craving shellfish - though I'm supposed to limit consumption

CloudBee

Ugh!  Crab, lobster, and clams are what I've been craving the past 10 days or so.  Reading on the FDA website, I see I'm only allowed 2 servings a week of fish/shellfish that contain low levels of mercury. 

https://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

But it's one of the few things that actually sounds good to me right now.

I've been eating crab legs, lobster (steamed, and lobster rolls), and clam chowder.

I do not want my consumption limited!

#ventover

 

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Dally101109

I had a craving for clam chowder last night too, but we didn't have any, and we are going to the in-laws this week, which usually means a fish fry. Figured I better limit myself before we get there.

LiteraryFoodie

CloudBee:

Ugh!  Crab, lobster, and clams are what I've been craving the past 10 days or so.  Reading on the FDA website, I see I'm only allowed 2 servings a week of fish/shellfish that contain low levels of mercury. 

https://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

But it's one of the few things that actually sounds good to me right now.

I've been eating crab legs, lobster (steamed, and lobster rolls), and clam chowder.

I do not want my consumption limited!

#ventover

If you don't want to limit your consumption, then don't. The FDA's recommendation is fear mongering and overly conservation. Most people in the US don't eat enough fish anyway, so this is really over-steeping things and scaring women who need the nutrients fish offer from eating what they need. 

You can eat shellfish and fish, just be smart about the ones you eat. Shrimp, lobster, crab=all fine. Eat as much of them as you want. If you are craving it, it's probably your body telling you something.

You can avoid methylmercury by avoiding specific large, older fish, this is where it accumulates the most: don't eat sushi grade tuna more than twice a week, avoid shark, grouper, tile fish, swordfish, and king mackerel. Tilapia, salmon, cod, sardines, anchovies are all great for you and usually pretty easy to get your hands on. When buying fish look for "wild-caught" or "line-caught" and avoid farmed fish. Farmed fish as not as healthy, don't have the "good fats" and have a higher occurrence of PCBs.

If you want to read more about fish & shellfish during pregnancy, get your hands on Real Food for Mother and Baby  by Nina Planck (I got it at my library). It is heavily researched and she does a good job of explaining what to and what not to eat for a healthy baby, esp in her discussion of fish.

CloudBee

Thanks, Literary!  I appreciate your insight.