Sushi???

[macdoodle]

Have been lots threads along similar lines..but sushi specifically ...thought was real forbidden food (and I haven't been as strict as I could really as figure risks in certain foods pretty low but have been avoiding raw fish )...
Now my sis is coming to visit and our best night out is down to the sushi bar and gorge on sushi/sashimi (yummmm) most of my friends here don't/won't eat sushi.....she tells me that one of her pregnant friends spoke to a sushi restaurant and they said that the risk is with frozen then defrosted fish and all proper sushi fish should be fresh and cleared and thus suitable to eat in pregnancy??? Thoughts panel am 21 weeks now and even my laid back attitude is little wary?? Though would kille for few plates sushi and before anyone suggests can't see the point of going just for the veggie/tofu ones the best part is the sashimi....

from the attached

"Some types of sushi, such as cooked eel and rolls with steamed crab/veggies, are safe to eat during pregnancy. But avoid eating raw seafood, because it can contain parasites such as tapeworm, which eats important nutrients in your body that are needed for your growing baby."

I would eat it.
As Waynetta says, the worst that can happen is you'd get a parasite, which would deplete your nutrients before it got anywhere near depriving the baby. The risk of parasites in really good sushi is low anyway.

It's not like toxoplasma or listeria where the risk is of the pathogen crossing the placenta and actually harming the baby.

Do avoid shark, swordfish or marlin (if they have them) though, as their heavy metal levels are often quite high.

Hi Macdoodle,

Actually if sushi has been frozen then defrosted this takes the risk of parasites in the fish away. Freezing the fish kills the parasites. Therefore you want to go to a reputable restaurant (ie one that doesn't leave the fish on the conveyer too long etc.) that DOES freeze its fish first.

There are 3 main risks when eating sushi in pregnancy....food poisoning, parasites and mercury in the large fish like tuna.

Therefore go to a reputable restaurant which freezes its fish first and don't eat too much tuna/marlin (the fish they tell you to avoid in large quantities due to mercury overload)

Does that help?

xx

p.s. I eat sushi every now and then.

Thanks guys that does help oooh tempted now...

I've had some, only from a source I know well, and was careful about not eating tuna because of the mercury. It's not recommended, but lots of us do it anyway.

Bon apetit!

I was told by my sushi shop to avoid all sashimi and raw fish and shellfish.

ah, raw shellfish is a different kettle of miscellaneous swimming things, and I would avoid them.