Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide key nutrients during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and/or early childhood to support a child’s brain development: Show
Choline also supports development of the baby’s spinal cord. Fish provide iron and zinc to support children’s immune systems. Fish are a source of other nutrients like protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium too. Eating fish can provide other health benefits too.Fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development. Strong evidence shows that eating fish, as part of a healthy eating pattern, may have heart health benefits. Healthy eating patterns that include fish may have other benefits too. Moderate scientific evidence shows that eating patterns relatively higher in fish but also in other foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, lean meats and poultry, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils, and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains are associated with:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern.The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:
Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury. This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.
What is a serving? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding: 1 serving is 4 ounces Eat 2 to 3 servings a week from the "Best Choices" list (OR 1 serving from the "Good Choices" list).
Childhood: On average, a serving is about: 1 ounce at age 1 to 3 2 ounces at age 4 to 7 3 ounces at age 8 to 10 4 ounces at age 11
Eat 2 servings a week from the “Best Choices” list.
Enlarge in PDF | View Text Version | En español What about fish caught by family or friends? Check for fish and shellfish advisories to tell you how often you can safely eat those fish. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week. Some fish caught by family and friends, such as larger carp, catfish, trout and perch, are more likely to have fish advisories due to mercury or other contaminants. This advice supports the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which reflects current science on nutrition to improve public health. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans focuses on dietary patterns and the effects of food and nutrient characteristics on health. * There is moderate scientific evidence of a relationship between the eating pattern as a whole and the potential health benefit. §For some children, the amounts of fish in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are higher than in this FDA/EPA advice. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury – these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shad, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, trout, and whiting. Advice revised October 2021 If you’re unsure of the rules on fish and pregnancy, you’re not alone: There’s been plenty of conflicting views over the years. Fish is heart healthy! But wait, it also contains mercury. Fish is loaded with baby-friendly DHA! But not so fast — it also has PCBs. So what’s the real dish on fish during pregnancy? Here’s the lowdown on what’s safe and what’s not when it comes to seafood. Is fish safe during pregnancy?Eating enough of the right types of seafood is not only healthy but recommended for both you and your baby. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should eat 8 to 12 ounces (that's two to three servings) of low-mercury fish every week, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What types of fish should you avoid during pregnancy?Though the benefits of fish are many, you should still avoid a few types during pregnancy. Some — particularly large, ocean-faring, predator-types — contain high levels of mercury, a distinctly baby-unfriendly toxin. Others — especially those that live in polluted lakes and rivers — can harbor polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chemicals you definitely don't want to feed a fetus or an infant. To play it safe, the latest FDA and EPA recommendations suggest avoiding or limiting the following fish while you're pregnant and nursing: Fish to avoid during pregnancyIt's best to avoid these seven types of fish, which are all higher in mercury:
Fish you should limit to one serving per week during pregnancyThe following fish are considered "good to eat," which means you can safely eat one serving per week (approximately 4 ounces):
See the full list from the FDA. Exercise extra caution if you're planning to eat recreationally-caught fish: Check local state advisories for the waters where the fish was caught. If no information is available, stick to one serving of these fish per week, with skin and excess fat removed. What types of fish are safe to eat during pregnancy?Despite the long list of fish to limit during pregnancy, the vast majority of fish you'll find in the store and at restaurants are safe to eat when you're expecting at two to three servings (8 to 12 ounces) per week. These include:
Heard conflicting advice on salmon during pregnancy? Salmon is definitely one of nature's best providers of DHA. But to avoid the higher levels of PCBs often found in farmed salmon, opt for wild (which also contains more of those healthy omega-3 fats) or organic farmed salmon. How to properly prepare fish during pregnancyBy now you’ve probably heard that you should avoid sushi during pregnancy — and the same goes for any other raw (oysters, ceviche, smoked salmon) or undercooked fish, since they can contain bacteria and parasites (like Listeria) that are dangerous for your developing baby. Here are a few tips on how to prepare fish that will reduce your exposure to any potential contaminants:
Benefits of fish during pregnancyThe good news (at least for moms who enjoy seafood) is that fish really does offer big benefits for both pregnant women and their developing babies. Eating fish:
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