Eating fish while pregnant

It can be a confusing time when you are pregnant, the books, internet, friends and doctors will all be rushing to offer you advice on what you can and cannot do. Unfortunately many opinions will conflict with one and another. The basic guidelines are usually the same across the board, however. For instance, fish. This article will offer the advice that is in agreement with each other from a number of professionals.

The Connection between Pregnancy and Fish

Seafood is known to be a wonderful resource of iron and also protein, which as you know is vital for the growth of your baby. It has also been suggested that the omega 3 fatty acids that are in fish can help with your baby’s brain growth. Some studies have also shown that by not eating seafood whilst pregnant can cause your child to later have issues with their verbal skills, and also behavioral problems. The downside is that with the bigger fish such as predatory fish like shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish can hold elevated levels of mercury. The mercury isn’t an issue for adults on the most part but for babies this can cause an issue with their nervous system. Seafood that is Safe to Eat When Pregnant

The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency state that pregnant women can securely eat up to twelve ounces per week or two regular serving of foods of shrimps, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. On the other side, there has been research that proves that the dangers of cutting down the seafood intake can outweigh the dangers of eating more than twelve ounces a week.Guidelines for Pregnancy and Fish

Keep away from large, predatory fish so you can decrease your exposure to the mercury, so this means don't eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tile fish. Also stay away from raw fish and shellfish as these can sometimes contain harmful bacteria or viruses. For this reason you need to avoid raw fish and shellfish particularly oysters and clams and really anything you recognize was caught in polluted water. Also it is wise to stay away from refrigerated smoked seafood, for instance lox. It is advisable to understand local fish advisories. Bulky game fish tainted with chemical pollutants might potentially harm a baby. Be sure to cook seafood correctly. This means cook fish to an internal temperature of sixty seven degrees Celsius.