Maki, temaki, nigiri, sashimi – these tasty types of sushi are tempting. But when you’re expecting, seafood and sushi are risky propositions. I wouldn’t be surprised if your doctor warned you away from them.
What sushi is safe while pregnant? In a word, cooked. If your favorite sushi rolls contain cooked seafood, it’s probably okay to enjoy them every once in a while.
Another option is to choose sushi with vegetables instead of seafood.
Let’s get into specifics.
What kind of sushi can I eat while pregnant?
A California roll is a great example of the type of sushi you can eat while pregnant. It’s made with imitation crab meat, avocado, and cucumber. Since the fake crab meat is cooked, it’s safe.
Please don’t eat raw sushi while pregnant in the first trimester or at any time throughout the pregnancy. Here’s why.
Why raw sushi isn’t safe during pregnancy
Even freshly-caught fish prepared by the most careful sushi chef may expose you and your baby to bacteria, parasites, and toxic mercury. Since your immune system is more susceptible to infection during pregnancy, you could end up very sick. Just as bad, your baby could end up with serious developmental delays or could die. (1)
Even if you’re trying to get pregnant, stop eating raw fish now. Bacterial infections like listeriosis can incubate in your body for a month before symptoms appear.
You see, it’s not just your health that’s involved. Otherwise, a little diarrhea would just be an inconvenience. But during the first trimester, if you expose your baby to contaminated seafood, he may have problems developing all of his major organs as well as the eyes and ears.
Do Japanese eat sushi while pregnant?
Good thinking – I wondered how many of my readers would consider that Japanese women aren’t warned off sushi during pregnancy. In fact, they may be encouraged to eat sushi to maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy. So, why are women in other countries told to lay off the raw fish?
I suspect it’s due to access to fresh seafood. It may also have to do with whether the local waters are contaminated with high levels of heavy metals and bacteria.
At any rate, it’s one of those better safe than sorry situations. You may miss having salmon sushi while pregnant, but you can still eat crab sushi and chicken sushi.
What sushi is safe to eat during pregnancy?
Any cooked sushi that reaches a temperature of 145°F is safe to eat when you’re pregnant. You might enjoy rolls with shrimp tempura or unagi with cooked eel.
Yes, you could have a salmon roll as long as it’s cooked. Just don’t eat raw sashimi.
However, there is one catch. Cooked isn’t good enough if the fish is contaminated with mercury. Some types of fish, like swordfish and orange roughy should be avoided during pregnancy (2).
The FDA recommends that pregnant women eat two servings per week of low-mercury, fatty fish like catfish and salmon to boost omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 helps the baby develop a healthy brain and nervous system.
Genji Sushi, Shrimp Temp Kabuki Roll
Here’s an example of cooked sushi. It contains battered cooked shrimp or tempura.
On the downside, even though it’s made fresh, it might still be risky. Since I’m currently not in an area where I can order same-day deliveries from Amazon, I wasn’t able to try these rolls myself. I checked with my trusty reviewers and had disappointing news. The sushi comes warm because it’s freshly made, but it’s a little sketchy because it contains mayonnaise and who knows how long it was kept warm before delivery.
At any rate, it at least gives you an idea about sushi you could order at a restaurant or make at home.
What about sushi with smoked seafood?
That’s another good question. You might think that if seafood is smoked, it’s cooked – but it’s not. It’s merely flavored. If you order sushi with smoked salmon, you’ll need to make sure it’s cooked first.
How do you know if seafood is smoked and not cooked? It will be labeled as such, or it could be called kippered, walks, jerky, or Nova-style.
What types of sushi are okay for pregnant women to eat?
Skip the sashimi and nigiri for the next few months. These are made with raw sliced fish. (However, you might find nigiri with sliced cooked chicken and that’s safe). (3)
Stick to maki, uramaki, and temaki with cooked seafood only.
How do you know if the seafood is cooked? Without asking, it’s hard to know. But generally, shrimp turns pink when it’s cooked and it’s gray when it’s raw. Imitation crab meat is usually cooked because it’s made up of crushed fish.
Moreover, eel (anago and unagi) is always cooked. Ebi is cooked shrimp. Inari is fried tofu. And imitation crab or surimi is also cooked.
Of course, then you have the old standby, the sushi that everyone knows, the California roll.
Genji Sushi, California Roll
What’s in a California roll? For starters, fake crab, avocado, and cucumber. These ingredients are encased in sticky rice with a seaweed wrapper.
But if you actually read the label, it seems a lot more complicated. It even details what goes into the imitation crab meat. This one consists of Alaska Pollock and/or Pacific Whiting fish with additional flavorings and bulking agents like rice wine and potato starch.
When ordering sushi, don’t be afraid to ask if your seafood is cooked. It’s the manufacturer’s or chef’s responsibility to inform you.
Genji Sushi, Avocado Cucumber Roll Brown Rice
Get your vegetables without seafood. This vegetarian sushi roll has avocado and cucumber with no fish, imitation crab, etc. The only thing you need to worry about when you eat it is if it was prepared in sanitary conditions. (That’s just one more reason to learn how to make sushi at home!)
Is it safe to make sushi at home when you’re pregnant?
Yes, you can make sushi at home, but the rule still applies. The seafood must be cooked. Unless you have a full laboratory set up to analyze fish for contaminants, you need to protect yourself and your baby by avoiding raw seafood.
Furthermore, if you’re handling raw fish in order to cook it, wash your hands thoroughly and sanitize tools and cutting surfaces (2).
Delamu Sushi Making Kit
I don’t know about you, but a lot of restaurants were closed for a while where I was living in 2020. I ended up learning to cook new things out of desperation. Sushi wasn’t one of them, but it’s on my bucket list.
A kit like this makes it easy enough for beginners that even children can make sushi. It comes with bamboo mats that make rolling sushi a snap. There are also two different sushi rollers: one for temaki and another for regular rolls. Plus, there’s a rice mold to shape nigiri and gunkan.
Accessories include chopsticks, a rice paddle, a rice spreader, a sushi knife, two chopsticks holders, and two sauce dishes.
Did I mention that there is a guidebook? It features six sample recipes and detailed instructions. It’s also a good idea to watch a sushi-making video. Think of all the ways you can impress your family and friends with your new skills.
Is it safe to eat sushi sides while pregnant?
There’s no safety issue with eating soy sauce, ginger, or wasabi. The ginger may even help your digestion.
The riskiest part of eating sushi sides is whether you have gluten intolerance or an allergy to something. For example, unless you specifically request gluten-free soy sauce, it’s pretty much guaranteed to have wheat in it.
Then, if you have issues with horseradish, green dye, or mustard, you might not do well with wasabi paste. A better alternative is to get the real wasabi made from Japanese horseradish.
Is it safe to eat fish eggs during pregnancy?
Caviar, fish roe, masago, tobiko, and ikura are all names for fish eggs. Unless they are pasteurized and refrigerated, they are not safe to eat during pregnancy. Check with the chef and if the chef doesn’t know, it’s time to go to a different restaurant (3).
What kinds of fish are best to eat while pregnant?
The FDA and medical professionals want you to eat fish and seafood because they are high in omega-three fatty acids. They even recommend the safest fish to eat during pregnancy. The list includes:
- Salmon
- Herring
- Mackerel
- Anchovy
- Catfish
- Crab
- Lobster
- Shrimp
- Sardines
- Freshwater trout
- Flounder
- Clams
- Oysters
Obviously, all of these fish and shellfish need to be cooked before eating. But you can enjoy them up to three times per week.
If you’re missing tuna salad, it’s probably okay to enjoy it once a week. Just remember that tuna may be high in mercury. Other fish to be cautious about include carp, grouper, halibut, mahi-mahi, monkfish, and snapper. Don’t eat these more than one time per week.
If you’re craving seafood, seaweed might be the answer. It can give you that delicious ocean flavor and boost your diet with healthy nutrients.
Annie Chun’s Crispy Organic Seaweed Healthy Delicious Snacks
I don’t live under a rock – I know that this brand has taken fire recently over how they treat employees. Sadly, it’s one of my favorite companies for organic food. I hope they reform their practices soon because I’d really like to go back to eating seaweed snacks.
These are crunchy and mouthwateringly delicious. They’re made with organic seaweed and a blend of sesame and sunflower oils. Then they are flavored with a dash of rosemary and wasabi. Each little package is only 20 calories with no preservatives, cholesterol, or trans fat. I’ve been known to crumble them into salads and on ramen.
Different types of cooked sushi to try
This is going to make you hungry. Here are all the yummy kinds of sushi you could order.
First, there’s the Dragon roll with crispy shrimp tempura in the middle wrapped inside avocado slices.
Next, there’s a deep-fried roll that’s completely covered in crispy tempura batter. You can do this with a California roll and it’s fantastic.
People make faces over eel, but unagi sushi is barbecued eel and cucumber with a sweet and spicy sauce, oh my!
Besides all the vegetarian rolls you can order, there’s also tamago sushi. It’s a tasty Japanese omelet nestled on a bed of rice.
How about a spider roll? It’s soft shell crab with a tempura coating snuggled in with carrots and cucumber.
If you’re really missing salmon, have you tried a salmon skin roll? Instead of the meat, it’s the crispy skin with avocado.
Is it still called sushi if it’s cooked?
Yes, even if it’s cooked, it still called sushi. That’s because sushi is any dish made with vinegared rice and toppings. It needn’t be either hot or cold and doesn’t even have to contain seafood.
The word “sushi” comes from an ancient Japanese form that means “it’s sour”. A long time ago, sushi was prepared by fermentation to preserve the food at a time when refrigeration was nonexistent. The rice vinegar ends up breaking down fish into amino acids, giving the dish the umami or fishy flavor (4).
Conclusion
I hope I’ve helped you find sushi that’s safe to eat during pregnancy. The key word here is “cooked”. You can still enjoy seafood while you’re pregnant as long as it’s been heated to a high enough temperature to kill bacteria and parasites. It’s also smart to choose seafood that’s low in mercury and prepared in sanitary conditions.
If you have questions about keeping a healthy diet during pregnancy, feel free to leave me a comment below. In the meantime, I wish you and your baby a lifetime of good health and happiness.
Sources:
1. https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/can-pregnant-women-eat-sushi Can You Eat Sushi While Pregnant? Choosing Safe Sushi Rolls, Last medically reviewed on February 25, 2020
2. https://www.foodsafety.gov/people-at-risk/pregnant-women People at Risk: Pregnant Women
3. https://www.pregnancyfoodchecker.com/can-pregnant-women-eat-sushi-raw-cooked-safe-list/ Can Pregnant Women Eat Sushi? Raw, Cooked, Safe List 2022, Written by Gina Waggott, Medically Reviewed by Janet Gordon RD, MBDA, Last Updated on January 3, 2022
4. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/12/sushi-is-not-raw-fish/ Sushi Is Not Raw Fish, by Daven Hiskey, December 13, 2011
Sushi making instructional video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGG01tj9wi4