sushi + options

dukestar5

My husband and I loved going out for sushi before I found out I was pregnant.  We'd really like to go, but I'm not sure what's safe. I know we're supposed to stay away from raw fish, so I'm trying to figure out what my options are.

 Are california rolls ok? (imitation crab)

What about the cucumber salad with crab?

Other suggestions?   Any other sushi lovers out there have recommendations for what to order or are you all avoiding it altogether?

cflocco

I asked my nurse about sushi and she said AVOID it!!  DH and I and all our friends loved going out for sushi before I got pregnant.  I was thinking california rolls, tempura rolls, and any cooked rolls would be ok.  She said the main reason is cross-contimation not mercury levels.  I have a doc appointment so I am going to ask her as well. 

jessica102706

You cant have the raw fish. There are some with crab that are cooked. I would ask them at the restaurant which ones are cooked if you dont know for sure.

SayAnything84

There are some rolls that have shrimp and shrimp is always cooked, so I would think that would be safe..

dukestar5

Thanks, ladies!  Maybe I will just wait seven more months to be on the safe side...

rachaelski

I was told by my MW that if I ate it regularly before pregnancy, then it's fine to continue. However, she said to be aware of mercury levels. Most raw fish that is sushi quality is shock-frozen, which ensures that there's not any bacterial growth. We go to our regular place, which we've been visiting for years. I'm not eating a lot of raw fish, I usually order rolls with cooked seafood, but I do have a sample of my husband's selections!

 

Here's an article that outlines some of the perceived issues with sushi in the US. I found it informative, though it's obviously on the okay-to-eat-sushi side. It gives a lot of interesting history.

 

https://www.babymed.com/food-and-nutrition/how-safe-it-eat-sushi-or-raw-fish-during-pregnancy 

Froggy76

Eel is cooked... my favorite!

pghjen

Confession:  I ate sushi with raw salmon on Friday night.  I love sushi, and I would give it up for nine months, but there is a lot of research out there that suggests that some raw fish, mainly salmon (unsmoked), is safe to eat.  Tuna is a no-no b/c of mercury levels.  Typically crab, lobster and shrimp are cooked when in rolls, so they are not an issue.  I think it depends on what you are comfortable with eating.  I got the same sushi roll I always order from our favorite neighborhood place that we have been going to for six months. Here are some blurbs from different articles I have read.  I know everyone won't agree with me, and that's OK. 

The main three food-borne pathogens of concern for pregnant women include

• Toxoplasma
• Listeria monocytogenes
• Salmonella enterica

These organisms can be passed to the fetus and increase the risk for spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, or perinatal complications. Neither of these organisms are a concern when eating Sushi.

It is safe to eat raw fish (eg, sushi and sashimi) in moderation, although
women should choose low mercury fish, such as salmon and shrimp, over higher mercury varieties, such as fresh tuna.

Read more at https://www.babymed.com/food-and-nutrition/how-safe-it-eat-sushi-or-raw-fish-during-pregnancy?ktrack=kcplink

 

If you take raw and partly cooked shellfish out of the equation, the risk of falling ill from eating seafood is 1 in 2 million servings, the government calculated some years back; by comparison, the risk from eating chicken is 1 in 25,000. (Over all, 76 million cases of food poisoning are reported a year.)

The main risk of illness from non-mollusks isn?t from eating them raw. Rather, as the Institute of Medicine reports, the problem is ?cross-contamination of cooked by raw product,? which is ?usually associated with time/temperature abuse.? In other words, no matter what you order in a restaurant, if it?s not kept at a proper temperature and protected from contamination, you?re at risk.

Sushi may not be cooked, but it has, for the most part, been frozen. Food and Drug Administration guidelines require that before being served as sushi or sashimi (or in any other raw form), fish be flash-frozen to destroy parasites. While the fish you see in the sushi-bar display case looks fresh, it has almost certainly been frozen at some point in the distribution system. This freezing kills any parasites as sure as cooking would.

Most species used for sushi don?t have parasites anyway, though. Fish like tuna are not particularly susceptible to parasites because they dwell in very deep, very cold water, and sushi restaurants typically use farmed salmon to avoid the parasite problems wild salmon have. Most of the fish likely to have parasites, like cod and whitefish, aren?t generally used for sushi. Nor does pregnancy increase susceptibility to parasites. Healthy women who?ve been eating sushi are not at increased risk when they become pregnant. The same resistance and immunities function before, during and after pregnancy.

Rest assured that overall, very few people in the United States get sick from eating sushi, and most infections occur from fish eaten at home, not from restaurants. You're much more likely to buy contaminated fish at your local supermarket than get it at a good Japanese restaurant.

Read more at https://www.babymed.com/food-and-nutrition/how-safe-it-eat-sushi-or-raw-fish-during-pregnancy?ktrack=kcplink

If you want to be sure you won?t have a problem from raw fish, eat only well-cooked fish. You don?t have to completely give up on Sushi and the safest way to enjoy sushi is to choose the fully cooked or vegetarian varieties, such as those that include cooked seafood, and some Sushi do not contain fish at all. Here are some Sushi containing cooked or marinated fish or no fish at all and that are  as fishless as Friday at a Catholic boarding school:

Read more at https://www.babymed.com/food-and-nutrition/how-safe-it-eat-sushi-or-raw-fish-during-pregnancy?ktrack=kcplink

 

• Ebi  is cooked jumbo shrimp.Anago is salt water eel that is precooked and then grilled before serving.
• Unagi is fully cooked freshwater eel that is grilled and then brushed with a teriyaki-like sauce.
• Kani is real crab meat and is always served cooked, but is sometimes cooked then frozen.
• Saba is mackerel that is always served after being salted and marinated for a few days, so in a sense, it is cooked.
• California roll that contains avocado and other vegetarian ingredients,
• Kappa maki containing cucumbers.  

 

holiday254

You are safe with anything cooked.  No raw and no smoked fish.  Usually restaurants put a * next to cooked rolls, but you could always ask if you are unsure.  I went to sushi the other night and had 2 rolls with tempura shrimp.  On one roll I got cream cheese, jalapenos, and scallions and on the other roll I got asparagus and avocado.  It was delicious! 

StefB28

Anything that's not raw or a high mercury fish is fine - crab, shrimp, veggies, etc is ok. If you are worried about any cross contamination, you can ask the chef to prepare your rolls on a clean plate instead of the counter. I've done this before.

smilelari

My sushi place has lots of cooked options and most of them are pretty clear in the descriptions saying that the fish is baked, fried, etc

shanniebananie

When I was pregnant in Japan, I was told sushi was okay, but to avoid apples. :P Not sure what the logic was... However, if you go to a reputable sushi joint, stick to cooked shrimp sushi, rolls, futo maki is raw fish free, as is inari zushi and tomago (egg) sushi. Don't go all the time, but yeah... you can enjoy it on occasion if you make careful choices. Not all sushi is raw. 

Unknown

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jenni888

rachaelski:

I was told by my MW that if I ate it regularly before pregnancy, then it's fine to continue. However, she said to be aware of mercury levels. Most raw fish that is sushi quality is shock-frozen, which ensures that there's not any bacterial growth. We go to our regular place, which we've been visiting for years. I'm not eating a lot of raw fish, I usually order rolls with cooked seafood, but I do have a sample of my husband's selections!

 

Here's an article that outlines some of the perceived issues with sushi in the US. I found it informative, though it's obviously on the okay-to-eat-sushi side. It gives a lot of interesting history.

 

https://www.babymed.com/food-and-nutrition/how-safe-it-eat-sushi-or-raw-fish-during-pregnancy 

This. My MW also basically said stay away from the sketchy sushi places, but if there is a regular place you know has high quality fresh sushi, you should be fine. But if you feel more comfortable going cooked, shrimp, soft-shell crab, unagi and veggie rolls. 

AngieDee83

California rolls are fine - anything that is "fully cooked" is okay. Most sushi restraunts advertise what is fully cooked or not and you can always ask your server but as long as you're not having sashimi or other raw fish, you're fine