How Safe is Lean, Finely Textured Beef in Pregnancy and for Your Family?

Two weeks ago, the National Review wrote an article on lean, finely textured beef and with it being a constant news item since March, I decided to to my research. As a mother expecting my fourth son, I've come to learn what one can and cannot do while expecting. And I've learned to research before reacting when it comes to the media scares over just about anything pregnancy.

We want what's best for our children, especially when we can protect and nourish them the best while they're in the womb. With the exception of a few months, I've either been pregnant or nursing since February 2005 and I've heard it all; "eat fish" and then "don't eat fish"; "take your vitamins" followed by "too many vitamins can hurt your growing fetus"; "a glass of wine once in a while is fine" and "the only safe alcohol is no alcohol," so you can imagine when the scare of lean, finely textured beef came out, I did my research before reacting.

I've lived in Iowa, a state that ranks sixth in the Nation for cattle production, my entire life and my family owns a Century Farm (a farm that has been in our family for over 100 years). Beef is the base of our diet. We eat cow meat (steak, ground beef) at least once a day. As a kid, I would turn up my nose going past a cattle farm only to be reminded by my dad that "it's the smell of money."

Now that I'm on my fourth pregnancy, I started thinking, the first three pregnancies were just fine, I carried all of my boys to their due date and not once did my doctor advise me to avoid ground beef, in any form. I asked my OB (20 years experience) about his opinion on lean, finely textured beef when the media started its reports on it last March. He looked at me and said, "You've eaten it through your previous pregnancies and they're fine, right? It's just fine."

Maybe it's just me, but I'm going to take my OB's opinion over the media's opinion. I've seen bloggers and sensationalized TV reports shouting about the "ammonium hydroxide" used in lean finely textured beef. Here's the deal, folks. It's naturally occurring in beef and used in processing chicken. They blend it with fattier hamburger to improve its nutrition and protein content. We know that while pregnant we need protein to feed our growing babies. They also use it when they process cheese, chocolate (which I've been guilty of eating my fair share while pregnant), caramels, puddings and gelatins. So unless you've avoided all of these foods over the last 10 years, you've eaten it. And you're just fine.

My doctor wouldn't allow me to eat anything he would consider dangerous, and yet, he's fine with lean, finely textured beef. And so am I. My healthy, strong, intelligent boys are just three examples of how fine it is. And when the fourth little guy arrives, he'll be another example. I won't stop eating it and won't stop feeding it to my children, no matter how badly the media tries to scare me from it. Don't let them scare it from you either. Sometimes all a girl wants is a big juicy hamburger. Go ahead, it won't hurt a thing.