Agency officials have listed what types of fish and how much pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should eat. When you are pregnant, aim to eat a variety of cooked seafood 2-3 times each week. you should eat no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. you should eat no more than 2 tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or 4 medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) per week. There are some important differences between wild and farmed salmon. Sometimes these products come packaged in vacuum-sealed pouches or tin cans. If you avoided sushi during your pregnancy, it can be tempting to hurry back to your favorite sushi restaurant after delivery. It’s common to see various smoked salmon products at grocery stores or on restaurant menus. Wild vs Farmed Salmon: Which Type of Salmon Is Healthier? If you regularly eat fish high in mercury, the substance can accumulate in your bloodstream over time. This is a list of 11 foods and drinks that pregnant women should avoid. Get to know what you can and can't eat when you are pregnant. Certain foods can be very harmful for pregnant women and their babies. Meat and poultry are an important part of a healthy, nutritious … All rights reserved. Eating lox during pregnancy carries some risks, but the risk is highest in the third trimester. DHA plays an especially important role during pregnancy by contributing to fetal brain development, and it has been linked to better infant and child development (4). It also contains a significant amount of Vitamin D that contributes towards the bone health of you and your baby, thus being an apt food choice, especially in the first trimester [21, 22]. Dishes made with raw fish are traditional to many cultures, but you may wonder whether they're safe. Your email address will not be published. Some even note that the product is pasteurized, which indicates that the fish has been cooked. Tapeworms can cause stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and sudden or extreme weight loss. Salmon is incredibly nutritious. However, if you are concerned, you might also choose to avoid cold meats and smoked fish while you are pregnant. As such, they’re considered uncooked fish. Pregnant women can safely eat hot-smoked salmon when heated to 165℉ or shelf-stable forms, but cold-smoked salmon puts you at risk of tapeworm and Listeria infections. If you notice these symptoms while pregnant and think you might have contracted Listeria, contact your healthcare provider immediately (8). Eating raw or undercooked fish like cold-smoked salmon may cause several viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. When you are pregnant, making safe food choices is very important. According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) as well as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2015-2020), pregnant women require approximately 8 to 12 ounces of seafood low in mercury on a weekly basis [1, 3]. Yes, Pregnant Women Can Eat Salmon and Other Low Mercury Fish Many Americans do not eat adequate amounts of fish. Canned, chunk light tuna generally has a lower amount of mercury than other tuna, but still should only be eaten in moderation. One 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of smoked salmon provides numerous beneficial nutrients for pregnant women. However, be sure to contact your doctor if you experience any abnormal symptoms, or discomfort after eating. What to limit. There are no side effects of eating properly cooked salmon during pregnancy, as long as you do not overconsume. This amounts to two to three servings of fish such as salmon, tuna (canned-light), cod, catfish and tilapia that are low in mercury. As such, the final product is often packed with sodium. Compared with other sources of protein, fish is often higher in the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Salmon has less Mercury as compared to other fishes. Well, here it goes: You can eat some sushi rolls while pregnant. No. How Much Fish Can A Pregnant Woman Eat? Smoked salmon and smoked trout are fine to eat during pregnancy as part of your oily fish intake, but do be aware they contain a lot of salt. Pregnant women need 40 to 70 grams of protein every day to ensure a sound fetal growth, and a 3.5 ounce serving of salmon makes up for 20 to 25 grams of this daily requirement [11, 12]. Wild salmon varieties like Alaskan [24], King, Keta, Atlantic, Sockeye and Coho [25, 26] are considered to be the safest, while the farmed ones should be avoided since they are high in PCBs (Polychlorinated biphenyls), a group of organic chemicals that can be harmful for the skin if eaten in excess [5, 6, 23] .  Low birth weight, weak immune system, and inappropriate motor skills are some of the common problems seen in babies born to mothers who had fish contaminated with PCBs or were exposed to it in some other way when pregnant or even during breastfeeding [23]. Smoked salmon: Like the raw fish, it is not okay for pregnant women to eat smoked salmon due to the risk of listeria and other parasite poisonings [ 8, 9, 20].  So make sure to stay away from smoked salmon preparations like lox, gravlax, and mousse [18]. Caviar comprising of cured salmon roe or eggs is also a no-no during pregnancy [27]. On the other hand, hot-smoked salmon is fully cooked and shouldn’t cause dangerous infections. Healthy Pregnancy Diet – What to Eat When Pregnant, https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-fish/art-20044185, https://www.news-medical.net/news/20120319/Eating-salmon-benefits-pregnant-women-and-their-babies.aspx, http://www.medicaldaily.com/fda-urges-women-eat-more-fish-during-pregnancy-which-pose-lowest-mercury-risk-287536, http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/mercury-levels-in-fish/, https://www.ewg.org/research/pcbs-farmed-salmon#.Whv2eEqWbIU, https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=30&po=10, https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/diet/eating-fish-during-pregnancy/, https://www.babycenter.com.au/x536398/is-it-safe-to-eat-seafood-and-fish-during-pregnancy, https://www.babycenter.com/404_is-it-safe-to-eat-seared-smoked-or-raw-fish-during-pregnancy_2284.bc, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/omega-3-fatty-acids-heart-health/how-much-omega-3-do-i-need, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-benefits-of-salmon, https://www.babycenter.com/0_protein-in-your-pregnancy-diet_1690.bc, http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/vitamin-b-pregnancy/, http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/articles/2009/july/pregnancy-nutrition-what-you-can-and-cant-eat, https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/Metals/ucm534873.htm, http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/mercury-levels-in-sushi/, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/12720/grilled-salmon-i/, http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/foods-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/, https://www.thebump.com/a/food-poisoning-during-pregnancy, https://www.babycenter.com/0_vitamin-d-in-your-pregnancy-diet_661.bc, https://www.babble.com/pregnancy/15-must-eat-foods-for-the-first-trimester/, https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=140&tid=26, https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/safe-fish-for-pregnant-women/, http://naturallysavvy.com/care/fish-during-pregnancy-what-you-need-to-know, https://www.thespruce.com/types-of-salmon-4098993, https://www.today.com/health/fish-ok-what-not-eat-when-pregnant-1C9402095, http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/omega-3-fish-oil/. Due to the health risks of eating undercooked seafood, pregnant women should not eat cold-smoked salmon. Salmon, being low in mercury, is considered safe for pregnant women [1, 2, 4]. You should never eat uncooked cold-smoked salmon if you’re pregnant. However, the FDA recommends eating 8 to 12 ounces of fish low in mercury per week. Fish. The risk of listeria is much higher with cheeses such as Camembert, Brie or chevre (a type of goats' cheese), and others that have a similar rind, or pâté, which you shouldn't eat during pregnancy. This article explains how smoked salmon is made and…. Is It Safe to Eat Sushi While Breastfeeding? Make sure you remove the skin of the fish. Further, multiple reviews on fish intake during pregnancy demonstrate that the benefits of eating low mercury fish outweigh the potential risks for infants’ brain development (3, 4, 5, 6). This is especially true for pregnant women, who are up to 18 times likelier to contract Listeria than the general population. The NHS says you should eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Seafood. Although salmon is safe to eat during your pregnancy, you should avoid raw preparations, including sushi, because raw fish could contain parasites or harmful bacteria. Oily fish include salmon, trout, mackerel and herring. So, it is time to find out if salmon can actually be harmful to you and your to-be-born baby. Tuna does not count as an oily fish. Cooked and baked into rolls or made into dips, pastes, and curries, Grilled and seasoned with lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder. Therefore, pregnant women should only eat salt-cured foods like hot-smoked salmon in moderation. So, we must be conscious of it. This is equivalent to the upper limit of seafood intake mentioned above (8 to 12 ounces), so if you eat that much salmon, make sure not to eat any other mercury-containing fish in the same week. This infection can pass directly to a fetus through the placenta (7, 8, 9). Can You Eat Meat, Poultry, or Pâtés? This article explains whether pregnant women can safely eat smoked salmon. One is safe to eat while pregnant, the other is not.