I Accidentally Ate Bean Sprouts While Pregnant – What Risks Now?

I Accidentally Ate Bean Sprouts While Pregnant

What happens if you eat bean sprouts while pregnant? Bean sprouts are thought to be at risk from containing Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. These harmful bacteria can enter mom’s bloodstream and cross the placenta causing Toxoplasmosis infection in the unborn baby and at worst miscarriage or stillbirth. If you suspect any of these poisonings seek advice from your doctor. 

Bean Sprouts and Pregnancy

You may be surprised about what you can and cannot eat during pregnancy. Bean sprouts are thought to be a healthy staple in your diet and are often added to bulk out sandwiches, and salads, or eaten as an alternative to the unhealthy snacks you may consume. 

It may come as a shock to you that eating raw bean sprouts can pose a risk to you and your baby during pregnancy. Continue reading to figure out what to do if you are thinking I ate bean sprouts during pregnancy, should I be concerned?

What Can Bean Sprouts Do for Your Pregnant Health?

Typically the bean sprout is a variation of sprouts from mung beans. They are extremely high in zinc, calcium, fiber, and iron meaning that they could be your go to snack. Check out the table below that identifies everything great about the bean sprout. 

Ingredient	Benefits
Vitamin E	Strengthens immunity and prevents infections that could harm your baby. Added Vitamin E can also reduce the risks of miscarriage.
Vitamin C	Alongside Vitamin E, Vitamin C can help suppress disease and enhances your immunity to fight off illness. It can also help your respiratory system.
Melatonin	This is a great nutrient that aids the natural relaxation of the mind meaning it can help with insomnia. Expecting moms will explain the utter exhaustion they feel when dealing with insomnia so you may be thinking of eating buckets of bean sprouts.
Fibre	Bean sprouts are known for their credit to digestion. The fibre they include helps relieve constipation and a build up of gas. As your digestive system becomes sluggish during pregnancy these could help balance the scales.
Manganese	Helps the body to maintain its bone density. During pregnancy, the mom is robbed of all nutrients leaving them susceptible to Osteoporosis after delivery. Manganese coupled with estrogen can increase bone density in both mom and baby.

As you can see, eating bean sprouts has loads of benefits for our health whilst pregnant. Not only are they tasty but they are the least expensive healthy food, unlike many other fruits and veggies.

So why the panic? Why the stress? What could possibly be wrong with adding all their crunchy goodness to your diet? 

The Risks 

We have identified the goodness a bowl of bean sprouts can offer but if you are wondering I accidentally ate bean sprouts while pregnant, why do they also pose such a high risk?

Well, the US Food and Administration (FDA) states that bacteria is known to contaminate the seedling of the bean sprout. This happens even before growth and cracks in the shells of the seeds can leave the bean sprouts vulnerable to contamination. 

In fact, once this happens it is nearly impossible to clean the veggies to rid them of all traces of harmful bacteria. This means that no matter how clean the growth conditions are the bean sprouts themselves pose a danger to pregnant women and vulnerable people with compromised immunity.

It seems ironic that such a healthy sprout packed with so much goodness can hinder you and your developing baby. 

If panic is now starting to set in, please understand that sprouts that are cooked are deemed safe. If you are ready to tuck into a healthy stir fry or bean sprout packed meal just make sure that they have been cooked. 

The FDA acknowledges that when cooking bacteria cannot survive hot temperatures which means you must ensure they are cooked using a temperature of 165 Fahrenheit at minimum.

I also remember, I accidentally ate cooked bean sprouts while pregnant. At first, I was panic stricken thinking I could potentially be eating contaminated food but after much research and talking to my doctor I soon learned that cooked sprouts are safe for consumption in pregnancy.

If you ate uncooked sprouts and feel unwell in any way you must seek medical attention immediately as you could be suffering from Toxoplasmosis or Salmonella poisoning.

Symptoms of Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is exactly what it’s called, toxic! Eating raw foods or coming into contact with feline feces can put you at risk.

The symptoms vary from person to person with many women having healthy pregnancies not even knowing they have a toxoplasma infection but around 10% of pregnant moms report flu-like symptoms.

• Headaches
• Sore throat
• Swollen glands
• Body aches 
• Muscle pains

These symptoms are of course very common so it’s important not to jump to conclusions before getting an opinion from a medical professional. 

The rate of contracting Toxoplasmosis during pregnancy are very high ranging from around 85%, 4 out of 10 pregnancies find that the poison crosses the placenta affecting your baby directly.

Unborn babies may suffer and the risk of stillbirth and miscarriage can be a result.

According to the CDC, Congenital Toxoplasmosis can also occur meaning that your baby could be at risk of blindness and brain dysfunctions. 

With all the risks laid out in black and white, it is a sure sign that pregnant moms must opt for foods not containing any raw meats or veggies, especially bean sprouts.

When To Seek Help

It is important that if you have consumed raw bean sprouts then you should consult your doctor so they can complete relevant testing if need be. 

If you are suffering from the infection then you will be treated according to how ill you are, how your immune system is affected, and how far into your pregnancy you are.

You may be prescribed drugs to counteract the effects of the bacteria to help your immune system fight the infection. 

• Pyrimethamine helps to fight the infection but can carry side effects if used long-term.

• Leucovorin calcium helps correct the body and use its folic acid supply to help develop your baby.

• Sulfadiazine is an antibiotic that works well with the drugs above to enhance your immune system. 

Once your baby is born follow-up appointments may be required to rule out any indicators of eyesight impairments and to ensure their cognitive and physical abilities are as they should be.

Wrapping Up

This article has pinpointed the risks of eating bean sprouts uncooked and what to do if you feel you could have eaten a contaminated meal.

Talking to your doctor is the best way forward, you won’t be the first woman to approach them saying I accidentally ate bean sprouts while pregnant.

We all know the dos and don’ts of pregnancy but sometimes grabbing a quick bite can impair our judgment and knowledge of what is safe.

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