# Sushi and pregnancy?



## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Anyone know WHY you can't eat sushi while pregnant? I know about large fish and mercury. I know about tuna and mercury. The place I go to anyway doesn't serve large fish, and you can of course just not order tuna.

I know there's the possibility of foodborne illness. But I *always* go to the same place, it's the ONLY place I will eat sushi. I've been there probably 20 times at least and never a hint of being sick. A bunch of my friends have been eating there longer than I have, nobody's EVER gotten sick.

Are you just more likely to get sick from something that would not make you sick if you were not pregnant?
Or is this just one of those precautionary things where if you know the person making your sushi and you KNOW it's good, then it's OK??

Just curious.


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## bleurae (Feb 25, 2005)

I was told that it is because of bacteria commonly found in sushi that while an adult can handle the fetus is very susceptable to. I did stay off it while pregnant, Cali rolls have no fish so they ae fine, but the raw fish wasn't worth the risk to me.


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## katja (Apr 13, 2004)

I heard it was because of the possibility of parasites, which could cause nutrient problems for mom and baby. Who knows? SIL ate lots of sushi when she was pregnant. She's a little bit ignorant, and she said, "Well, what do you think Japanese women do?" as if the Japanese only eat sushi. I only ate cooked sushi, but I couldn't resist the fish eggs. Do they count as raw fish? I won't judge you if you eat some.


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I think it's because of food borne illness. YOU aren't any more at risk than you are when you're not pregnant. Your baby isn't either, but if you happened to get sick, then the *consequences* would be worse for your baby than they would be for you. Personally, I think that this tidbit of info is along the same lines as "don't drink a drop of alcohol during pregnancy, or terrible things will happen to you". Use common sense. I'm saving the sushi for after pregnancy, but honestly, I don't see what the big deal is.


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## VikingKvinna (Dec 31, 2003)

I had some sushi last time I was pregnant. I stuck with Cali rolls, and some yummy tempura philly rolls that our fave place makes, so that the salmon was actually cooked, and other cooked-fish and vegetarian rolls. I think I did have some roe, though, on one of the rolls. I will probably have some this time around, too. I hate all these restrictions on pregnancy eating; sushi and subs and soft cheese are some of my favorite foods! so I try to use common sense, like Persephone says.

~nick


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## tboroson (Nov 19, 2002)

I ate sushi through both of my pregnancies. I refuse to cowtow to the American paranoia about disease. Oh, my god! There might be a germ in that! Call in the SWAT team!

I asked my midwives what they thought about sushi during pregnancy, and the one said, well, you don't want to eat a lot of tuna sushi because of the mercury, but otherwise, why not? The other one who was in the room nodded and smiled. Furthermore, there was a book written by a Japanese American nurse who ate sushi almost every day through her pregnancy, partly just to dispel the myth that it's so dangerous. She, as you might have guessed, was just fine.

Katja, I side with your SIL. Yes, Japanese women don't eat *just* sushi. However, your SIL wasn't proposing that she should eat just sushi either. She was proposing that she should eat it occasionally, as do Japanese women.


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## HerthElde (Sep 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tboroson*
I ate sushi through both of my pregnancies. I refuse to cowtow to the American paranoia about disease. Oh, my god! There might be a germ in that! Call in the SWAT team!











If only that weren't true.*sigh*


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## treemom2 (Oct 1, 2003)

Raw fish can cause toxoplasmosis (same thing you can get from changing your catbox while pregnant). Toxoplasmosis is an infection that can cause possible congenital malformations or fetal death. That being said, I did choose to eat sushi and sashimi while I was pregnant because most women who own cats (I've always had cats)have been exposed to this and have developed an immunity to it. I also have eated raw fish for years so I didn't worry about it.

The thing about women in other cultures eating raw fish during pregnancy and not getting anything can probably be related to the fact that they have eaten raw fish throughout their lives and have built up an immunity to toxoplasmosis. However, I don't think that pregnancy is the time to pick up the sushi craze, if you've never been exposed previously-KWIM?


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## CluckyInAZ (May 4, 2004)

I ate sushi throught my pregnancy. It is no more dangerous to eat sushi when you are pregnant than when you are not. I didn't try any new sushi places while I was pregnant though, I only went to the place that I trust that I have gone to for years. I think that the raw fish was very good for my son's development. Fish are a good source of omega3 fatty acids which babies need. I would have no second thoughts about going to your trusted sushi place.


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## PortraitPixie (Apr 21, 2005)

mmmmmmmm, sushi!







The best food on the planet!

This was my #1 food during pregnancy. Tons of protein and all kinds of nutrients in the seaweed--not to mention fatty acids from the fish.

Yummy!


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

Next time I'm preggers, when I get ye old sushi cravings, I can indulge?!?!







I don't eat it a LOT LOT but enough over the past couple years I am sure I'm immune to toxoplasmosis now, even if I wasn't already from my cats.

Oh and to whoever asked about the japanese caviar...it is NOT RAW it is OK to eat while preggo, I know cause I asked last time.....my favorite-favorite sushi thing at that time that I craved the most was cali rolls (all cooked NOW I KNOW ) with masago cover (ie japanese orange caviar) I LOVE it.

YAY! I am looking forward to sharing this news with my sushi buddy who's wanting kids in the next couple years.....she's also had cats and is probably immune. YAY!!

(I ONLY go to one sushi place. There are 2 in town, but I won't enter the other one, it is a trendy, stupid 'Japanese steakhouse' that also serves sushi. I prefer to patronize the little family-owned business downtown where we know the sushi chef's name and we rate a free fruit plate. It is honestly the BEST fruit too! Don't ask me WHERE they buy it, but I craved THAT fruit while I was pregnant. They have the only grapefruit I will eat, the sweetest oranges.....it's just all good! And the sushi place here, even people who have moved away to places with *tons* of sushi-serving restaurants, come back and eat there because well, it's the best.







)

I am VERY happy to know I can indulge.


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