What fish is good for pregnant women to eat
Release time : 11/10/2025 09:30:04
"More fish eaters are smarter," we all know, but a new study in the US found that pregnant women who eat fish two times a week could reduce their child's symptoms of ADHD by 60%.
Therefore, it is undoubtedly beneficial for pregnant women to consume fish! Consuming fish regularly can maintain the concentration of "happy hormones" in a normal state, providing pregnant women with a good mood and facilitating eugenics! To protect the health of the unborn baby, pregnant women should try to eat different types of fish during pregnancy, avoid focusing on one type of fish, and ensure that the weekly average intake of fish does not exceed 340 grams.
What fish is good for pregnant women? Among various freshwater and marine fish, fish are the most abundant. Fish, due to their rich nutrition and delicious taste, are very popular. Moreover, fish are beneficial for pregnant women. However, how should pregnant women choose the type of fish they eat? What fish is good for pregnant women? Below, we will answer this question together! 1. Cod: It has the functions of promoting qi, strengthening the spleen, facilitating diuresis and reducing swelling, clearing heat and detoxifying, and facilitating blood circulation and lactating.
Patients with ascites were treated by boiling fresh carp and adzuki beans together.
Stewing fresh crucian carp with pig's trotters and eating them in soup can cure maternal lack of milk.
Crucian oil is good for cardiovascular function, can also reduce blood viscosity and promote blood circulation.
2. Carp: It has the functions of strengthening the spleen and appetizing appetite, diuretic and swelling, relieving cough and asthma, stabilizing the fetus and clearing breast, clearing away heat and detoxification, etc.
Take carp, wax gourd, and onion in soup to treat nephritis and edema.
Leave the scales, remove the intestines, simmer and take them well to treat jaundice.
Use live carp and pig's trotters to make soup and take it to treat pregnant women with less milk.
Take a little of carp and fried fritillaria in soup to treat cough and asthma.
3. Eel: It has the functions of replenishing qi and nourishing blood, softening muscles and strengthening bones.
4. Herring: It has the functions of replenishing qi and nourishing stomach, dispelling dampness and promoting water, dispelling wind and relieving annoyance.
It contains trace elements such as zinc and selenium that help fight cancer.
5. Squid: Has the functions of nourishing the liver and kidney, replenishing qi and blood, clearing heat from the stomach, and removing excess heat.
It is a health food for women, which can nourish the blood, benefit the eyes, promote menstruation, support pregnancy, stop bleeding, induce lactation and expel breast milk.
The benefits of consuming fish for pregnant women are numerous. The protein in fish is particularly easy to digest, not only effectively supplying the fetus with nutrients for growth and development but also aiding in the secretion of breast milk. Therefore, it is advisable for pregnant women to consume more fish. However, do you know the benefits of eating fish for pregnant women? Below, the Mama.com encyclopedia will share the advantages of eating fish for pregnant women.
Expectant mothers must pay close attention to this for their own and their baby's health.
1. Consuming fish can improve a pregnant woman's mood. There is a special fatty acid in the fish, which is related to the "happy hormone" in the human brain. Regular consumption of fish can maintain the concentration of "happy hormone" at normal levels, enabling a pregnant woman to achieve a good mood and contribute to optimum prenatal conditions.
During pregnancy, it's crucial for the expectant father to be supportive and encouraging when the expectant mother becomes detached or disinterested.
2. Consuming more fish has been shown to help prevent preterm labor. Premature labor is caused by many factors, but aside from avoidable ones, scientists have confirmed that consuming more fish not only helps produce full-term babies but also makes newborns healthier and stronger.
Researchers believe that the rich omega-3 fatty acids in fish can extend pregnancy, prevent premature birth and increase the weight of infants.
Scientists studied the diet of 8,000 women during pregnancy and found that women who ate fish regularly had a lower chance of giving birth prematurely.
Statistics show that the premature birth rate of pregnant women who never eat fish is 7.1%, while the rate of premature birth of pregnant women who eat fish at least once a week is only 1.9%.
3. Fish is very nutritious, with its flesh rich in high-quality protein, good unsaturated fatty acids, amino acids, lecithin, vitamin D and potassium, calcium and zinc and other mineral elements, which are all necessary substances for fetus development.
In addition, the abundant taurine in fish meat also promotes brain development. In addition to directly affecting the proliferation and maturity of brain cells, it can also indirectly stimulate the body's absorption and utilization of zinc, copper, iron and 16 other free amino acids.
4. Pregnant women eat more fish, and their babies have good eyesight. Women should eat more oily fish such as sardines and mackerel while pregnant, and their children may reach adult-level visual depth faster.
This is because oily fish are rich in an element that makes up the nerve membrane, called omega-3 fatty acids.
The HDA contained in omega-3 fatty acids is closely related to the development of internal nerves in the brain and can help the healthy development of fetal vision.
If a fetus is severely deficient in HDA from the seventh to ninth months to before and after birth, it will develop optic neuritis, blurred vision, and even blindness.
5. Mummy eating fish can reduce depression. Statistics show that the incidence of severe postpartum depression in pregnant women is about 10%, while that in primiparas is even higher, reaching 13- 15%.
A study has shown that pregnant women who eat fish can reduce prenatal or postpartum depression.
This is because they get a nutrient called omega-3 fatty acids.
Women who ate more of the Omega-3 fatty acids in fish at the end of pregnancy had less risk of depression during and after childbirth.
Although fish are nutritionally rich, some varieties of fish contain mercury. This substance can enter the fetus through the placenta, which not only affects its growth and development, causing stunted growth and even damage to brain development.
Therefore, eating fish is not necessarily a good thing to do in excess.
Pregnant women can enjoy fish in various ways, such as steaming, braising, and frying. However, these methods are suitable for the general public. Pregnant women must ensure that the nutritional content of the fish is not lost, so they should choose carefully when it comes to cooking fish for them. But do you know the classic method of preparing fish for pregnant women? Let's take a look at the classic recipe for spicy tofu fish with mother.com. Here's the ingredient list: One grass carp, one box of inner skin tofu, an appropriate amount of salt, cooking wine, chili pepper sauce, spicy bean paste, fresh ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns.
Method: 1. Open the package of the inner fat tofu.
2. Slice the ginger and garlic, and place them along with Sichuan peppercorns, dried green chilies, and star anise in a bowl for later use.
3. Clean the grass carp thoroughly, separate out the head, tail, horns, and clean flesh. Use the heads, tails, and flesh to make tofu fish, while the horns can be used for sugar-coated fried fish.
4. Cut the fish into slices, add a small amount of cooking wine, salt, chicken essence, pepper, egg white, and corn flour and grasp well.
5. Pour a little more oil into the wok, heat it over high heat until 80% heat, add all the ingredients in step 2, and stir fry until fragrant.
6. Add in the fish head and fish tail, and stir-fry until broken.
7. Add cooking wine and cook until fragrant, add two spoonfuls of salt, a tablespoon of Puxian bean paste, and a tablespoon of spicy sauce, add half a pot of water to boil, and then simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
8. After twenty minutes, open the lid, spoon a large piece of tofu with fat into the pan, cook over low heat for another five minutes, and then turn off the heat.
9. Take a large bowl and put the tofu and fish in the pan into the bottom of the bowl with a colander.
10. Turn the soup in the pan on high heat again and bring it to a boil. When the water boils, add the fish slices and blanch them until they are done.
11. Pour the cooked fish and its broth into a large bowl.
12. Finally, boil a large teaspoon of boiling oil and pour it on the surface.
Warm reminder: Tofu has high nutritional value and is rich in high-quality protein and various trace elements essential to the human body such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. It has the effects of clearing heat and moistening dryness, promoting saliva and quenching thirst, and cleansing the stomach.
What fish should not be consumed by pregnant women? Many friends are curious about what type of fish pregnant women should avoid. Fish is rich in nutrients and has tender meat, with a high protein content and no fat. Therefore, it is very suitable for pregnant women to consume. However, many people do not know what types of fish pregnant women should not eat. To ensure safe consumption of fish, pregnant women should be aware of which fish they should avoid.
Malformed fish, do not eat. Malformed fish, do not eat. Do not eat the roe of fish. Dead turtles and eels should not be eaten.
Pollution-affected Fish: Fish that are polluted include those contaminated with phenols, heavy metals, or pesticides, and those containing biotoxins.
Fish and seafood with a strong coal tar smell are likely the result of heavy pollution. Consuming large-sized fish like sharks, tuna, marlin, mackerel and bonito is associated with mercury poisoning.
It is particularly important to emphasize that pregnant women, nursing mothers and women who are preparing to become pregnant should not consume these fish.
Smoked fish, dried fish, and salted fish: Containing carcinogenic substances like nitrosamines, it is advisable to consume them in moderation. The cooking process, especially burning, can lead to the formation of heterocyclic amines, which are strong carcinogens and should be consumed less frequently.
Fish with parasites: There may also be parasites such as clonorchiasis sinensis in the fish. In addition to thoroughly washing it during processing, pay attention to cooking it thoroughly.
Pregnant women should not eat shark, mackerel, tuna or flatfish.
These fish have relatively high mercury levels. When mercury enters a pregnant woman, it can destroy the central nervous system of the fetus.
Warm tip: Pregnant women should eat fish, but it is best not to eat fish oil, because fish oil will affect blood coagulation function. Eating too much may increase the chance of bleeding.
In addition, canned tuna, salted fish, smoked fish, dried fish, fish gall, dead turtles, and eels are not allowed to be eaten by pregnant women.
Precautions for pregnant women when eating fish Fish is rich in high-quality protein and many trace elements, and are all necessary substances for fetal development. However, pregnant women have many precautions for eating fish, but everyone knows what precautions for pregnant women when eating fish. What are they? The following mother website encyclopedia will tell you what to pay attention to when pregnant women eat fish.
1. Fish farmers raised in rice fields or ponds and weirs close to the rice fields must apply a certain amount of pesticides or pesticides to grow rice. These harmful substances pollute the field water and then sneak into the fish body to accumulate.
Studies have shown that fish have strong accumulation and high tolerance to pesticides and pesticides. The amount of pesticides accumulated in lively fish may completely cause poisoning in the human body, especially the fetus.
Among them, fish heads are the most dangerous, and pregnant women should avoid them.
2. Industrial waste from factories and mines, especially those in the vicinity of water bodies, continuously pollute these aquatic areas with emissions containing heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury. This results in an increase in the levels of these harmful substances in fish flesh. Although pregnant women may not experience significant harm themselves, fetuses are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to this exposure.
3. Shrimp contain a lot of nitrite, and when it enters the body, it can be converted into carcinogenic dimethyl nitrosamine, increasing the risk of cancer in children born afterward.
4. Fish with signs of corruption: Some fish, after decomposition, can form a large amount of histamines and induce strong allergic reactions, posing a risk to pregnant women. These fish should be excluded from the diet of pregnant women.
The medical content mentioned in this article is for reference only.
If you experience discomfort, it is advisable to seek medical attention immediately for a precise diagnosis and treatment at a face-to-face clinic.