Can You Have Seafood During Pregnancy? Plus Low-Mercury Seafood to Try

Eating seafood during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do to nourish yourself and your baby. So why isn’t it more widely promoted? Let’s debunk myths about seafood consumption and learn how to eat it safely.

You’re pregnant and craving fish. Did I read your mind?

Seafood is one of the most common pregnancy cravings, and there’s science that explains it. Sushi, salmon, oysters, and scallops are high in bioavailable nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, heme iron, protein, vitamin B, iodine, and more. These are all the essential nutrients your baby is using to grow and develop.

But what about the risks of eating seafood during pregnancy? Mercury, cadmium, and bacteria should all be considered before you indulge in your favorite sushi. But recent studies behind the safety of these foods may surprise you. Seafood and even sushi are considered a normal (and even healthy) part of the pregnancy diet in Asia. Now, nutritionists are rethinking how we recommend them to pregnant mamas.

Read on if you want to satisfy your pregnancy fish craving safely…

The Benefits of Eating Seafood During Pregnancy

The average consumption of seafood during pregnancy is about 3 ounces per week. This is such a small number considering the many benefits of eating seafood for fetal growth (like high micronutrient levels and higher IQ levels for your child). It’s largely due to fear surrounding these foods. Despite strong fish cravings, women don’t feel confident about eating seafood safely.

Before we dive into the misconceptions of seafood safety, you should understand why it’s so important to eat more seafood during pregnancy. These foods might just improve your pregnancy symptoms and curb those junk food cravings.

Extremely High Levels of Micronutrients

Seafood is identified as one of the top food groups for micronutrient density. From salmon to oysters, these foods are rich in bioavailable omega-3 fatty acids, protein, heme iron, zinc, vitamin D, iron, B vitamins, and so much more. Along with organ meats and bone broth, seafood is one of my top recommendations for nutrient-dense foods during pregnancy.

Fewer Cravings

If you’re craving sweets, fried foods, and high-calorie snacks, this may be a sign that you’re not getting enough nutrients. Even if you’re eating healthy by American standards, it may not be enough to keep up with the increasing needs of pregnancy. Seafood and organ meats are two food groups that outperform any others in the micronutrient department (yep, even cruciferous veggies). Eating these foods can help your body replenish nutrient stores and make those pregnancy cravings easier to manage.

Brain and Neurological Development for Your Baby

The nutrients found in fish and shellfish are associated with better pregnancy outcomes, fetal brain development, neurological health, and more. In one study, moms who ate seafood had children with higher IQs later in life.

Why Is Eating Seafood During Pregnancy Controversial?

There are real risks to eating seafood, but these risks should encourage us to eat it with care — not to eliminate it from our pregnancy diet entirely.

Possible Mercury Exposure

We all know that eating seafood may expose us to mercury, a toxic heavy metal. This can be true for some fish, but many are low in mercury. The size of the fish is a good predictor of mercury levels (if the fish is small, it’s probably safe to eat). Something we forget to consider, too, is that many minerals protect against heavy metal absorption. High levels of selenium (found in plenty of seafood) can protect against mercury toxicity.

The Prop 65 Warnings

When you pick up a can of sardines or oysters, you might notice California’s Prop 65 warning on the label. This lets you know about potential cadmium (a heavy metal) that may be present in these foods. Clients of mine who eat seafood for its nutritional benefits understandably pause when they see this label.

As a pregnancy nutritionist, here’s my perspective: any heavy metal deserves caution. That said, the threshold for the Prop 65 label is very low. My research has found that typical cadmium levels in oysters are small and are passed through the body without issue. This may be thanks to the high levels of zinc found in oysters. One serving of oysters contains around 77 mg of zinc, which works to protect against cadmium toxicity.

Bacteria Exposure

This is controversial, but I encourage my clients to eat raw seafood (yes, including sushi) during pregnancy. Raw fish often has more bioavailable nutrients than cooked fish — and I’ve enjoyed sushi safely during all three of my pregnancies.

The key word here is safety. We should approach any potential exposure to bacteria or parasites with caution. But properly sourced and processed raw seafood is extremely nutrient-dense and can be as safe as a leafy green salad.

To eat these foods safely, find a trustworthy source that catches their fish wild. You’ll also want to make sure the fish is flash-frozen for 24 hours before serving. In order to serve sushi at a restaurant, a chef goes through rigorous safety training. If you ask questions, they’re likely to tell you all about their safety measures.

Traditionally, sushi is eaten with soy sauce, which in some studies has been shown to reduce bacteria and parasite risk. In Asian cultures, many pregnant moms continue eating these traditional foods throughout pregnancy with no issue.

How Much Seafood Should You Eat During Pregnancy?

We’ve found seafood to be extremely nutrient-dense during pregnancy and debunked misconceptions about heavy metals. What’s next? Determining exactly how much seafood is safe to eat during pregnancy.

If you’re avoiding high-mercury seafood, I recommend 2–3 servings of wild-caught seafood weekly. This is a fairly safe amount that should boost daily nutrients while reducing the risk of heavy metal overload.

The Best Low-Mercury Seafoods to Eat

My research shows that pregnant mamas can eat a lot more seafood than previously thought. But that doesn’t mean we remove caution around these foods altogether, especially foods high in mercury.

My recommendation is to eat plenty of fish and shellfish, as long as it’s low in mercury. Usually, the bigger the fish, the higher the risk of mercury exposure. For example, avoid tuna, king mackerel, and swordfish, and consume more salmon and sardines.

Here are some low-mercury seafoods to eat during pregnancy:

• Salmon

• Sardines

• Clams

• Anchovies

• Codfish

• Scallops

• Oysters

• Flounder

• Arctic char

Careful Sourcing and Processing of Seafood Was Always the Answer

Bacteria exposure and heavy metal toxicity are very real concerns when eating seafood during pregnancy. But the issue here isn’t the seafood itself, it’s the sourcing and processing. In the United States, we focus on quick sterilization of low-quality foods, instead of prioritizing wild-caught and nutrient-dense options. Low-quality seafood can mean higher exposure to heavy metals, since there are fewer minerals to counteract it. It also can mean higher risk when consuming raw fish.

That’s why it’s so important to make the switch to responsible sourcing, rather than eliminating these foods completely. There are ways to keep seafood fresh, lower the risks, and enjoy the huge benefits of seafood during pregnancy — and we see real-life examples in other countries.

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