What seafood can pregnant women eat?

The nutritional content of seafood is well known. It is for this reason that the price of seafood has remained high. Some people in our lives are also allergic to seafood, and sometimes even suffer from food poisoning. Normal people would also worry about this, let alone pregnant women who provide nutrients to the fetus. Their diet is also very important. Seafood is very nutritious, and some nutrients are essential for pregnant women. Let’s take a look at what seafood pregnant women can eat.

Pregnant women should eat less seafood, no more than 1-2 times a week, less than 100 grams each time.

①Can pregnant women eat seafood?

Seafood refers to dishes made from marine animals, including fish, shrimp, and shellfish. Seafood is a delicacy on people’s tables and is rich in nutrients. For pregnant women, it is beneficial to eat some seafood selectively. For example, marine fish are rich in DHA, which is beneficial to fetal development; fish protein particles are smaller than meat protein and are easier to absorb; and shrimp is a good calcium supplement. Therefore, if pregnant women are not allergic to seafood, they can eat seafood in small amounts.

However, experts believe that pregnant women and breastfeeding women should eat less seafood, no more than 1-2 times a week, less than 100 grams each time, and should avoid eating tuna, swordfish and other marine fish with high mercury content. Crabs, which are cold in nature, should also be eaten with caution.

②Which seafood should pregnant women not eat?

For pregnant women, if they frequently and in large quantities consume marine fish with high mercury content, the harmful mercury substances ingested by the mother will enter the fetus through the placenta, causing damage to the fetus's brain nerves, liver, kidneys and other organs and systems. Therefore, pregnant women should not consume contaminated seafood frequently, and can choose pond-farmed fish that are not contaminated by mercury.

③Pregnant women should not eat too much seafood :

1. Pregnant women should not eat marine fish with excessive mercury content, such as tuna, swordfish, shark, marlin, tilefish, and Atlantic mackerel, to prevent the mercury toxins carried by marine organisms from harming the development of the fetal nervous system.

2. Crabs are cold in nature and can easily increase the risk of miscarriage, so try not to eat them in the early stages of pregnancy. When eating them in the middle or late stages of pregnancy, be sure to use an appropriate amount of ginger.

3. Soft-shelled turtle, also known as tortoise, tastes delicious, has high nutritional value, and is rich in high-quality animal protein. However, soft-shelled turtle is cold in nature, and has a strong effect in relieving dysmenorrhea, activating collaterals, and dispersing blood stasis. It can also easily stimulate uterine contractions and cause miscarriage.

Precautions for pregnant women to eat seafood

Pregnant women can eat seafood during pregnancy, but in moderation. ④ Pay attention to the following points:

1. Seafood should be cooked thoroughly before eating

No matter what kind of seafood it is, make sure it is cooked before eating, otherwise it is easy to cause gastrointestinal discomfort. This is because seafood contains many parasites and bacteria. If it is not cooked thoroughly, it is easy to cause diarrhea. Especially for pregnant women, they should be more cautious.

2. People with allergies should not eat seafood

Pregnant women with allergies should not eat seafood, otherwise they are likely to experience allergic symptoms, or vomiting and diarrhea, which is harmful to the fetus and themselves.

3. Don’t eat pickled seafood.

It is best to cook and eat seafood immediately. Pregnant women should try to avoid eating pickled seafood, because the pickling process will produce substances that are harmful to health, which is not good for their own health and the health of the fetus.

4. Don’t drink beer when eating seafood

This can easily lead to a sharp increase in blood uric acid levels, induce gout, and cause gouty nephropathy, gouty arthritis, etc.

5. Seafood should not be eaten with fruits rich in tannic acid

Pregnant women should not eat seafood with fruits containing tannic acid, such as grapes, pomegranates, hawthorns, persimmons, etc. Because the protein and calcium rich in seafood combine with tannic acid, not only will the nutritional value of the protein be reduced, but tannic acid and calcium ions combine to form insoluble complexes that irritate the stomach and intestines, causing discomfort to the human body, and symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea will easily occur. There should be at least 2 hours between eating seafood and these fruits.

6. Avoid taking vitamin C pills when eating marine fish

The head of marine fish is rich in the mineral arsenic, which will be converted into toxic trivalent arsenic under the action of large amounts of vitamin C. Therefore, you should avoid taking vitamin C pills within 2 hours before or after eating marine fish. However, eating an appropriate amount of vegetables and fruits containing vitamin C (within 500 grams) together with marine fish will not cause poisoning.