Fish During Pregnancy: Why You’re Overthinking It (And I Say This With Love)

Let me guess: you’re standing in the grocery store, staring at the salmon, wondering if eating it will somehow harm your baby. Or maybe you’ve just been avoiding fish entirely because the internet made it sound like one bite of tuna would doom your pregnancy.

Deep breath. I’ve got you.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you: only one in five pregnant women actually eats enough fish. And the research? It suggests eating too little fish might actually be riskier than the mercury you’re so worried about. I know. Plot twist.

The omega-3s in fish (DHA and EPA specifically) are like premium fuel for your baby’s developing brain and eyes. Your body can’t make enough of these on its own. And fish delivers them in a way supplements just… don’t fully replicate.

So let’s cut through the noise and figure out what you can actually eat without spiraling every time you open a menu.

The “How Much” Part (It’s Simpler Than You Think)

Picture a deck of cards or the palm of your hand. That’s about 4 ounces one serving.

Your goal: 8 to 12 ounces of low mercury fish per week. That’s two to three servings. You don’t need a food scale. You don’t need to track every bite. Think weekly average, not daily perfection.

Spread it out salmon Monday, tuna salad Wednesday, shrimp stir fry Friday. Your body clears mercury more easily when you’re not eating a week’s worth of fish in one sitting. (Also, that would be a lot of fish.)

The quick version:

• Target: 8-12 oz per week of the good stuff
• Limit: Albacore/white tuna to 6 oz per week
• Skip: Raw fish (more on that in a sec)
• Avoid: 7 high mercury species (coming up)

Mercury: The Thing Making You Paranoid

Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Mercury exists in the environment, and it builds up in fish. Bigger fish that live longer and eat lots of smaller fish? They accumulate more. That’s just how food chains work.

During pregnancy, methylmercury can cross the placenta. But and this is important the scary research you’ve probably seen involved populations eating whale meat with mercury levels way beyond anything you’d get from normal fish meals.

Your body clears mercury on its own. Levels drop significantly within weeks once you stop eating high mercury fish and daily fish mercury concerns fade.

If you’re currently panicking because you ate swordfish at that dinner party before you knew you were pregnant: Stop. Mercury problems come from repeated exposure over weeks or months. A single meal or even a handful of meals is not the same as eating these fish weekly for months on end. You’re okay.

(If you were eating high mercury fish regularly for several weeks without realizing it, just mention it to your provider. They can test if needed. But for most people? Just switch to low mercury options and move on with your life.)

The “Yes Please” List

These fish are your friends:

For omega-3 powerhouses: Salmon nutrient facts for salmon (wild or farmed both are fine), sardines, herring, anchovies

For “I refuse to turn on my stove”: Canned light tuna and canned salmon. Under $2 a can, requires zero cooking, lasts forever in your pantry. Two cans a week and you’re basically done. I’m a huge fan of the zero effort approach, especially when you’re growing a human.

For “fish tastes too fishy”: Tilapia, cod, and pollock are mild enough that you might forget you’re eating fish at all.

Also totally safe: Shrimp, catfish, flounder, haddock, trout, Pacific mackerel, and that imitation crab in your California roll (it’s made from pollock).

The “Hard No” List

Seven fish have mercury levels that are genuinely too high during pregnancy:

• Shark
• Swordfish
• King mackerel
• Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico)
• Orange roughy
• Marlin
• Bigeye tuna (the kind in most sushi/sashimi)

One thing that trips people up: King mackerel and Atlantic mackerel are completely different fish. Atlantic mackerel is great! King mackerel is on the avoid list. If a restaurant menu just says “mackerel,” ask which kind. It matters.

The tuna situation: Albacore (white) tuna has about three times more mercury than light tuna. Cap it at 6 ounces per week. This applies to canned albacore and fresh tuna steaks. At the store: “white” or “albacore” = limit it. “Light” = count it toward your regular weekly fish total.

The Sushi Question

I’m just going to say it: skip raw fish while pregnant.

This isn’t really about mercury it’s about Listeria and other foodborne pathogens. Pregnant women are more vulnerable to these, and the complications can be serious. It’s just not worth the risk for nine months.

Skip: Sashimi, ceviche, raw oysters, and that refrigerated smoked salmon labeled “nova” or “lox” (unless you heat it to 165°F first, which kind of defeats the point on a bagel).

But you can still go to sushi restaurants! Shrimp tempura rolls, cooked crab rolls, eel (unagi), and veggie rolls are all fair game. Just ask: “Is the fish in this fully cooked?” Servers hear this all the time.

If Fish Just Isn’t Happening Right Now

Look, sometimes pregnancy means the smell of fish makes you want to hurl. Or you have an allergy. Or the thought of eating anything from the ocean sends you running.

If that’s you:

• Talk to your provider about a DHA supplement (many prenatals barely have any)
• Algae based DHA exists if you want to skip fish oil entirely
• Look for third party testing (USP, NSF, ConsumerLab) to make sure you’re getting a quality product

Supplements aren’t a perfect replacement you miss out on the protein, selenium, iodine, and B vitamins that come packaged with actual fish. But if fish is a no go, DHA supplements are way better than nothing.

Your Stupid Simple Weekly Plan

If you cook:

• Monday: 4 oz salmon (baked, grilled, from a pouch, whatever)
• Wednesday: 4 oz canned light tuna over salad
• Friday: 4 oz shrimp tossed into whatever you’re making anyway

If cooking sounds exhausting:

• Two cans of light tuna or salmon per week. Done. That’s 8-10 ounces with zero effort.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to weigh your fish portions or panic every time you can’t remember if that was king mackerel or Atlantic mackerel three weeks ago.

Just aim for fish a couple times a week, stick to the low mercury options, skip the raw stuff, and give yourself grace. You’re doing great.

Add one fish meal this week. Build from there. Your baby’s brain will thank you and you’ll stop side eyeing the seafood counter like it’s out to get you.

This post follows FDA/EPA guidelines on fish during pregnancy. Always check with your healthcare provider for personalized advice I’m just a person on the internet who reads a lot of nutrition research and wants you to stop stressing.