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No, in fact fish can be very good for your baby’s brain development.
It’s widely known that the long chain omega-3 fatty acids found
in fish, DHA in particular, set the foundation for healthy brain
development. Studies have also shown that those omegas are
best absorbed by the body via diet as opposed to supplements,
so eating fish has some amazing health benefits. It’s really just
about choosing the right types of fish whilst pregnant.
The fish that should be avoided are mostly the large, predatory
fish, which eat smaller fish and live longer, making them more likely
to contain higher levels of mercury. These include shark, swordfish,
king mackerel and tilefish. Albacore tuna has more mercury than
light tuna, so it’s advised to limit your intake to 170 grams a week.
Other than those restrictions you’re encouraged to eat up to
340 grams a week of the lower mercury fish and shellfish, which
include prawns, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish.
Just make sure they’re cooked!
Have you ever wondered how that toddler at your favourite curry
restaurant can happily graze on a plate of vindaloo, while the
spiciest dish you can handle is the chana saag? Chances are
that mama was eating plenty of curry whilst pregnant. A little
known fact is that your amniotic fluid is actually flavoured by the
foods that mama eats. Pretty cool, right?
Experts say that babies in utero will get exposed to any flavour
mama eats and since sense of taste is mostly comprised of
smell, your baby is definitely becoming accustomed to whatever
you’re eating during pregnanc
y 18 .If you eat enough broccoli now,
hopefully you won’t have to bribe your little one to finish his later.
Do I need to cut out all fish?
I’m worried about mercury levels.
Is it true that what I eat will affect
my baby’s sense of taste?