What types of fish are not safe for pregnant women? What about sushi?

Answer 1

Generally speaking you'll want to stay away from the big fish - mackeral, tuna, swordfish, shark, etc. as they have higher levels of mercury. You are also supposed to stay away from sushi as it could be harboring bacteria. But...I have had a few pieces of raw ahi tuna (shh!!!) and my doctor assured me it woudl be fine as long as it only happened once in a while.

Answer 2

Raw fish carries an incredibly small chance of carrying a parasite, however more and more sushi places are deep freezing fish to kill off parasites -this does compromise flavour and texture but most people can not tell the difference. Parasites would make YOU sick, they can not cross the placenta, though untreated they could cause malnutrition which would be bad for the baby. This is something you must decide for yourself. The last stat I heard was less than 5 people per year in the US get sick from sushi.

Now there is also sushi that does not contain raw fish. Obviously anything with just raw veggies is fine. There are still somethings you need to be cautious of: fake crab and smoked salmon have the possiblity of carrying listeria, same as lunch meats. The fake crab moreso than the smoked salmon (though smokes salmon is technically raw and theoretically could carry parasites, I suppose). IF the crab is cooked (ie crab tempura in sushi) then it is likely safe.

Seaweed and sea-salt are very healthy for everyone, including pregnant women.

Here are some lists of the mercury content of fish:
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp
http://www.gotmercury.org/


If you wish to consume locally caught fish consult your local game/fishing department.

Answer 3

Fish that may contain high mercury content are not good...shark, tile fish, swordfish (the odd ones you probably don't eat regularly anyway) and tuna.

Sushi is off limits because of the raw ingredients...however, be careful of even the cooked sushi (example: California rolls). Even the cooked sushi is made around all the raw sushi (using the same counter tops, utensils, etc)...I have stayed away from all sushi, even cooked, to be on the safe side.

Answer 4

Shellfish, canned fish (salmon and canned tuna) and smaller ocean fish are safe for the pregnant and lactating women. However, the FDA still recommends limiting the amount of fish per week.
Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish as these contain the highest levels of the methyl mercury.
Do not eat fish caught by family or friends, stick to commercial fish. Limit fish intake to about 12 ounces of cooked fish per week. (A typical serving is 3-6 ounces.)
Avoid raw fish or undercooked fish. that means sushi!

Answer 5

Sushi is not safe at all.

Also check in to the mercury levels of where the fish came from before you eat it. Mercury is really bad for an unborn baby.

There was a study awhile back that said that fish is good for a babys developing brain as long as there is no mercury and it is cook all the way though.

Answer 6

I pondered the same question for a while. I think anything in moderation can be okay. Alot of any raw food is not good for anyone, but asians still eat sushi and they have healthy children.

Answer 7

No raw fish and this includes Sushi. All the meat needs to be cooked.

Answer 8

I would say a big no to sushi, you never know where the fish is coming from - It's a big downer 'cause I love sushi...

here's a site that may help more....

http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

Answer 9

Sushi is not good for pregnant women...it contains too much mercury...as does tuna.

Answer 10

any raw/under cooked meat or fish is not recommended during pregnancy. As for cooked fish- anything high in mercury is a definate no.