In Japan, a country quite preoccupied with public health, most pregnant women eat sushi. They believe it is part of a healthy diet, and they’re quite right. They do not become sick or have the paranoia that people in the US have. In the US & Japan, more people get sick from seafood prepared at home than at sushi restaurants. The chefs carefully handle the fish to make sure it is safe to eat, and the fish comes from reputable dealers who make sure it was raised in a healthy environment. Sushi from the bar is highly unlikely to make you sick.
Meat may contain parasites, and while freezing kills the adults, only cooking it kills the eggs. The eggs are, however, unlikely to survive the hostile environment of your stomach. There is no evidence suggesting that raw fish is at all harmful to pregnant women. It is rare for someone to contract these parasites from sushi and even more rarer for that to cause any ill effects to the fetus. About 85% of seafood-related illnesses are caused by eating oysters and clams raw. If you take them out of the equation, the real risk of illness from uncooked seafood is 1 in 2 million servings!
If you are concerned about avoiding uncooked fish, there are still many selections on the bar you can enjoy. Not all sushi contains uncooked meat. Sushi consists of a variety of ingredients, mostly rice, vegetables, and seaweed. Avocado is a favorite ingredient. Most sushi contains cooked meat, and some is 100% vegetarian! There is no reason to abstain from sushi completely, because not all or most rolls contain raw fish. It’s sashimi that is always raw, and again, the risk of falling ill from uncooked fish is almost zero.
California rolls usually contain steamed crab and/or cooked eel, so there is no risk whatsoever in eating them. The Baja California Roll just has wasabi as well. The Alaskan roll usually contains smoked salmon and vegetables. The American Roll has steamed crab or imitation crab meat and cooked, cold shrimp. In fact, crab and shrimp are almost always cooked but severed cold. Eel, likewise, is cooked but cold; you’ll find it in the Caterpillar Roll. Sometimes sushi is fried. Salmon is often smoked, and yellowtail may be grilled–but served cold.
The meats you are most likely to find uncooked in sushi include Yellow Tail, Salmon, and Tuna. These are low in mercury content and are unlikely to be contaminated. Often the menu will specify whether something has uncooked meat in it. Once again, though, there is really no reason to be afraid of sushi containing raw fish. However, it’s not hard to enjoy sushi without risking eating raw fish. Most of the time you can tell by looking if the meat is cooked or not, and you can always ask someone if you’re uncertain. If you’re wanting to avoid raw fish, it’s mainly sashimi that you need to avoid.
Sashimi is not unhealthy either. The risk of becoming ill from eating undercooked fish is minimal, and that’s an overstatement. Sashimi is easily recogizable and not difficult to avoid, but there’s no reason to be afraid of it. If you do decide to eat raw fish–or any fish at all–just avoid the species that often are high in mercury. These include shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (golden/white snapper). Tuna contains moderate levels of mercury, but not enough to be harmful in small quantities. Albacore contains just a bit more than tuna.
There is no reason to give up sushi completely. While raw oysters, clams, and other bi-valves come with a high risk of illness, the risk with raw fish is quite minimal. Moreover, many sushi rolls don’t contain any uncooked fish whatsoever. It’s not difficult to figure out which selections are free of raw meat. It’s sashimi that’s always served raw, not sushi. Fish contains oils and other nutrients that are very healthy for you. It is a fine alternative to red meat. The seaweed and vegetables are also very healthy. If the Japanese don’t fear sushi and sashimi, why should we?
Various Authors, “sushi and pregnancy.” Sushi Links. URL: http://www.sushilinks.com/pregnancy/index.html
Unknown, “Sushi Rolls Menu.” Sushi Chart. URL: http://www.sushichart.com/sushichart/
Steven A. Shaw, “Chicken of the Sea.” URL: http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/forums/index.php?topic=2963.0
