Fish and pregnancy
Pregnant women should eat 8-12 ounces of fish every week.
Find out which fish are safe.
What to eat and what to avoid
Fish provide important nutrients for developing babies. That's why pregnant women should eat 8 to 12 ounces of fish (2 to 3 servings) every week. But some types of fish have high levels of mercury, which can hurt a growing baby.
So what kinds of fish should you eat? And what types should you avoid?
See what's on the menu
On the menu
Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury:
Cod
Flounder
Herring
Pollock
Salmon
Sardines
Tilapia
Trout
Canned white (Albacore) tuna*
Light canned tuna
Catch of the day
When eating fish you or others have caught from streams, rivers or lakes, pay attention to the fish advisories on those waters. If advice isn't available, limit these fish to 6 ounces per week and don't eat any other fish that week.
*Limit albacore tuna to just 6 ounces per week.
Off the menu
Avoid all raw fish, as well as fish that are high in mercury:
King mackerel
Shark
Swordfish
Tilefish*
*From the Gulf of Mexico
Go, fish!
Fortunately, most of the fish you'll find at the grocery store are lower in mercury. Below you'll find tips and recipes that can help you put fish on your menu.
How to fit fish in your diet
Oven-baked salmon with snow peas
Tilapia with curry and orange rice
Sources: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Food and Drug Administration