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Pregnancy food safety · 5 entries

Sushi during pregnancy

Raw fish is the part to leave, not sushi itself. FDA advises against raw and undercooked fish and shellfish in pregnancy: sashimi, raw tuna and salmon, raw scallops, and the salted roe on top. Freezing kills parasites but not listeria or salmonella, so "sushi-grade" is not a safety label. Refrigerated smoked salmon in a roll belongs in the same category. What is fine: vegetable and fruit rolls, avocado, cucumber, inari, tamago made with cooked egg, and anything with cooked fish or shellfish — cooked eel, a California roll with real cooked crab, shrimp tempura, grilled salmon. The rice, nori, wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce are all fine. Go somewhere you would trust anyway, and ask. Sushi restaurants get this question all the time.

Every sushi 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.

  • Sushi with roe

    Avoid

    The roe used in sushi — ikura, tobiko, masago — is salted or marinated, not cooked, and sits chilled ready to eat. That is a listeria risk, and listeria crosses the placenta. Make sure any roe you eat was cooked or pasteurized, and if you can't check, order something cooked instead.

  • Sushi with raw or smoked seafood

    Avoid

    Many types of sushi include raw or smoked seafood like shrimp that can contain harmful bacteria like salmonella or listeria. Listeria is the one that matters most: it can reach the baby even when you barely feel sick yourself. Do not refuse sushi — just make sure the seafood is cooked. Cooked shrimp, crab and eel are all FDA Best Choices, so ask whether the shrimp is cooked (it usually is) and order those with a clear conscience.

  • Sushi with raw or smoked fish

    Avoid

    Many types of sushi include raw or smoked fish that can contain harmful bacteria like salmonella or listeria. Listeria is the one that matters most: it can reach the baby even when you barely feel sick yourself. Do not refuse sushi — just make sure there is no raw or smoked fish. Vegetable rolls, cooked eel, shrimp tempura and tamago are all fine, and every sushi place serves them.

  • Sushi with well-cooked fish or seafood

    Safe

    It is totally safe to enjoy your sushi if the fish and seafood in them was steamed and well-cooked. So try to eat sushi only in places you trust to exclude the variants of badly cooked sushi.

  • Sushi with fruit and vegetables

    Safe

    Good news: it is totally safe, enjoy!

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