Fish Tips for Pregnant Women
Reported December 27, 2004
ATLANTA (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) — If you’re pregnant or planning to be soon, it’s important to eat a well-balanced diet. Seafood may sound like a good idea, but there are some tips you need to know about.
Lisa Harte is ready to have a baby. Not just one, but two. “I’m expecting twins. We’re very excited, very excited to start our family and watch it grow.”
She’ll focus on safety when they’re born, but for now, Harte takes care of herself and the twins by watching what she eats. That means cutting back on fish. “I only ate fish maybe once or twice a week anyhow, so maybe I cut down a little bit on my tuna salad sandwiches.”
New research shows pregnant women, those trying to get pregnant and young children should avoid fish that contain high amounts of mercury.
Medical toxicologist Robert Geller, M.D., of Emory University in Atlanta, says, “Infants born to the people who have the very highest exposure of mercury are born with developmental abnormalities — some of them can be born even with mental retardation of a very severe degree.”
Dr. Geller recommends these tips to avoid mercury poisoning:
Avoid large fish such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish.
Eat up to twelve ounces weekly of seafood low in mercury such as shrimp, Pollock or catfish.
Choose canned light tuna. Albacore and tuna steaks are higher in mercury.
Lisa still eats fish, but is careful in her selection. One day, her twins may also appreciate that extra caution.
If you would like more information, please contact:
Georgia Poison Center
(800) 222-1222Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov
