Eating Fish During Pregnancy
In 2001, U.S. health officials warned that pregnant women should limit their fish consumption to 12 ounces a week. Fearing that mercury may cause harm to the fetus, many women ate less and less fish. A recent survey shows that 90 percent of women are eating less than the FDA recommended amount of fish. But now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is saying that potential problems caused by mercury pale in comparison with harm caused by lack of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in many fish and is critical to brain development. Not getting enough omega-3 fatty acids results in health risks to mothers and their children.
The new research has shown that fish leads to improved cognitive and motor skills for the baby. It also reduce the risk of premature delivery and postpartum depression. Women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or are breast-feed should eat a minimum of 12 ounces of fish per week.
Avoid these high mercury fishes:
- Shark
- Swordfish
- King Mackerel
- Tile Fish
- Bass
- Sushi
- Raw Shellfish
Recommended fishes:
- Cod
- Snapper
- Crab(dungeness)
- Herring
- Monk-fish
- Skate
- Canned Tuna(chunk light)
- Pollock
- Catfish
- Flounder
- Shrimp
So make sure you eat enough fish for yourself and your baby.
Wise Man Tip: Don’t eat the fishes in the picture and don’t let them eat you.
October 14th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I went fishing up in Lake Erie while my wife was pregnant and we caught our limit. I think it was like 24 walleye. I brought it home and cooked some up. My wife had a small piece, but was scared of the Mercury thing, so she didn’t eat any more. I put the fish in the freezer and figured we could eat the rest after we had our baby. Wouldn’t you know that I came home from work one day and the freezer had quit and thawed out. All of that great Walleye was ruined! Oh well, the small mess I did have was good!
October 15th, 2007 at 10:26 am
Excellent recommendations. People should be aware of both the risks and benefits of seafood. The decision of what fish to eat can be a challenge and often contradictory. At the very least, people should know that FDA and EPA have issued advisories about mercury contamination in commonly-sold fish. The problem is, this information is hard to find and is not usually available where it is most necessary: your supermarket.
Oceana, a conservation group, is trying to get major grocery companies to post this government advice at their seafood counters. Thanks, in part to their work, Whole Foods, Safeway stores, and Wild Oats voluntarily agreed to post the FDA’s recommendations and they have had positive responses from customers and no loss in seafood sales. But other companies like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Giant have refused to do so. Oceana has a list of which companies care about their customers’ health enough to post this advice, as well as a list of companies that don’t. You can get the Green List and Red List at their website.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:41 am
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October 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm
[…] Geroge at the hilarious Man and His Baby blog shares an article on Eating Fish During Pregnancy. […]
October 22nd, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Sushi isn’t a fish, but a way of preparing fish. How does it have more mercury then normal fish?
Many of the fish commonly used in sushi are not on the “do not eat” list and my friend who is a Physician’s Assistant says it’s ok to eat most of the fish used in sushi, such as salmon, red tuna, eel, crab, red snapper, etc. The only concern over sushi is that if you get bad sushi it can cause you to get sick, however thats the same with all meats and no one is recommending that women stop eating beef, chicken or pork during pregnancy. Fish are also not the only way to get omega 3 fatty acids. Many vegetarian (and mercury free) foods have large amounts of omega 3’s, like soy, flax seed and eggs. You can also get flax seed supplements or oil which may be easier to take everyday then to eat fish everyday.
October 23rd, 2007 at 12:04 am
Yes, I know sushi is not a type of fish. It’s just not recommended for pregnant women. And I didn’t feel like creating another category for it. If you like to eat sushi or sashimi during your pregnancy that’s fine with me.
From Babycenter.com: Fresh, raw seafood is potentially risky because it can contain parasites such as tapeworm, which, if they grow large enough, could rob your body of nutrients needed for your growing baby.
And yes, there are other sources for omega 3’s. But we’re talking about seafood here.
PS. My wife made grill salmon last night and it was great.
October 31st, 2007 at 9:56 am
[…] presents Eating Fish During Pregnancy posted at Man and his Baby. Good, quick explanation of the need of eating fish and which ones to […]
October 31st, 2007 at 4:25 pm
I understood why you placed Sushi on the list even though it’s not one type of fish. It’s interesting because this was something I was so confused about when I was pregnant with Asher. We lived in Japan and Sushi was a once a week meal for us. They have these awesome Sushi-Go-Rounds where you watch them cut the fish right there and they place it on the conveyor belt. If it’s a really good fish, then you hope it makes it around to you. Japan has a slightly different outlook, but then most of the fish was very fresh. Pregnant women are regularly found in the sushi houses. To this day, Asher loves sushi. I guess my love for it was passed on to him. I was sure happy that I didn’t have to give it up. But, in the U.S. I wouldn’t take a chance with sushi. It just has too far to travel and too many destinations to get through before it lands on our plates. Thank you for participating in Fitness for Moms Carnival.
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September 28th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
is fresh trout a safe fish to eat early in the pregnacy?
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