Tuna

[JenniferG]

Hi i am 4 months pregnant, and havent touched fish at all so far. but now i really want some tuna! ive heard one min its good for you to get oily fish, then the next minute the old prenancy police come out saying you cant and its dangerous!

anyone know?

[Drusilla1S]

The attached is a reasonably sensible list of things to avoid without being Draconian. I admit I had cravings for peanut butter on toast with lashings of salad cream over the top when pregnant and I also enjoyed pilchards on toast with Worcestershire sauce. I'm sure one of today's health fanatics would cajole me for eating peanuts, but I ate what I felt like eating and put my faith in the quality of the food available in our supermarkets.

http://www.americanbaby.com/ab/story.jhtml;?*******=/templatedata/ab/story/data/1364.xml

I would advise against soft cheeses like brie and camembert. It's well known in France (French ex hubby) that these 'take out' a number of old folk every year and I would assume unborns are equally vulnerable.

[xanderma]

I found the following information, which seems to make sense.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/nutritio n/foodsafety/tunaexpert/

I know how difficult it can be to get good information - when I was pregnant the first time (1995) prawns were OK to eat, by the second time (1998) they were on the 'banned' list then by baby number 3 (2001) they were OK again!!

I'd never heard of the tuna thing before today.

Hope your pregnancy goes well - congratulations!

[Drusilla1S]

Blast! My attachment failed!

It was mainly exotic fish that you find in the USA, (swordfish etc). The link also advised against raw foods, particularly suschi, steak tartare, also shellfish and undercooked chicken. It warned against soft eggs, mayonnaise products and included the creamy and blue veined cheeses.

Sorry about the error. Best wishes and take care.

[JenniferG]

thanks guys for your advise the sites are both really good. you never can be too sure can you? after hearing so many mixed opinions from family and friends though i should check. Drusilla your craving sounded mad! mines just cheese and pickle in any way it can come how boring!

[Drusilla1S]

Sad thing is JenniferG, I still enjoy peanut butter on toast with salad cream and my elder girl is now nine.

[OBonio]

Tuna is particularly high in mercury. http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/nutritio n/foodsafety/tunaexpert/

This is an excellent website full of interesting facts. If you sign up, they send you an email each week with 'what's going on'.

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/

[rhona_j]

Apparently tuna is high up on the fishy food chain, which means it eats all the other fishes, therefore any metallic elements found in them all end up in the tuna. Tuna like any other food, is fine in moderation though, so I'm sure a small portion to satisfy a craving would be okay. Mind you, don't quote me on that. Good luck with the rest of the pregnancy!

[boobesque]

you can eat 2 fresh tuna steaks a week or 4 small cans a week, the pregnancy police gets worse all the time!

[Bohne]

I am eight months pregnant, and have not read a single book on do's and dont's.

I eat what I feel like, and exercise, as long as it feels comfortable.

I stopped playing squash, because it seemed the sensible thing to do, and I stopped jogging four months ago, because it just did not feel right any more.

That would be my advise: Stop worrying, and start living!

[cherrycolaga]

you are probably craving omegas and vitamin E. I ate fish during my pregancy when I felt like it ( I don't like fish on any given day but I craved it so ate it). I also ate peanut butter every day. ( vitamin E & natural cholestrol fighter). Best thing to do is listen to what you body wants and eat in moderation.