Bean Sprouts
Vegetable
Bean sprouts, alfalfa, clover and other sprouted seeds are seeds germinated in warm, humid conditions and often eaten raw. In pregnancy raw sprouts are on the avoid list because of salmonella, E. coli and listeria; cooked thoroughly, they are fine.
Key nutrients
Serving ideas
Safety
Sprouts grow from seeds in the warmth and moisture that bacteria also love, and contamination gets inside the seed itself, so rinsing does nothing and even sprouts grown at home can carry salmonella, E. coli or listeria — all more serious in pregnancy. The NHS, FDA and Australian guidance all say to avoid raw and lightly cooked sprouts, which includes alfalfa in sandwiches, bean sprouts on a pad thai or in a cold salad, and sprouted mixes in a 'superfood' bowl. Cooking kills the bacteria: bean sprouts stir-fried until piping hot or simmered in a soup are safe. Pick them out of raw dishes when eating out rather than assuming they have been cooked.
Avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts, including bean and alfalfa sprouts.Cooked until piping hot — stir-fried or boiled — they are fine.Pick raw sprouts off salads, sandwiches and garnishes.Buy bean sprouts from the chilled section, keep them refrigerated and cook them within a day or two — they spoil fast. Add them to a stir-fry, soup or noodle dish and cook until they are steaming and limp rather than crunchy-raw, about two to three minutes over high heat. Skip the raw sprout garnish on salads, Vietnamese rolls and sandwiches, and ask for pad thai or pho with the sprouts cooked in. Sprouting jars at home do not avoid the risk, so set them aside until after the birth.