When you're pregnant, your diet directly affects the health and development of your growing baby -- the nutrients you consume will help your baby develop everything from strong bones to sophisticated neural structures. Some eating rules are clear-cut -- like limiting your alcohol intake while you're pregnant -- but others, like the benefits vs. the risks of eating fish, can be harder to navigate.
The Facts
Experts including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Mayo Clinic recommend that pregnant women eat about two seafood meals each week -- between 8 and 12 ounces of seafood in total. This amount appears to strike the right balance, giving you the healthy benefits of consuming seafood without incurring significant seafood-related risk.
The Benefits
Seafood is one of the most significant dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients believed to play an important role in fetal brain development. Seafood is also a good source of protein, which is essential for your baby's growth and cell development throughout your pregnancy and especially during the major growth that takes place during your second and third trimesters. Pregnant women need to get at least three servings of protein every day, and seafood can help you achieve that goal.
The Risks
Seafood -- and especially certain types of seafood -- can also cause problems. Seafood sometimes contains contaminants, including mercury, pesticides, dioxins and PCBs. If you consume these contaminants in high quantities during your pregnancy, your baby could experience developmental delays down the line, explains toxicologist and food scientist Charles Santerre on the BabyCenter website. To protect your baby, choose low-in-mercury seafood while you're pregnant -- salmon, shrimp, crab and tilapia are all good options -- and avoid seafood known to have the highest risk of contaminants, including raw fish -- like sushi -- swordfish, tuna, shark, king mackerel and tilefish.
Expert Insight
Sometimes, women eat sushi before they know they're pregnant, but that's no cause for alarm, says Jeffrey Jones, a doctor for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in "Fit Pregnancy" magazine. Properly trained sushi chefs know how to reduce the risk of contaminated fish by taking appropriate safety measures, so your risk is fairly low. That doesn't mean you should hit the all-you-can-eat bar at your favorite sushi joint, but it does mean a couple of orders of nigiri over the course of your pregnancy aren't likely to cause major problems. The same goes for consuming a potentially high-mercury fish like tuna -- don't do it regularly, but one slip-up probably isn't going to cause problems.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Pregnancy and Fish: What’s Safe to Eat?
- BabyCenter.com; Is It Safe to Eat Fish and Other Seafood When I’m Pregnant?; Charles Santerre, et al.
- BabyCenter.com; Is It Safe to Eat Fish Raw or Seared during Pregnancy?; Lindsay L. Whitcomb
- "Fit Pregnancy"; Stress Less; Laurie Tarkan, December/January 2011
