What Seafood Can I Eat in Pregnancy?

What Seafood Can I Eat in Pregnancy?

If you’re wondering what’s safe for your plate, stick to smaller fish and seafood that will be lower in pollutants like mercury.

Being pregnant comes with new parameters: no alcohol, not too much caffeine and no pate, among others.

When it comes to eating fish, it’s no different.

Eating fish is a great way to get your protein but with all the modern-day pollutants hanging about in our waters, you have to pick and choose.

Experts such as those at the Mayo Clinic advise that you reach for seafood that’s low in mercury. By the same count, it should be high in omega-3 fatty acids. This includes eating foods such as shrimp, Pollock, anchovies, herring, sardines, trout, salmon, tilapia, cod, catfish, canned light tuna and both Atlantic and Pacific mackerel.

Related: What You Eat When Pregnant Could Affect the Reward System in Your Baby’s Brain

What should you avoid? The general rule of thumb when expecting is to avoid large, predatory fish. Don’t swim with them, talk with them or eat them. In line with that rule, you should avoid eating: shark, king mackerel, swordfish and tilefish.

Also keep uncooked, raw seafood off your plate. This stuff can contain salmonella and while you might tough it out and get through the stomach upset, your fetus may not. No sushi, sashimi, oysters, lox or other varieties of uncooked sea treats.

If you’re going to dive in for a nice plate of cooked goodies, make sure it’s done to an internal temperature of 145 F (63C). Things in shells should be cooked until they open on their own. Fish should flake nicely on your fork and be opaque. Bon appetite!

Photo credits: Ramona Heim/Shutterstock.com

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