Fish and Seafood: What's safe to eat during pregnancy?
Fish is very nutritious and packed with great nutrients. It is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and lean protein. It is important that women still consume fish during pregnancy.
The potential problem lies with the level of mercy fish contain. The FDA recommends no more than 12 oz of fish a week. But this recommendation only applies to those fish with lower levels of mercury, which include anchovies, king crab, catfish, salmon, shrimp, freshwater trout, sole, lobster (spiny/rock).
The serving recommendations decrease as the mercury level increases. There are several sites that have specific serving recommendations for certain types of fish.
There are 4 types of fish to avoid: shark, king mackerel, swordfish and tile fish. These are the fish considered to have the highest mercury levels and should not be eaten during pregnancy.
Tuna (canned, white albacore) has a higher level of mercury than Tuna (canned, chunk light) and should be eaten less often.
Eat up to 6 ounces per week of fish caught in local waters, but do not consume any other fish during that week.
Check your local fish safety advisories.
Salmon Recipe:
Wash and dry salmon filets
Pre-heat grill to about 350 degrees
Trim filets to servings - about 4 ounces each, uniform thickness
Place each piece of fish, skin side down, on a square of heavy duty foil
Top each piece with 2-3 tsp lowfat, low sodium butter, 1 onion slice, 2-3 tomato slices, ¼ tsp dill and ½ tsp parsley, sprinkle 1 tsp lemon juice over all
Wrap fish in foil, creating sealed packets
Place on grill and cook 7-10 minutes per inch of thickness; time depending on grill temperature
Remove from grill and let sit for 2 minutes
Carefully open packets, slide spatula between meet and skin and remove.
Spoon juices from packet over filet and serve
Serving suggestion: Serve with fresh steamed asparagus, mango slices and ½ cup couscous.
