Is it bad to eat too much fish?

[toomuchtooyoung]

It was pointed out to me the other day that I seem to eat a lot of fish, both white and oily, and that I'm also taking Pregnacare Plus with the Omega 3 capsule.

I do try and vary my meals but for lunch at least twice a week will have either a tuna (tinned) salad or mackerel on toast. Then for tea probably twice a week will have a white fish or salmon. All this is with lots of fruit and veg

Is this dangerous, or will the baby just end up with gills?

Hi, not sure about the whole fish thing, there is some evidence that due to the levels of lead and mercury in fish (esp oily fish like sardines and salmon) nowadays, pregnant women should not have fish more than once a week, as some research might have found a link with autism..dont think this evidence is conclusive though, guess it depends who you believe..fish is making me gag at the moment but if I fancied it I would probably have it, only everything in moderation

I thought it was only tuna and swordfish that you had to limit to once a week? Tinned Tuna is fine twice a week?

Found this on NHS website:-

Fish. Don't eat shark, marlin and swordfish, and limit the amount of tuna you eat, as these types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which can damage your baby?s developing nervous system. Limit tuna to two steaks or four cans (each of 140g drained weight) a week. This also applies if you're breastfeeding. Oily fish includes fresh (but not canned) tuna, salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout.

Not really sure what it is saying about oily fish, but that was where the sentence ended!

This is from babycentre website:-

? Oily fish - is good for you and your baby but it can contain environmental pollutants. Have no more than two portions of oily fish a week such as mackerel, sardines and trout so you get all the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but also cut the risk from the pollutants. Limit tuna to no more than two tuna steaks a week or four medium-size cans of tuna a week. Avoid shark, swordfish and marlin altogether because of the high levels of mercury in these fish, which could harm your baby's developing nervous system.

Looks like I wasn't exactly right

It sounds like you?re eating a great variety of fish ? which is brilliant for your unborn baby (the omega-3 in oil rich seafood is important for the development of your baby?s brain, eyes and nervous system).
As long as you?re following the Food Standard Agency?s advice on shark, marlin and swordfish, and limiting tuna (don?t forget the canned tuna doesn?t count towards your oily fish), then I wouldn?t worry at all.
Don?t forget you can also eat shellfish, as long as it?s thoroughly cooked, and there?s plenty of other species to try, such as the smaller oil-rich fish like sardines and herring. As you might be able to tell ? I work in the UK seafood industry but was recently pregnant myself and this is the advice I followed