When you are pregnant, you want to make sure that you are doing everything you possibly can to provide your baby with the best possible environment. You avoid all risks, including those involved with what you are eating.

After all, everything that you put in your mouth is going straight to the baby as well! Because there has been so much information circulating about what foods are okay and which are dangerous, fish is one of those foods that people are confused about.

All seafood is exposed to mercury, and that means that whenever you eat it you may take trace amounts into your body, but seafood also has valuable health benefits, and should not be avoided. Shrimp is a shellfish that can be eaten by pregnant women as long as it is properly cooked. In fact, shrimp has a lot of valuable health benefits; it is high in protein, iron, and Omega-3 vitamins which are good for you and your
baby.

Can Pregnant Women Eat Shrimp Cocktail

You’re out to dinner – maybe you’re actually celebrating your pregnancy, or sharing your pregnancy news with your friends. You’d love to have the shrimp cocktail, but aren’t sure whether it’s something that should be on your pregnancy diet.

After all, shrimp is seafood, and you’ve heard that there are certain types of fish that you should avoid. Can you order your favorite appetizer? Yes, go ahead and have the shrimp cocktail. Shrimp is low in calories, high in protein, and contains lots of other valuable vitamins and minerals that are good for you.

Although there are certain seafoods that you should definitely avoid during your pregnancy, those are the large fish that are the highest in mercury – they include swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and shark.

Each of the different types of fish contain different amounts of mercury, and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has determined that it is safe, and even beneficial to eat all but those fish that have the highest quantities of exposure.

On the ratings scale from Highest in Mercury levels to Lowest in Mercury levels, shrimp is among the lowest group, so it is perfectly safe to have a couple of servings – up to 12 ounces per week.

Can Pregnant Women Eat Shrimp Tempura Roll

For pregnant women who love seafood, it can be difficult to remember which foods are okay for them to eat and which are not. Not only do they need to be aware of their pregnancy diet overall, but when it comes to one of their favorite foods, there is such a variety available that it is sometimes difficult to remember which are safe and which aren’t.

Then, on top of that, you need to be aware of whether there are any environmental issues that you need to know about, like if there has been a spill in the waters where your seafood comes from.

The rule of thumb regarding the different types of fish is that the bigger the fish is, the less likely it is that you are allowed to eat it while you’re pregnant – so in other words, enormous fish like shark, swordfish and king mackerel are out of the question, and large fish like tuna should only be eaten with caution.

Small fish and shellfish are okay and can be eaten a couple of times per week as long as they are well cooked. So if you are considering going out for sushi, remember that no matter what the type of fish is, you can’t eat it if it is undercooked or raw.

A good choice for you at a sushi restaurant would be a shrimp tempura roll, where the shrimp is fried at extremely high temperatures. Of course, the tempura is pretty high in fat, so if you are trying to watch your weight, you may want to go for a shrimp cocktail instead, and avoid the deep fryer.