Sushi

[flashy09]

Giving up sushi is one of my least favorite things about pregnancy! I made do last time with cooked or vegetable rolls, but have been googling away this pregnancy about eating raw fish. Now granted I google in a positive way as to skew the results ("sushi good for you when pregnant"), but I read a few places that salmon is flash frozen when caught to kill any parasites. I would only have salmon and other low mercury fish and wonder if the risk really is any higher than eating any other food? I would think a good sushi place is ultra careful. It seems like most of the outbreaks are in "safe" foods like spinach or cantaloupe anyway.

Would you take the chance? I assume it's eaten in Japan. I would only eat in reputable places that I have known for years and probably only salmon if that freezing thing is true (and it's low mercury).

[georgiegirl]

I did it when I was pregnant with DS and I'm doing it now. So long as its a reputable sushi restaurant and you are ordering low mercury items, I think it's fine.

I also eat blue cheeses and raw milk cheeses. (But I stay away from artificial dyes and srtificial sweeteners)

[mommylamb]

I didn't eat raw sushi while I was pregnant (and I craved it constantly. love sushi.) but I think it's fine so long as it's from a reputable place. Honestly, I think it's the same issue as anyone else eating sushi, just that the risk is higher if you happen to get food poisoning. I've eaten a lot of sushi in my life, and I've never had food poisoning.

[TxCat]

I've wanted to desperately this pregnancy but just haven't been able to let myself. But, I think in moderation, it's probably safe. However, I also allow myself a glass of wine once or twice a month. And I had artificial coloring today - but that Tootsie Pop was awfully good.

[rin]

I ate raw sushi during both of my pregnancies. I did a *huge* amount of research on it, and couldn't find any convincing research/evidence to suggest that raw sashimi-grade fish (and not, say, a chunk of raw salmon from the Kroger counter) was any riskier than eating a green salad.

That said, I also allowed myself about a half glass of wine a week during the second & third trimesters (also after doing a lot of reading), so I am not in the eliminate everything camp.

[bostonsmama]

My Japanese SIL ate some raw fish (sashimi and sushi rolls) during her pregnancy, but even the research on food-born illness is reaching their shores. She didn't drink ANY caffeine or green tea, and she made a lot of her own sushi at home with cooked shrimp and omlet. In Japan (I've been twice now), they told me the pickled ginger is believed to have beneficial enzymes that kill any bacteria in the raw fish, so it was important to eat some after each piece.

Safe food handling practices are important, and the more reputable (expensive) places often are more particular about making sure to use sashimi-grade fish and keep it stored at proper temperatures. However, it is my understanding that fish just naturally have parasites in their flesh, especially predatorial fish like salmon and tuna and mackeral. Those parasites take at least 7 days at temperatures below -4 degrees F or frozen at -31°F or below until solid and stored at that temperature for 15 hours to die (according to the NY Health Dept).

There is a lot of discussion about parasites and fish. It's interesting for sure & parly inconclusive among parasitologists when discussing whether freezing at temperatures capable in the food industry actually kill them. Some even say the way commercial fish freezing happens (in order to prevent ice crystals from forming and affecting texture) actually prohibits the cellular death (from sharp ice crystals rupturing cell membranes upon thawing) of parasites...and some of the fresher sushi/sashimi fish establishments have such high turn around that they're not sitting on their fish in the freezer for the full 7 days required to kill the parasites.

I'm not eating raw fish this time: partly b/c I already eat a LOT of fish (some even with higher mercury loads, like Spanish Mackeral and yellowfin tuna). I just try to eat those once every 2 weeks to every month. And I'm not really worried about parasites killing my unborn baby, rather I just really don't want to be sick & dehydrated when there's so little medication you can take....AND rice gums me up.

[flashy09]

If I do get a parasite, is it something that affects the baby directly? Or "just" indirectly through my dehydration and sickness? Hope that makes sense.

[bostonsmama]

Okay, well I googled it and there are parasites that can cause miscarriage, stillbirth (mugwort, wormwood) and that can also be contracted congenitally by the baby. I don't know if these kinds are found in fish, though.

The worst one if the kind found in cat feces (toxoplasmosis), and that is directly linked to miscarriage.

Short answer: yes. Long answer: I don't know about fish parasites, though.

[JBaxter]

I did eat sushi with mine but mainly ate rolls. I actually craved the avocado & smoked eel roll. My OB said to keep with a reputable place and like all things moderation I used to see him often at my fav Sushi place btw. My Japanese SIL < and her 3 sisters> ate sushi though both of her pregnancies without issue. She was in Japan for both.