree. I have issues with anxiety and compulsive Googling is one of my coping mechanisms. But it's really starting to negatively affect my life, so I'm coming up with a solid game plan to stop. I think from now on, I'm just going to go with the doctor's advice and forget about the internet.
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I eat raw quality foods in pregnancy too, soft cheese almost every day. If one knows how to stay safe, it is safe. I never had toxoplasmosis or listeria in my life.
Once I had salmonella from cooked (!!) chicken.
The recommendations also want to prevent moms from making uninformed choices...like reaching for deli meat that has been out all day, sushi from a non restaurant grade buffet, leaving your own groceries out too long.
The only thing I stopped is preparing my own raw meat dishes. I pick preserved over fresh while pregnant.
Nadja86 Well-Known Member

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Really? Wow! Just out of curiosity, have you ever been tested for toxoplasmosis?
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I have always gardened daily, eaten raw salmon a lot, had cats and like my steak pink. Never had toxoplasmosis (first trimester bloods check for it here).
eva1978 Well-Known Member

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I just want to point out that eating a medium-cooked steak is not a big risk, it's medium (or less) cooked *burger meat*. The steak is one solid piece of meat, and any contaminants (like e.coli, listeria) will be on the outside, and these are killed when cooked on the outside. A ground-meat burger though is a different story (made of tiny little bits), which is why it's *recommended* to be cooked more thoroughly (at least not bloody)!
I also garden a lot, no worries here. I'm just extra careful about washing strawberries etc. in pregnancy!

Eat soft cheese a lot too, but I make sure I heat it up first (e.g. on pizza or just for 5 seconds in microwave until it's sizzling a bit). I feel safer drinking half a glass of wine than I do eating a chunk of unpasturized blue cheese!
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I assumed you guys were talking about steak as I've never heard of anyone eating a meat pattie not cooked all the way through, maybe it's just my morning sickness talking here but that makes me feel queasy! It would be gooey?!
Nadja86 Well-Known Member

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In North America you can ask for your burgers (patties) to be cooked however you want at certain restaurants (usually fancy ones). This one was definitely not gooey or bloody, just a little on the pink side.
But yeah, the ground beef thing is what gives me pause. And also maybe having had some pork slightly below the recommended temperature. I am thinking I could always ask for a simple test, but I'm concerned it would cause me more stress than it's worth.
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That's really interesting, I've never ever seen or heard of a burger having options like a steak.
Misscalais Well-Known Member

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I had a medium steak last night. I can't eat them cooked all the way through. But i always get my meat from places i absolutely trust. But to be on the safer side you should probably make sure it's cooked through next time.