Can You Eat Sushi While Pregnant? – A Detailed Answer

Sushi – it’s a quick, easy and nutritious takeaway option in Japanese cuisine (and one that many women crave during their pregnancy!). But, regarding the pregnancy diet, you should be careful about your likes. Remember when a pregnant Hilary Duff posted a photo of her and a friend enjoying sushi dinner. She immediately created a controversy among the Insta moms. As a matter of fact, in the United States, pregnant women are scared away from sushi by being told that raw fish can cause a harmful effect. Is it the truth or just a myth? Can you eat sushi while pregnant? Today, we will give you the answer to whether eating sushi while pregnant is safe or not (with specific explanations). In the end, we will reveal a few important things to keep in mind when choosing your next sushi (if you are going to have one)!

1. Pregnant women should eat fish

Eating fish when pregnant or breastfeeding can provide health benefits. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide:

• Protein
• Healthy omega-3 fats (called DHA and EPA) that may help baby’s brain development
• More vitamin B12 and vitamin D than any other type of food
• Iron which is important for women who are pregnant or who could become pregnant
• Other minerals like selenium, zinc, and iodine.

Fish can (and should) be a healthy part of a pregnant woman’s diet.

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• What Does Sushi Taste Like? For Sushi Newbies
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Besides, eating fish while pregnant possibly help lower the mother’s anxiety levels. Researchers at the University of Bristol found that women who never ate seafood had a 53 % greater likelihood of anxiety at pregnancy compared to women who ate seafood regularly. In fact, the FDA encourages moms-to-be to eat two to three servings of fish or shellfish every week.

2. What’s the matter with eating sushi while pregnant?

Raw fish

Pregnant women have weakened immune systems. So they’re more susceptible to bacteria and parasites present in raw fish if the fish isn’t handled properly.

Sushi and other raw animal products have a high risk of bacterial contamination. For seafood specifically, there is also a risk of parasites. Bacteria and parasites can lead to infections and foodborne illnesses. While those don’t always cause a significant problem in adults, they can cause severe damage to the developing baby. That is why they’re scary. On top of that, these illnesses typically need to be treated with antibiotics, some of which are dangerous to use during pregnancy.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and the FDA recommend that pregnant women eat fish and shellfish that have been cooked to 145 degrees F.

High Mercury Fish

In addition to bacteria and parasites, high levels of mercury in some types of fish, whether cooked or raw, is a big concern. This toxic metal can harm the central nervous system especially in the developing brain of a fetus. Large intake can cause serious birth defects, including brain damage, blindness, and deafness.

Sushi made of fish containing a high level of mercury should be completely avoided. Higher-mercury fish include swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, and tilefish. For more recommendations, the FDA created a chart detailing the best and worst seafood to pick on the menu.

3. Can you eat sushi while pregnant AT ALL?

Short answer: Yes.

Even though the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends not eating sushi while pregnant, there is no scientific evidence linking pregnant women eating sushi with health risks to babies or complications with pregnancies. In fact, Dr. Amos Grunebaum, Director of Obstetrics at Cornell Medical center says it’s totally fine.

There is no need to say goodbye to your favorite sushi during pregnancy.

Do Japanese eat sushi while pregnant? Well, you know in Japan (where they should know a thing or two about sushi), women do not generally stop eating sushi when they become pregnant. And many Japanese pregnancy books suggest eating sushi as part of a healthy, low-fat diet during pregnancy. Japanese tradition even has it that postpartum women get certain kinds of sushi in the hospital during their recovery.

The main worry about pregnant women eating sushi seems to come from the fear of parasites. However, fish is almost always flash frozen to transport, which kills the parasites anyway. If the sushi was stored properly, then the risk of bacteria should be also very low. So sure, eating sushi with low-mercury fish once in a while probably isn’t going to hurt you.

4. How to eat safe sushi during pregnancy

Good news! Sushi and pregnancy can go along. But we can’t deny it still carries risks. You only have to be exposed one time to unqualified sushi to experience a  negative reaction. Trying to remember some following tips may be worth the effort.

Raw fish preparation

Good fish preparation will get rid of any bacteria, parasites or other problems.

Raw fish preparations may seem like something you should only trust the professionals with. But, if you know your stuff, you can buy, prepare, and enjoy the safe raw stuff in the comfort of your own home.

• Freeze the fresh seafood for at least 4 days before using it. Make sure it is properly refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
• Avoid fish that are high in mercury like big-eye tuna, shark, tilefish, and swordfish.
• Choose fish that have high concentrations of the brain-benefiting omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA like wild salmon catfish, and other fatty fish and shellfish

Sushi made with cured fish

In some cases, you don’t need to freeze the fish. An example is smoked salmon because most smoking processes kill any parasites in the fish. Other methods, such as salting or pickling, make raw fish safe to eat as well.

Sushi without raw fish

There is plenty of sushi that does not contain fish or even raw fish.

This means you can enjoy fully cooked enjoy sushi or some vegetarian varieties such as those that include cooked seafood. Here are some types of sushi that contain cooked or marinated fish or no fish at all:

• Ebi: Cooked jumbo shrimp
• Unagi: Fully cooked freshwater eel
• Kani: Cooked real crab meat
• Saba: Cooked mackerel
• California roll: Contains avocado and other vegetarian ingredients.
• Kappa maki: Contains cucumbers.

Sushi without high-mercury fish

Here comes the list of high-mercury fish that pregnant women should avoid (according to the FDA):

• swordfish
• tilefish
• king mackerel
• marlin
• orange roughy
• shark
• bigeye tuna

Ask about sushi ingredients

Pregnancy is a period when you should be particularly careful about what you put into your body. Knowing what’s in your food might help you and your kid stay safe. Always ask about the ingredients in a sushi roll when dining out, and make it clear that you are unable to consume raw fish.

If you are unsure about what you should and shouldn’t eat during your pregnancy, consult your doctor or a qualified dietician. They can assist you in developing a diet that is both healthy and pleasant.

CONCLUSION

There is no conclusive evidence that eating sushi while pregnant can do any harm. It’s usually all right to eat sushi and other dishes made with raw fish when you’re pregnant. But you may need to make sure that it’s been frozen first or properly treated. You should also cut off the amount of some types of fish with a higher level of mercury, such as tuna and swordfish. So, have a balanced diet and a healthy pregnancy!!