Fish Safety and Pregnancy

One of my friends who was pregnant asked me to help with some of the confusion around fish and fish safety.

Basic guidelines:

• The larger the fish, the more mercury has accumulated by way of the food chain. Bluefish, marlin, swordfish, and canned albacore tuna are on the “high” mercury concentration list. 

• Halibut, lobster, canned chunk tuna, and mahi mahi are among the “medium,” and sardines, scallops, shrimp, tilapia, wild salmon, and trout are on the “low” list.

• Raw tuna and other sushi fish are also something to watch out for” because they have a high concentration of mercury.

• California Roll? Watch out for the imitation crab—it’s full of sugar and low on protein. Pregnant? “Women with elevated mercury levels should ideally begin avoiding or restricting their consumption of mercury-laden fish as much as a year before they become pregnant.”