Can I eat fish when I'm pregnant?
Fish and shellfish are rich in nutrients that both you and the baby in your belly need. Among other things, they contain important fatty acids that are crucial for the development of your baby’s brain. But some fish might contain environmental toxins, so it’s important to pick your seafood with care.
Fish are nutritious, with loads of important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, iodine and selenium – not to mention omega-3 fatty acids. So go ahead and make that fish stew, tuna salad, or oven-baked salmon!
Sushi, shrimp, salmon – which fish is best during pregnancy?
When you’re pregnant, it’s a good idea to eat oil-rich (fatty) fish and white fish – preferably two or three times a week. It can be fresh or frozen, or you can even make things easy on yourself with tinned fish, fish balls, or fish sticks. As we said, fish is nutritious for the baby in your belly and for you during pregnancy. But not all fish is good for you.
So which fish can you eat?
- All farmed fish can be eaten 2-3 times per week.
- Prawns, crayfish, various mussels and other shellfish are nutritious. But if you love crab, only eat the white meat.
- You can eat canned tuna, but skip whole tuna steaks.
- Salmon and salmon varieties like char and trout are great to eat, as long as they are not from the Baltic Sea or Swedish lakes.
- It is generally recommended to eat the following fish: herring and cod (that were not caught in the Baltic Sea), sardines, pollock, anchovies, Alaska pollock, haddock, hake, lutefisk, mackerel and plaice.
- To avoid certain diseases that may be dangerous during pregnancy, pregnant people should only eat cured or smoked fish if it was just made and recently packaged; this also applies to sushi.
Mercury and other toxins – fish to avoid when you’re pregnant
Why is there a list of ‘approved’ fish? Well, unfortunately, some fish contain high quantities of environmental toxins – like PCBs, dioxins and mercury – that can impact the development of your baby’s nervous system and that you should therefore not eat when you are pregnant. Check your local food/health agency’s website for current information and recommendations. We’ve gathered the Swedish National Food Agency’s guidelines on fish to avoid here:
- Be cautious with predatory fish from the Baltic Sea and Sweden’s large lakes: salmon, trout, herring and char. Wild-caught Swedish fish are rarely sold in stores, but if you live near the water, it may be good to remember not to eat this kind of fish more than 2-3 times per week – in total, all varieties.
- Pregnant people should also be cautious with halibut, swordfish, pike, perch, zander and blue butterfish.
- Oysters can be high in cadmium.
What if you don’t want to eat fish?
Not everyone wants to eat fish and there are other ways to get omega-3 fatty acids, either through supplements containing fish oil or algae oil, or through other foods. If you are vegetarian and want to know more about a vegetarian or vegan diet during pregnancy, you can read more here. If you’re looking for more general dietary advice for pregnancy, you can read our 10 tips for great foods to eat while pregnant here.
Please note that all information above is based on Swedish recommendations.
