What shellfish can i eat during pregnancy

Department of Health and Human Services and U. Department of Agriculture. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Committee Opinion No. Reaffirmed Listeria listeriosis : Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Organization of Teratology Information Specialists.

Advice about eating fish: For women who are or might become pregnant, breastfeeding mothers and young children. Pregnancy nutrition therapy. Nutrition Care Manual. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Gabbe SG, et al. Nutrition during pregnancy.

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Members Portal Contact Us. What to Eat for a Healthy Pregnancy Diet When you are pregnant, aim to eat a variety of cooked seafood times each week. Both words are used in this guide to mean all seafood, including fish and shellfish. For the general population, there are no types of commercial seafood to avoid. Simply eat servings of a variety of seafood each week. Talk to your doctor about your healthy weight gain goals before and during pregnancy. Download the Seafood Pregnancy Diet Guide!

Latest News. Consuming raw or undercooked seafood could result in birth defects or miscarriage. The U. Instead, opt for lower mercury options like shrimp, salmon, clams, tilapia, and catfish. The FDA also recommends canned light tuna, saying it contains less mercury than albacore white tuna. But you might want to limit your canned tuna intake to 6 ounces each week or less.

A Consumer Reports review found that canned tuna is actually the most common mercury source in the American diet. Most seafood contains some amount of mercury. But by eating a wide variety of fish and shellfish, you can reduce your overall mercury consumption.

During pregnancy, eating up to 12 ounces of seafood each week is considered safe. Keep in mind that a typical serving size for fish is 3 to 6 ounces. One study published in The Lancet found no negative effects for pregnant women in the Seychelles who ate more than 12 ounces each week. In fact, the women in the study ate up to 10 times more fish than the average American.

The study noted that these women ate a wide variety of ocean life. So give yourself permission to be picky. Undercooked seafood can be just as risky as the raw version. Most of the harmful parasites and bacteria are killed off during the cooking process. So make sure your food is piping hot. Here's help understanding the facts. Seafood, which includes fish and shellfish, can be a great source of protein, iron and zinc — crucial nutrients for your baby's growth and development.

The omega-3 fatty acids in many fish, including docosahexaenoic acid DHA , also can promote your baby's brain development. But some types of seafood — particularly large, predatory fish such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish — can contain high levels of mercury. Although the mercury in seafood isn't a concern for most adults, special precautions apply if you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant. If you regularly eat fish high in mercury, the substance can accumulate in your bloodstream over time.

Too much mercury in your bloodstream could damage your baby's developing brain and nervous system. That's about two to three servings. Keep in mind that researchers haven't yet determined whether supplements can promote fetal brain development. While pregnant women can get omega-3 fatty acids from many sources, most experts recommend eating seafood for this purpose. Though mercury can harm a developing baby's brain, eating average amounts of seafood containing low levels of mercury during pregnancy hasn't been shown to cause problems.

And the omega-3 fatty acids in many types of fish can promote a baby's healthy cognitive development. As long as you avoid fish known to be high in mercury or contaminated with pollutants, seafood can be a regular part of your healthy-eating plan during pregnancy.