These days the new recommendations to pregnant women and children not to eat bluefin tuna or emperor are very topical, due to the excess mercury that these fish accumulate and that is harmful to health.
But pregnant women are informed of the importance of omega-3, an essential fatty acid for the complete development and functioning of the human brain, so it is insisted that the pregnant woman's diet must be rich in this nutrient, which they contain The blue fish in abundance.
So, What fish can I eat during pregnancy? Can I benefit from the nutritional characteristics of some of them? Let's look at it in detail, distinguishing between blue and white fish and leaving for the end the specific case of sushi or raw fish.
Blue fish that can be eaten during pregnancy
Blue or fatty fish is a group of fish that contains more than 5% fat, and they are generally deep and cold water. Blue fish is low in saturated fat and a very important source of omega-3 fatty acids, which in recent years are emerging as nutrients with multiple health benefits, since pregnancy and of course also in childhood.
Omega-e acids help control blood pressure, reduce the cholesterol rate and improve heart functions. All varieties of blue fish contain omega-3. Of the protein sources, fish represents the food par excellence. It also provides calcium, iron, vitamins A, B1, D and E, zinc ... In addition, the consumption of sea blue fish (like white) contributes iodine.
Apart from eating a varied and balanced diet (we will not eat fish every day, nor the same fish always), to obtain the benefits of omega3 there are many other foods, but if we talk about fish and exclude those that accumulate excess mercury, what we have left?
They would be white tuna (and canned tuna) or salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, anchovy or bocarte, mullet, eel, horse mackerel or common rind, green, palometa, sea trout, dogfish ... In short, smaller fish that don't accumulate mercury.
However, we must warn that smoked, salted or marinated varieties carry the risk of being contaminated by the anisakis parasite, so it is better to opt for cooked varieties.
In addition, we remind you that there are alternatives to fish to take Omega-3 in other foods, such as flax seeds (which also help prevent constipation), hemp seeds, nuts (also rich in vitamin E and copper) and seeds or pumpkin seeds, fortified foods ...
White fish during pregnancy
Luckily, with white fish (for now) there are not so many restrictions, although there are some. White fish meat is less fat than blue meat (does not exceed 2%) and more easily digestible. Therefore it is suitable for lighter digestions.
All white fish contain a high nutritional value and are rich in B vitamins, as well as in iodine, so important during pregnancy (sea fish).
With the panga and the perch you also have to be cautious (those that are grown in fish farms on the Mekong River and on Lake Victoria contain high levels of mercury), but in general the rest of white fish (hake, whiting, monkfish, scorpionfish , sole, rooster, fresh cod ...) are suitable and offer essential nutrients for a healthy diet.
Semigrasos fish like the sea bream, the sea bass and the sea bream They would also be suitable during pregnancy.
Sushi or raw fish during pregnancy
Pregnant women are not recommended to eat sushi or sashimi The ban on the consumption of raw fish during pregnancy is to avoid the risk of poisoning or infections due to the parasites that raw fish can have, such as anisakis, a parasite that can be housed in various fish.
In the case of anisakis, it can be present in both blue and white fish: cod, sardine, anchovy, herring, salmon, haddock, hake, whiting, mackerel, bonito or horse mackerel.
The danger of it happening to humans is not only in raw fish, but also in smoked, salted, pickled or marinated, which have not undergone cooking processes. The same for squid, octopus, oysters or raw clams. Undercooked fish or shellfish could also be harmful, so remember the importance of consuming well cooked fish (or after a proper freezing process that would eliminate possible parasites).
Nutrition recommendations during pregnancy have undergone some variation as a result of the latest research regarding excess mercury and other heavy metals in certain fish species.
But luckily we see that there are many others fish that we can consume quietly in pregnancy (at least for now) knowing that they are healthy for mother and baby, and always keeping in mind that you have to diversify the diet.
Photos | Mrs. Flinger and crastino in Flickr-CC In Babies and more | Recommendations of fish consumption during childhood, pregnancy and lactation, Mercury in fish, Fish, a limited food in pregnancy, Fish in infant feeding
