Is It Safe to Eat Steamed Mussels While Pregnant
Most fish are safe to eat in pregnancy, provided that you cook them properly. In fact, many fish have important health benefits for you and your baby, so it's a great idea to include them in your diet if you can.
Make sure any fish you buy isn't discoloured and doesn't smell bad. When you're cooking fish and seafood at home, follow the guidelines below to make it safe to eat:
- If you're cooking whole fish or fillets, check that they're cooked by slipping the point of a sharp knife into the flesh and pulling it aside. The flesh should be opaque, with flakes beginning to separate.
- When you've taken the fish out of the oven, or turned the heat off the hob, let it stand for three minutes to four minutes, to finish cooking.
- Prawns and lobster turn red when cooked, and the flesh becomes pearly-opaque. Scallops appear milky-white or opaque and firm.
- For clams, mussels, and oysters, watch for the point at which their shells open, which indicates that they're done. Throw away any that remain closed after cooking.
- When microwaving seafood, check several spots to ensure that it's cooked properly throughout.
- You could use a food thermometer to check that your seafood has reached a temperature of at least 63 degrees C. Then you'll know for sure that it's cooked and ready to eat.
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When choosing oily fish, bear in mind that they can contain some environmental pollutants, such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins. So try not to have more than two portions a week.
Oily fish is good for you, so it's still important to include it in your meals. It contains omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins and nutrients that are good for you and your developing baby. There are plenty of oily fish to choose from, such as:
- salmon
- trout
- mackerel
- herring
- sardines
- pilchards
- kippers
- eel
- whitebait
- fresh tuna
- anchovies
Other types of fish and shellfish may have similar levels of dioxins and PCBs to oily fish. These are sea bream, turbot, halibut, dogfish (also called huss or rock salmon), crab and sea bass. Limit your portions of these fish to two servings a week.
You should also limit how much tuna you eat to four medium-sized cans or two steaks per week. Tuna contains mercury, which won't harm you, but too much can harm your baby's developing nervous system.
Shark, swordfish and marlin contain much higher levels of mercury, so you shouldn't eat these fish at all while you're pregnant.
You can eat as much as you want of any of the following cooked fish, throughout your pregnancy:
- cod
- haddock
- plaice
- coley
- skate
- hake
- flounder
- gurnard
Any type of fresh seafood is potentially risky when it's raw, because it can contain parasites such as tapeworms. Tapeworms can make you ill and sap your body of the nutrients that you and your baby need.
If you enjoy oysters, mussels and other shellfish, you'll need to make sure that they're well cooked if you want to keep eating them during pregnancy. Raw shellfish may be contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning. You're more susceptible to food poisoning during pregnancy.
Food poisoning from raw fish won't harm your baby, but it can make you feel very unwell. However, if you thoroughly cook shellfish, this will kill any bacteria and viruses and make it safe to eat.
If you're eating out, ask for your fish to be well cooked. This is especially important in Japanese restaurants, as they often lightly sear fish on the outside, then serve it rare.
Sushi sold in supermarkets is usually fine to eat. Even though it often contains raw fish, it will have been frozen beforehand which kills the tapeworm parasites. If you're buying sushi that's been freshly made in a restaurant or shop, check with staff that they use raw fish that has been frozen.
Raw fish that's been thoroughly smoked, such as salmon and mackerel, is also considered safe for you to eat. Smoking the fish kills any parasites or listeria bacteria. However, if salmon hasn't been properly smoked, or frozen before you eat it, there may still be some listeria bacteria.
Make sure that any smoked salmon you eat is from a trusted source, such as a supermarket, and always ask how it's been processed if you're unsure. Fish that has been salted or pickled is safe to eat.
Read more about how to have a healthy pregnancy:
- Watch our video on the best exercises for pregnancy.
- Find out more about eating sushi when you're pregnant.
- If you're not a fan of seafood, find out more about fish oil supplements in pregnancy.
Is It Safe to Eat Steamed Mussels While Pregnant
Source: https://www.babycentre.co.uk/x536398/is-it-safe-to-eat-fish-and-seafood-during-pregnancy