Seafood that Should Be Avoided when You Are Pregnant

When you become pregnant, you will quickly learn that there are many things that need to be avoided. You will be told that running and jogging were a thing of the past as well as any type of straining. You will also be told that there are some foods that are completely off limits for expectant mother’s. These include soft cheeses, and alcoholic beverages. One of the most important foods to stay away from while you are pregnant would be certain types of seafood. Seafood is not only usually under cooked but it harbors many bacterias that can be deadly for your unborn baby. Seafood also contains traces of mercury that can be just as harmful to you as it is to your baby. The types of seafood that should be avoided are listed below.

Seafood Item Number One:
Shellfish. As many people already know shellfish are one of the few things that most people are commonly allergic to. This is not the problem though. The problem with shellfish is the bacteria that it harbors. In most cases of food poisoning you can usually track them all back to some sort of shellfish. Shellfish can be easily undercooked and can cause anyone to become fatally ill, especially a small child or unborn baby. Shellfish are very dirty and most people do not know that if the shellfish was not alive before it was boiled, you can become very ill. This certain type of seafood does not contain much trace of mercury but the risk is the number one reason to stay away from it during pregnancy. Shellfish includes but is not limited to, crab of any kind besides imitation, which means fake, shrimp fried or boiled, crayfish,lobster,clams, and mussels. These are just a few examples so if you are not sure if you are about to eat some sort of shellfish you will want to make certain before that food touches your mouth. No matter how a shellfish is cooked the risk for a food born infection is still there, so you should stay very far away from this seafood if you are expecting or even breast feeding.

Seafood Item Number Two:
Shark. Shark even though it is quite a delicacy is very dangerous when you are pregnant. Shark like many fish in the sea contain mercury, but shark has even more than most fish. Since sharks are so big and are able to swim among the ocean as freely as they choose the usually contain a lot more traces of mercury. The rule is the bigger the fish is, the more mercury they contain in their body. If you know anything about mercury, you already know that it was banned in the United States because of the harm it causes if it comes into contact with a human. Just imagine a little baby coming in to contact with something that can cause cancer. This is why shark needs to be avoided while you are pregnant. No matter how you cook shark mercury can not be diluted. It is always in the meat which is then quickly transfered to your body as soon as it is digested and it then passed on to your baby causing many problems.

Seafood Item Number Three:
Swordfish. Swordfish as well as shark contain many traces of mercury because of their very large size and their ability to swim the ocean freely. You will also learn that swordfish can not be farmed raised so their levels of mercury are even higher than those fish that are able to be farmed raised.

Seafood Item Number Four:
Canned tuna fish. You might hear that tuna fish in a can is safe because it usually is farm raised and contains large amounts of salt, but this is not the case at all. Tuna fish in a can does contain high amounts of salt but salt has nothing to do with the levels of mercury that the fish may contain. The fish may also have be farm raised but there is no way to tell in a can like you can by purchasing a slab of fish at your local superstore. A can gives you know way to tell what is in it besides the sodium. This is why you should stay away from canned tuna fish. If you see canned salmon in your supermarket the same rules apply, as long as the fish is canned you do not know enough information about it to make a safe choice on whether to eat it or not. So the answer should always be no!

If you are wondering what type of fish to eat since a lot are off limits, salmon is usually a safe choice if it has been farm raised and t looks fresh when you go and pick it up from your supermarket. If you are going out to dinner and want to order fish make sure and ask your waiter or the chef where the fish has come from and if it is from the open ocean or if it is farm raised. You are always a lot safer if you go with a fish that ha been farm raised since it had not had a chance to get levels of mercury in it’s body from the water source. Also remember and limit the amount of fish that you eat no matter where it came from. Fish is not the only way to get your protein in, so try and stay away from it if you can.