Can You Eat Salmon While Pregnant?

My doctor said it is okay as long as you do not have more than 2 serving a week. I am also pregnant and usually limit fish to 1 serving a week to be on the safe side. It is my understanding that salmon is pretty low in mercury.

Hi J.,

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has guidelines to help you make decisions about your fish intake. In general, 2 servings of fish/week for a pregnant woman. However, there are also certain fish high in mercury that you should not eat (salmon is OK). I have attached a link to the website that has some great information. Further, I would highly recommend eating only wild caught fish whenever possible. Here is the website link to EPA: http://www.epa.gov/mercury/advisories.htm

All the best & congratulations on your pregnancy! Being a mom is so wonderful.
L. Kwan, ND
Naturopathic Physician
Kwan Naturopathic
http://www.KwanNaturopathic.com
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First, we lived in Seattle/Pacific NW for several years before moving here. I ate Salmon through out my pregnancies, both farm raised and lots of wild caught types. In addition, I love lox from Trader Joes and Costco. My kids are bright and healthy. And they love Salmon. I purchase a big one from Costco almost weekly for just the 4 of us.

However, I am not a mercury expert and have never heard of mercury in Salmon. Thought that happened mainly in Tuna, Mackeral types of fish. I would recommend an internet search in addition to a Mamasource poll. I've never heard of salmon just once a week, even during pregnancy. Canned tuna yes. That must be a mid-Western belief. It is our primary source of protein, as I grew up in S. Calif next to the ocean and seafood is a staple in our home. None of my family members have autism, and there are over 100 relatives, cousins, etc. The Autism link and what 'causes' it is a huge politically charged debate and we should not be terrifying young mothers to be with undocumented, non-researched endless possibilities. My, what would the entire population of places like Norway, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and any pacific islander say to fish just once a week? I think not.

I personally would enjoy all the Salmon you desire.
My best,
Jennifer

Salmon is on the list of ok fish to eat while pregnant. Just in moderation -- I think the limit is 12oz a week. Here is a really good list that I found: http://www.ewg.org/safefishlist?gclid=CJKKnfXB95UCFRIcawo.... It tells you which to avoid, which are lowest in mercury, and which to eat only once a month.

At one time doctors recommended against eating fish with high levels of mercury but they have changed! If you like it, eat it! It is good for you and also has been proven to improve brain development! Your baby wants you to eat salmon :)

Once in a while is probably ok. My Doctor wouldn't let me eat any.

The docotors reccommend that you do not eat to much fish.

Salmon is ok, but it should be wild salmon & just make sure that is well done. My doctor said that mercury is higher in swordfish, seabass, tuna, etc, but that salmon was one of the only fish that is ok to eat. I understand the desire to indulge... salmon is delicious!

Congratulations J.!
Every doctor and mom has their own opinion, as you can tell below.

The night I announced my pregnancy to my family, I had a huge slice of swordfish at Mastro's in Scottsdale to celebrate. My chef brother warned me about mercury levels in this type of fish but other fish are not a danger. Not smart to eat it that night I guess, but I continued to eat salmon and other fish with low mercury levels through my pregnancy and returned to eating raw fish (sashimi) while breastfeeding. My doctor had no problems with this so long as I limited it each week. Every woman is different, but we all know that fish is very very healthy so I wouldn't run away from it. My baby is healthy and very intelligent.

There was recently a study that linked the distance of homes to mercury-emitting factories to a higher incidence of autism. So I believe ANY mercury is too much!

You can get omega-3s elsewhere, such as eggs (must be labeled Omega 3 eggs -- it depends on the chickens' diet so not all eggs have it) and walnuts. You can also take Expecta or the like, which is Omega 3s from algae, not fish (which is where fish get their omega 3s from!)

For high mercury doeses, you have to worry about the larger fish. Salmon is a smaller fish.