Pregnant Women Wrongly Advised to Eat More Fish

Recently a non-profit organization, the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, held a press conference urging women to eat more seafood. They were enthusiastically encouraging pregnant women to eat at least 12 ounces of seafood per week. They were confident in their recommendation despite the fact that it was in direct opposition to the National Academy of Sciences, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration. The coalition made no mention of the risks of mercury in large fish. Days later, many of the members of the coalition distanced themselves from the recommendations. It turns out that their coalition received a $60,000.00 grant from the National Fisheries Institute.

In response to the coalition’s statement, the March of Dimes put out a statement urging pregnant women to not exceed 12 ounces of seafood per week. So before you up your intake of seafood, consider the standing recommendations of the FDA on fish consumption during pregnancy:

1.) Don’t eat shark, swordfish, mackerel or tilefish
2.) Eat no more than 3 to 4 servings per week of fish like tuna, salmon, Pollock, catfish and seafood like shrimp and shellfish
3.) Minimize consumption of tuna; especially albacore tuna

You can also take an omega 3 supplement called Expecta Lipil to get your healthy fatty acids without the risks associated with tainted fish.