Nutritious or poisonous? The real score on fish for pregnant moms.

When it comes to eating fish during pregnancy, experts seem to be giving conflicting advice. Some say fish contains mercury which could lead to abnormal brain development. Others tell us, fish is rich in omega fats that are crucial for brain development. So what’s a pregnant woman to eat?

When I first became pregnant, I was forced to turn nutrition expert overnight. After all, I wasn’t just eating for myself anymore. What I eat, my baby grows on too. If there was anything really confusing during my frenetic food research, it was advice about eating fish and seafood. We have a guide that finally makes sense.

Common knowledge is that fish is good – packed with protein and iron that are crucial nutrients for baby’s growth and development. You even get these nutrients without the fat and cholesterol of meat. What is especially good about fish are omega-3 fatty acids that promote a baby’s brain development.

Studies have proven that inadequate sea food intake during pregnancy has resulted in children having developmental delays, poor verbal skills and behavioral problems.

Then again, fish are also known to contain mercury. The mercury contaminant is common among large, predatory fish such as swordfish, king mackerel and shark. For most adults, mercury doesn’t really pose a problem. Doses are too small to impact our health. But for a growing fetus, the contaminant builds up quicker to damage the developing brain and nervous system.

So what’s an expecting mom to do? You can have your fish and eat it too! Provided you follow these guidelines courtesy of the experts from The Mayo Clinic:

• Avoid large, predatory fish. To reduce your exposure to mercury, don’t eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin or tilefish.
• Avoid raw fish and shellfish. To avoid ingesting harmful bacteria or viruses, avoid raw fish and shellfish — especially oysters and clams — and anything you know was caught in polluted water. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as lox, also is off-limits.
• If you eat fish from local waters, pay attention to local fish advisories. Larger game fish contaminated with chemical pollutants may potentially harm a developing baby. If advice isn’t available, limit consumption of fish from local waters to 6 ounces a week and don’t eat other fish that week.
• Cook seafood properly. Cook fish to an internal temperature of 145 F (67 C). The fish is done when it separates into flakes and appears opaque throughout. Cook shrimp, lobster and scallops until they’re milky white. Cook clams, mussels and oysters until their shells open. Discard any that don’t open.

Bottom line is, pregnant women must be vigilant about how much mercury they may be taking in from fish or any other foods. Tuna can be eaten, even if it contains some mercury – as long as you do not eat more than three 6oz. servings in a month. Carp, salmon, mahi mahi, cod and monkfish are also safe – and packed with those vital omega-3s. More good choices for fish include:

• anchovies
• catfish
• sole
• tilapia
• sardines
• sturgeon
• trout

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