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Can I eat medium steak while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Medium steak, pink in the middle, shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries: whether it meets the guidance depends on how hot the middle gets, and each country sets that differently. The FDA asks for 145°F inside with a 3-minute rest, and Health Canada's chart gives 63°C for medium-rare whole cuts and 71°C for medium. The NHS asks for whole cuts of beef and lamb thoroughly cooked on the outside. Australia asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C, and New Zealand says never eat rare meat.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middle

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Steak cooked medium well, a little pink

    No known issuesIn all six countries

  • Steak cooked well done, no pink

    No known issuesIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Medium steak while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on medium steak, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • United States

    • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked medium well, a little pinkNo known issues
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • FDACook beef and lamb steaks, roasts and chops to 145°F internal with a 3-minute rest; rare or seared-outside only is not enough.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • FDAUndercooked meat can carry toxoplasma and other harmful germs.Source
    • FoodSafety.gov (HHS)Cook meat and poultry to the USDA safe minimum internal temperature.Source
    • FDAAvoid eating or tasting raw or undercooked meat or poultry in pregnancy.Source

  • United Kingdom

    • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked medium well, a little pinkNo known issues
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • NHSBacteria on whole cuts sit on the surface; inside may be pink.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • FSAMiddle of food should reach 70°C for 2 minutes (or 75°C for 30 seconds); steaks and joints may be pink inside.Source
    • NHSPoultry, pork and mince cooked with no pink or blood; whole beef/lamb cuts fine if thoroughly cooked on the outside.Source
    • NHSRaw meat can carry toxoplasma and food-poisoning bacteria.Source

  • Canada

    • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked medium well, a little pinkNo known issues
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • Health CanadaWhole cuts of beef, veal, lamb: medium-rare 63°C internal (thermometer).Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • CPSAvoid raw or undercooked meat or poultry.Source
    • Health CanadaBeef/lamb whole cuts 63 °C (medium-rare) OK; pork and ground meat 71 °C; poultry pieces 74 °C, whole 82 °C.Source
    • Health CanadaAvoid raw or undercooked meat, poultry and game like steak tartare.Source

  • Australia

    • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked medium well, a little pinkNo known issues
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat raw or rare meat.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Cook all meat and poultry to at least 75°C and eat hot.Source
    • NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat any raw meat or poultry.Source
    • Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Do not eat raw or rare meat; cook all meat and poultry to at least 75 °C.Source

  • New Zealand

    • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked medium well, a little pinkNo known issues
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • Health NZNever eat rare or undercooked meat; cook until piping hot and juices run clear.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • Health NZCook meat until piping hot throughout and juices run clear; never rare; no temperature per cut.Source
    • Health NZAny raw meat or poultry: don't eat or taste.Source

  • Ireland

    • Steak cooked medium, pink in the middleCheck
    • Steak cooked medium well, a little pinkNo known issues
    • Steak cooked well done, no pinkNo known issues
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat; cook all meat thoroughly. No whole-cut exception.Source
    Medium-rare steak
    • HSEAvoid raw or under-cooked meat.Source
What to check

Before you eat medium steak.

  1. Check the middle with a meat thermometer

    Push the thermometer through the thickest part of the steak, all the way to the middle, not touching bone. Health Canada's chart for whole cuts of beef, veal and lamb reads 63°C (145°F) for medium-rare, 71°C (160°F) for medium and 77°C (170°F) for well done. Health Canada

  2. In the US, reach 145°F, then rest it for 3 minutes

    The FDA's figure for beef and lamb steaks, roasts and chops is 145°F inside, followed by a 3-minute rest before cutting. A steak that is only seared on the outside doesn't meet it. FDA

  3. In Australia and New Zealand, cook it further

    Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks for all meat cooked to at least 75°C and eaten hot, and says not to eat raw or rare meat. Health NZ says never eat rare or undercooked meat, and to cook it until it's piping hot and the juices run clear. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

  4. In the UK and Ireland, cook the outside thoroughly

    The NHS lists whole cuts of beef and lamb, such as steaks, among the foods to eat when they're thoroughly cooked on the outside. Ireland's HSE asks for all meat to be cooked thoroughly and lists raw or under-cooked meat as a food to avoid. NHS

Questions

About medium steak
in pregnancy.

Doola Scan shows Avoid for medium-rare steak in all six countries, because its rules read it as rare or undercooked meat. Health Canada's chart does list 63°C (145°F) as medium-rare for whole cuts of beef, veal and lamb, and the FDA's number is also 145°F with a 3-minute rest, so check the middle with a thermometer if you order it that way.

Medium well steak shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries. Australia's number is still at least 75°C, and New Zealand asks for meat cooked until the juices run clear, so a thermometer is the easiest way to know.

It depends on the temperature in the middle, which is why Doola Scan shows Check. A medium steak at 71°C matches Health Canada's chart and is above the FDA's 145°F. Australia asks for at least 75°C for all meat.

The NHS foods-to-avoid page lists whole cuts of beef and lamb, such as steaks, as fine when they're thoroughly cooked on the outside. Its healthy diet page asks you to cook whole cuts very thoroughly and check there is no pink meat. Both are NHS guidance, so we show both.

Yes. The FDA asks for ground meat cooked to 160°F, and Health Canada gives 71°C for ground meat. The NHS asks for burgers and sausages to be cooked very thoroughly, with no pink meat and no pink or red in the juices.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Each country's temperature or doneness rule applies all through pregnancy, from the first weeks on.

The NHS asks you to eat some protein-rich foods every day, and meat is one of them (but not liver). It suggests choosing lean meat and not adding extra fat or oil when you cook it.

You can, and you can ask for it cooked to your country's number: 145°F with a rest in the US, at least 75°C in Australia. If you're not sure how a steak was cooked, medium well or well done shows No known issues in Doola Scan in all six countries.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate or the menu, and Doola Scan checks each dish against your country's pregnancy guidance, with what to ask the kitchen. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.