When you are pregnant, your body goes through a lot of different changes. One of the main changes in every woman is hormonal changes. Hormonal changes have an intense effect on your mood but also affect many other things, such as food aversions.
A pregnant woman’s diet changes significantly because of the hormones. For example, you can die from eating an ordinary dish while hating the most delicious food in the town.
This food aversion changes from person to person. What if you crave calamari someday? Can you eat calamari while pregnant? Is it safe to eat it?
Besides reading our article, if you want to find answers to your questions about calamari when pregnant,”Hipregnancy” is one of the best websites to find answers to your questions.
You are probably aware that the high levels of omega-3 found in seafood benefit both the mother and the kid.
So, let’s have a look at the effects of calamari during pregnancy.
Also Read: lox while pregnant
What is calamari? (Brief definition)
Calamari, also known as squid, is a Mediterranean food first cooked in 1975.
It is seafood made from squid, which you cook inside a deep-fried oil, and has a delicious crispy taste.
Now that you know what calamari let’s have a look at whether calamari is safe for pregnancy.
Can pregnant women eat calamari?
One of the top search questions about calamari is, “Is calamri safe for pregnancy?” Here is the answer.
Calamari can be a safe option for pregnant women if cooked thoroughly before serving. You can enjoy calamari during pregnancy first trimester, and two other stages. This seafood is not high in mercury and won’t harm the mom and the baby.
Consider that eating undercooked calamari while pregnant is forbidden, as it might be contaminated with harmful bacteria and cause food poisoning. So, you should always try well-cooked calamari when pregnant to prevent any possible dangers.
Also Read: can pregnant women eat clams
Benefits of calamari during pregnancy (+ 3 Important Advantages)
- Rich in protein
Calamari is one of the best protein resources because of the squid it has in it. Each squid contains about 13 grams of protein, and that’s amazing. Protein has an intense effect on your body, such as maintaining energy and building up muscle.
- The great enemy of the cancer
As you are aware, antioxidants are one of the biggest enemies of cancer. Calamari is an excellent resource of antioxidants.
- Great resource for vitamins
Vitamins are essential to your baby’s growth, and calamari is an excellent source of vitamins such as Vitamin B-12, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and copper.
These vitamins help both the carrier and the baby improve the immune system, bone structure, and health of blood cells.
Well, we told you the main benefits of eating calamari when pregnant. Now let’s talk about its disadvantages and one of its main deals: mercury
Seafood poisoning: mercury
As you can see in the last paragraph, seafood, and calamari are great vitamin and protein resources.
But the main deal that prevents a woman from calamari during pregnancy is mercury, which is dangerous during pregnancy because it can cause effects on fetal development, lead to cognitive impairment, and increase the risk of cerebral palsy.
But it’s so dangerous that it prevents a woman from consuming calamari while pregnant.
Seafood contains a high amount of mercury inside it, which can cause serious harm to the carrier, too. It can lead to mercury poisoning, which can have an intense effect on the brain, kidneys, etc.
But we should let you know that there is no solid proof that calamari contains that lot inside it, and if we look at the benefits of eating calamari while pregnant, it should not prevent us from consuming it.
So, rather than being afraid of calamari, we should be careful of other seafood that contains high amounts of mercury.
Calamari is one of the safest choices if you want to consume seafood. According to the Food and Drug Administration, calamari contains 0.0024 ppm, which is very low when you compare it with other seafood such as tuna and marlin.
How to cook calamari while pregnant?
Well, every food is safe but if they cook properly. You should be careful with how you cook your calamari while pregnant because everything you are consuming affects your baby.
First of all, you should not eat raw seafood. As you know, people eat raw seafood in different parts of the world.
One of the main foods that chefs make from raw fish is sushi. Avoid eating sushi during pregnancy because it can contain bacteria and can be harmful to your baby.
Also Read: can you eat sushi when pregnant
You should cook seafood thoroughly in temperatures about 145f (65.8 C) if you care about your baby. Don’t forget to put all of the leftovers inside the refrigerator.
Can I eat fried calamari while pregnant?
You may wonder whether it is safe to eat fried calamari during pregnancy. You should know that frying calamari doesn’t change its pregnancy safety. In other words, you can eat fried calamari when pregnant, but you should moderate your intake as it contains more fat and calories.
Fried calamari usually comes with dipping sauce, which is mayo-based. So, you should check whether the sauce contains raw eggs if you want to consume fried calamari with dipping sauce. You can only try dipping sause made with pasteurized eggs during pregnancy to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Can we eat other seafood while we are pregnant?
Yes, you can. Calamari is not only one of the seafood that you can eat during pregnancy. There is other seafood that you can eat without worrying about mercury.
Our team gathered a list of seafood that you can eat besides calamari during pregnancy:
- Cod (to learn more, read the article cod while pregnant)
- Catfish
- Crawfish (to learn more, read the article crawfish while pregnant)
- Salmon
- Whitefish
- Lobster (to learn more, read the article can you eat lobster while pregnant?)
- Flounder
- Whiting
- Sardine
- Herring
Conclusion
Well, I hope we have explained different questions to our dear ladies about consuming calamari when pregnant. Don’t worry at all. You can eat his delicious seafood without hesitating when you crave it.
Thanks for reading our article “Can you eat calamari while pregnant?”.
If we missed anything about calamari during pregnancy, please share it with us, and besides, if you have other questions about calamari or you want to know more about the effects of seafood on your pregnancy, you can pay a visit to “Hipregnancy” which is one of the websites about pregnancy and find answers for all of your questions.
FAQ
1- Can I eat calamari while pregnant?
You can eat calamari during pregnancy, but it should be fully cooked and taken in moderate quantities.
2- What are the benefits of calamari during pregnancy?
Rich in protein, The great enemy of the cancer, Great resource for vitamins.