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Pregnancy food safety · 5 entries

Fish during pregnancy

Eat fish. This is one of the few places where the advice is to have more rather than less: the FDA and EPA want you eating 8 to 12 oz a week of lower-mercury fish while you're pregnant, because it helps your baby's brain and eyes develop. Best Choices — salmon, canned light tuna, cod, tilapia, sardines, anchovies, pollock, catfish, trout, shrimp, scallops, crab. Two to three servings a week. Good Choices — halibut, grouper, snapper, mahi mahi, sablefish, Chilean sea bass, albacore or white tuna. One 4 oz serving a week, and no other fish that week. Only seven fish are on the FDA's avoid list: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, bigeye tuna, and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. Everything else at the counter is a Best or a Good Choice. Cook it to 145°F (63°C), or until the flesh is opaque and flakes apart. Raw fish is out — sushi, sashimi, ceviche — and so is refrigerated smoked salmon unless you heat it until steaming. Tinned and shelf-stable smoked fish is fine as it is.

Every fish entry, with a verdict

Sorted with the ones worth knowing about first. Avoid means skip it entirely; take care means it depends on how it was prepared.

  • Raw fish

    Avoid

    Raw fish can contain harmful bacteria like listeria or salmonella. Listeria is the one that matters here: it can reach your baby even when you barely feel sick yourself. Do not refuse fish — just cook it to 145° F (63° C), or until the flesh is opaque and flakes with a fork. Consult your healthcare provider with any questions you may have.

  • Smoked fish

    Avoid

    Smoked fish can contain harmful bacteria like listeria, coliform or salmonella. Listeria is the one that matters here: it crosses the placenta and can reach your baby, even when you barely feel sick yourself. Do not refuse fish — just cook it with the temperature not lower than 145° F (63° C), or until it flakes. Consult your healthcare provider with any questions you may have. The only exception for eating smoked fish is heat it until steaming hot (165° F or 74° C). If you want to eat it after that, go!

  • Fish with mercury

    Take care

    Be very careful about the fish you eat. Try to avoid fish that contain high levels of mercury, as eating those kinds of fish can lead to developmental delays and brain damage in the baby. The FDA's avoid list is exactly seven fish: • shark, • swordfish, • king mackerel, • marlin, • orange roughy, • bigeye tuna, • tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. Everything else at the counter is a Best or Good Choice. Halibut, grouper, snapper, mahi mahi, sablefish, Chilean sea bass and albacore tuna are Good Choices — one 4 oz serving a week. Canned, chunk light tuna is a Best Choice: 2-3 servings a week, and no need to ration it. Aim for 8-12 oz of fish a week — eating too little is the more likely mistake.

  • Well-cooked fish

    Safe

    Fish is a great product for pregnant women, it provides nutrients that are important for baby's early development and also for your health. The most important nutrients are omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA that are rarely contained in other foods. Fish is also low in saturated fat and high in protein, vitamin D, and other nutrients that are crucial for a developing baby and a healthy pregnancy. Good choices include salmon, trout, anchovies, herring, sardines, and shad. Fish caught in local lakes and rivers can be exposed to high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, so check your state's fish advisory before you eat a local catch. That's about particular waters, not particular species — the salmon and trout at the store are fine. You can get information about proper places fish from your local Fish and Wildlife agency. Also, be careful to observe the mercury levels in the fish you are consuming. It is recommended to eat about 8-12 ounces (250-350 grams) of fish and seafood a week while pregnant.

  • Canned fish

    Safe

    Canned fish is okay to eat and cook — light tuna is an FDA Best Choice, 2-3 servings a week. Make sure that cans are fresh, store in fridge and eat within 2 days after opening.

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