Pregnant women eat fish during pregnancy: Should or not?

Pregnant women eat fish very well for their baby, however, when choosing fish, you need to be very careful to avoid choosing fish with high mercury content.

Whether pregnant mothers are safe to eat fish during pregnancy is a common concern of many pregnant women. In fact, fish has many benefits and is considered a safe, nutritious food. Please follow the sharing below of aFamilyToday Health for some more useful information about eating fish during pregnancy.

Should pregnant women eat fish?

This is the concern of most pregnant women and the answer is yes. However, you need to choose carefully and carefully process to ensure your body and baby receive the most necessary nutrients. Fish meat is low in saturated fat but contains a large amount of essential nutrients for the fetus such as vitamin D and protein. Not only that, but fish also contains many omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrient that is extremely important to your baby's development but is difficult to find in other foods. Therefore, doctors recommend pregnant women should add fish to the diet, especially in the first 3 months of pregnancy.

Mercury poisoned fish: The worry of many pregnant women

You hear many people say pregnant should not eat fish? This advice comes from mercury poisoning in fish . Mercury is a good poison found in water and air. Due to the rapid industrialization process, the amount of mercury being discharged into rivers and lakes is increasing, causing serious pollution. Fish living in water containing mercury will be susceptible to this chemical, even when cooked, this toxin cannot be eliminated.

Although it contains many important nutrients needed by the fetus, if you eat poisoned fish it can have a huge effect on your health. Studies have shown that infant neurodevelopment can be severely affected if the mother absorbs large amounts of mercury. Therefore, to protect your baby, when choosing fish, you should be very careful and it is best to choose only fish recommended by health experts to be less susceptible to mercury poisoning.

What can pregnant women who eat mercury-contaminated fish face?

When eating fish contaminated with mercury, this toxin will travel through the placenta and into the baby's body. According to research, only a small amount of mercury can affect the fetal brain and nervous system, affecting the baby's vision, language, motor skills and cognitive skills after greeting. life.

If you accidentally eat fish containing mercury, don't panic. First, you need to stop eating immediately and go to the hospital immediately. Your doctor may give you medication to help remove metal from your organs and reduce its effectiveness.

Health benefits when pregnant women eat fish

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that pregnant and lactating women eat about 226 to 340 grams of fish each week to receive many health benefits. The benefits can be mentioned as:

Fish is rich in protein, an essential nutrient that supports fetal development. Not only that, it helps to create cells for your baby's hair, bones, skin and muscles.

Fish is a good source of DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid that promotes brain development and increases memory laughter, especially in the last 3 months of pregnancy.

Eating fish during pregnancy also works to prevent the risk of depression during and after birth.

Eating a lot of fish also helps to reduce blood pressure, reduce fat in the blood, good for the cardiovascular system.

Reduce the risk of preterm birth .

Types of fish you can eat during pregnancy

You should choose fish rich in DHA, high in protein, minerals and low in mercury such as:

Salmon: Fish rich in vitamins B12, B6, vitamin D, niacin, selenium, iodine, phosphorus, iron, DHA are good for maternal health and fetal development. You should only eat about 360g of salmon per week to avoid accumulating large amounts of mercury.

Snakehead fish (fruit fish): In 100g snakehead fish meat has 18.2% protid, 2.7% lipid, Ca 90mg%, P 240mg%, Fe 2.2mg% and some other substances very good for labor and help mothers have more milk after birth.

Carp: The fish is famous for being one of the best fish for pregnant women, especially those who are pregnant. In the flesh of carp contains many nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, calcium, glutamic acid, glycine, fat, arginine ...

Red Snapper: A freshwater fish, thick meat, delicious and less fishy, ​​suitable for use as an ingredient in everyday dishes and very beneficial for pregnant women. The meat of this fish contains more protein, vitamins A, B, D and minerals such as phosphorus and iodine, less fat than meat, making it easy for pregnant women to digest.

Types of fish pregnant should stay away

Here are some types of fish high in mercury that pregnant women should avoid:

Tuna: Although high in nutrients and healthy fatty acids, most of them are high in mercury. Therefore, pregnant mothers should limit use because it can cause you to be poisoned and affect the development of the fetus.

Mackerel, swordfish, shark: According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these are the types of fish that pregnant women should not eat because the mercury content in these fish is very high, affecting to baby's health and brain.

Puffer fish: Not only pregnant women, even normal people should also avoid this fish. Puffer fish's liver toxins (hepatoxin) and ovaries (tetrodotoxins) are extremely dangerous toxins that can cause death.

Dried fish and canned foods: Pregnant mothers should avoid consuming them if they do not want harmful bacteria to invade and affect the health of the fetus and himself.

Besides fish, what other foods are rich in omega-3s?

If you can't eat fish, you can get more omega-3s through the following foods:

Walnuts: These are rich sources of oega-3 fatty acids. You can use walnuts to process into snacks, very good for pregnancy.

Use olive oil while preparing food to supplement your body with omega-3. However, do not overdo it as this is a high calorie oil.

Flaxseeds are also very rich in omega-3. You can add cold seeds to yogurt or oats for breakfast or dinner.

Tell pregnant mother how to process fish properly

Proper fish processing is the simplest way to reduce the risk of mercury and other toxins poisoning. Here are a few tips for selecting and preparing fish to keep in mind:

All seafood including shrimp, fish and oysters should be thoroughly cooked to remove all toxins.

Shellfish such as clams, oysters, mussels and mussels need to be cooked until the shells open. If not, don't eat.

Buy fresh, new foods. Prepare them well and store them in the refrigerator if you don't eat them right away.

Raw fish should not be eaten as there is a higher risk of infection.

You should eat fish in the recommended amount and avoid overeating. Before eating, consult your doctor to check if eating fish is suitable for your body.