If you are thinking about eating shrimp during pregnancy you should know that all seafood is said to have certain amounts of mercury that could possibly harm the baby. However shrimp isn’t considered to be dangerous if it is well cooked. The good news for the women who like shrimp is that this food is safe to eat during pregnancy. Nonetheless it is best to monitor the amount of shrimp you have in this period. According to official information, women should have maximum 12 ounces of shrimp per week. This means about two meals.
Moderation is the key
If you have more shrimp while being pregnant, it is possible that you will be exposed to mercury. Taking this into consideration it is best to think about other seafood to have during pregnancy that contain lower mercury levels, like crab, haddock, clams, oysters, lobster, tilapia, and salmon. Although the limit of shrimp that women should have is quite low, it is even better to have less of it. This is because mercury poisoning was linked to different kinds of birth defects, like nervous system and brain development problems. This means that while it is safe to have some shrimp, you shouldn’t have too much of it.
Talk to the doctor
All in all we can say that shrimp is a kind of seafood that is low in mercury, however the intake in case of pregnant women should be limited. In order to make sure that you won’t be affected by mercury poisoning it is best to stick to the limitations or to have even less. For more information on the matter you should discuss it with your health care provider. This is because it is possible that you have a high-risk pregnancy and in this case it is best not to think about eating shrimp when being pregnant.
