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ENJOY FISH SAFELY DURING PREGNANCY

By: Patricia Kendall, PhD, RD - Fall 2008

You are what you eat, and during pregnancy, what you eat can have a large impact on the healthy development of your unborn baby. The best diet during pregnancy includes a balance of healthy meals and snacks, with special emphasis on vegetables and fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean nutrient-dense sources of protein and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

Fish and seafood are one of our most nutrient dense sources of protein and the best dietary source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is especially important for the healthy development of the unborn baby's brain. Unfortunately, it's often consumed at lower than recommended levels by most Americans. Research has shown that consuming optimum levels of DHA during pregnancy has a positive impact on the development of the newborn's visual, motor, cognitive and behavioral skills, and that the impacts may last into childhood and beyond. If this isn't enough reason to include fish in the diet during pregnancy, higher DHA intakes during pregnancy also have been shown to reduce the risk of pre-term labor and help avoid postpartum depression.

Like all good things in the diet, too much is not a good thing. Nor, is eating fish raw or under cooked. Moderation, variety and cooking are the keys to enjoying the benefits fish has to offer you and your unborn baby.

Moderation. You only need to eat fish two to three times per week to get all the DHA needed to promote a healthy pregnancy. This amount also fits well with the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation to limit fish consumption to 12 ounces per week to minimize exposure to methyl mercury. The most commonly eaten fish in the U.S., shrimp, canned tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish, tilapia, crab, cod, clams and flatfish, are all considered naturally low in mercury. The only species that the FDA warns against eating because of possible higher mercury levels are swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish. Because white albacore tuna may contain moderate levels of mercury, it's recommended that tuna lovers eat just six ounces of white albacore tuna per week. Moderation also means paying attention to advisories about fish caught in local waters.

Variety. Cold water, oily fish, such as salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel, sardines, anchovies and whitefish, are our best dietary sources of DHA. Shellfish also provide some DHA. If fresh fish seems too high priced, consider canned fish, such as tuna, pink salmon and sardines. Choosing a variety of fish and fish recipes not only adds spice to your life, it also increases your cooking repertoire.

Cook and/or reheat. When it comes to fish and pregnancy, the words to remember are cook and/or reheat. Raw fish often harbor parasites, bacteria and viruses. None of these belong in a pregnant woman's body. Not only can they make you sick, but they can also harm your unborn child, resulting in miscarriage or a baby born with complications. Fish is "cooked" and safe to eat when it flakes with a fork, or reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook live oysters in boiling water for three to five minutes after the shells open. Be careful not to put too many oysters in the cooking pot at once, as the ones in the middle may not get fully cooked. Also, discard any oysters that don't open during cooking.

Finally, be sure to reheat to steaming hot or 165F any refrigerated, smoked seafood before eating. This type of fish is often sold refrigerated in the deli section of the grocery store and may be labeled as lox, nova style, kippered or jerky. The processing done during the cold smoking of fish is not sufficient to destroy the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which if eaten could be passed to the unborn child and cause miscarriage or other health problems. Canned or shelf-stable forms of smoked seafood are safe to eat as are any smoked fish used as an ingredient in a meal that has been cooked, like a casserole.

Sources:

1. Innis SM, Friesen, RW. 2008. Essential n-3 fatty acids in pregnant women and early visual acuity maturation in term infants. AJCN. 83:548-57.
2. FDA/EPA. 2004. What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish. Available at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html. Accessed 9/3/08.
3. Hoyle E. 1999. Safe handling of fish. Clemson Extension Bulletin HGIC 3509. Available at: http://hgic.clemson.edu/pdf/hgic3508.pdf. Accessed 9/3/08.

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