Can i eat flathead fish when pregnant

We respect your privacy. All email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. They are questions every pregnant woman must resolve: how much and which types of fish to consume? Eat too much of the wrong kind, and you may end up dosing your unborn baby with excess mercury , a toxin known to impair fetal brain development.

Eat too little fish, though, and you'll deprive him or her of precious omega-3 fatty acids , which are known to enhance not only brain development but also fetal growth in general.

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency issued finalized guidelines aimed at resolving this issue. The new recommendations—which apply to pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as all women of childbearing age 16 to 49 years old and young children—come after years of hand-wringing debate.

But in reviewing the recommendations, Halloran says there are some details the CR food safety team disagrees with. Here's a breakdown of what these latest guidelines advise and what Consumer Reports thinks you should do:.

The new recommendations reflect several positive changes from the guidelines the agencies originally proposed in Those original guidelines set minimum and maximum weekly quotas for fish consumption—8 to 12 ounces. By this logic, pregnant women should be encouraged to eat any fish high in omega-3s, even if that same fish is also high in mercury.

In the new guidelines, fish are grouped into "best choices," "good choices," and "fish to avoid," based on their mercury levels. And the agencies set limits for the amount of fish to eat from the best and good choices groups, advising two to three 4-ounce servings per week of the best choices or one weekly 4-ounce serving of the good choices.

For children ages 4 to 7, the serving sizes are 2 ounces. Rather than essentially being told to eat more fish, we felt that it was important for pregnant women to hear the message to eat fish but to choose those that were lowest in mercury. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign up to receive free pregnancy and parenting updates. Due date calculator Tools Advertise. Share it!

Eating fish during pregnancy and breastfeeding The NSW Food Authority surveyed women aged between 18 and 40 years to assess their knowledge of mercury in fish and associated health issues. READ: The ultimate guide to nutrition and food safety in pregnancy. IMPORTANT: It is recommended pregnant women avoid ready-to-each, chilled seafood, such as raw sushi, sashimi and oysters or pre-cooked prawns and smoked salmon, to lessen the risk of listeria.

Last Reviewed: September 14, About Bub Hub Our team of writers cover a wide range of topics in the areas of conception, pregnancy and parenting. Post your comment Comment Guidelines : Play nice! We reserve the right to remove your comments if they: Defame any person Breach any person's confidentiality Breach any person's intellectual property rights Breach privacy laws Breach anti-discrimination laws Contains links, advertising or spam Stalk, harrass or bully a person Promote or encourage an illegal act Contain course language or content.

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By continuing you consent to the use of our Privacy Policy. Cookie Settings Continue. Specifically, you should avoid:. The best types of fish to eat during pregnancy are oily fish types. Fish especially rich in omega-3 fatty acids include:.

There are two kinds of fish oil supplement. Read more about mercury in fish. To minimise the intake of mercury during pregnancy, various types of fish with higher levels of mercury should be limited to:. If you have any further questions relating to the pregnancy and healthy eating, contact your medical practitioner, local Queensland Health Public Health Unit or your local council.

Print Pregnancy and healthy eating Hormonal changes when you are pregnant can weaken your immune system making it harder to fight off infection. Foods to avoid If you are pregnant it is advised that you avoid the following high risk foods: soft and semi soft cheeses e.

When pregnant it is also recommended to limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine. Folate and folic acid Folate, a B vitamin, is important during pregnancy because it is one of the few nutrients known to prevent neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida.

Read more about folate and folic acid Risks involved with some foodborne illnesses Salmonella Pregnancy does not increase your risk of contracting salmonella, however it can be a very unpleasant experience and in rare cases may trigger miscarriage or longer term complications for the mother. Read more about Salmonella Listeria Listeria is a type of bacteria found in some foods which can cause a serious infection called listeriosis.