Some women simply cannot live without tuna sandwich. If this is your case, you should know that you can have tuna during pregnancy but only in limited amounts.
According to specialists, pregnant women shouldn’t have more than four cans of tuna per week or 2 fresh tuna steaks. The limits are set because tuna contains mercury. This doesn’t harm you, but it could harm the nervous system of the baby.
Swordfish, shark and marlin have higher levels of mercury, so you shouldn’t have these during your pregnancy.
Pros and cons of oily fish
Keep in mind that oily fish is good for you during pregnancy. Nonetheless you shouldn’t have more than two servings per week. Canned tuna isn’t considered to be oily fish. Some other oily fishes include mackerel, salmon, herring and trout.
It is best to limit the intake of tuna while being pregnant because the meat of the fish can have environmental pollutants, like PCBs and dioxins. These can build up in the body over longer periods of time.
In the same time there is some evidence according to which they can also interfere with the development of the baby. There are some other kinds of fish that have the same PCB levels as oily fish. These include turbot, sea bream, dogfish, halibut, sea bass and crab.
Omega 3 and fatty acids
Although there are some limitations, you shouldn’t avoid having tuna when being pregnant. The good news is that you can have as much white fish as you want.
These include haddock, cod, plaice and coley. This is because these fishes contain minerals, protein, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D. These are all part of a healthy diet.
According to some of the researches, the fishes are beneficial for the development of the baby. These benefit the social behavior and verbal intelligence of the babies.
