Fish you can't eat when pregnant

To have a healthy pregnancy, you need to know what to include in your diet and the foods you can't eat when pregnant. You should avoid foods that might add empty calories without being nutritious. Have a pregnancy diet plan ready so that you can select the best foods from it. You should also read more about diet during pregnancy so that you know the foods to avoid during pregnancy. 

Fish high in mercury: Another important food you can't eat when pregnant. In many places, there are high levels of Mercury or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the fish. When you consume large amounts of mercury, your baby may suffer brain damage resulting in developmental delays (for example, delays in learning to walk or talk). Consumption of fish containing high levels of PCBs in their fatty tissues is linked to decreased attention, memory, and IQ in babies.

There's no reason to totally ban seafood from your diet — though it's wise to avoid large and predatory fish (those that feed on other contaminated fish), which tend to contain the highest levels of pollutants — specifically shark, king mackerel, swordfish, and tilefish. Experts are still haggling over the safety of tuna. Because they come from bigger fish (which have had more time to accumulate toxins in their system), tuna steaks and canned albacore tend to contain higher levels of contaminants, so it's best to avoid tuna steaks altogether for now and to limit your consumption of albacore to no more than 6 ounces a week. Canned "light" tuna, which is generally made from smaller fish, is a safer bet. Unfortunately, light tuna also contains fewer omega-3 fatty acids, a component in fish that's thought to be important in a developing baby's brain. Salmon and farm-raised rainbow trout, on the other hand, are both high in omega-3s and relatively low in contaminants.

But because nearly all seafood (and indeed, all food) contains trace levels of contaminants, it's best to vary the types of fish you eat during the course of a week so that you have only one serving of any particular kind, and no more than three servings total. Removing the skin (where many of the contaminants are stored) and cooking fish thoroughly will also reduce some of the harmful chemicals it contains.

Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week. You should learn to how to detoxify your body from harmful toxin too.

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