When it comes to eat fish and fish eggs during pregnancy, pregnant ladies should be aware of their mercury levels before including them in their diet. Here, we want to discuss a safety of consuming a well-known egg fish, named caviar while pregnant. Caviar is packed with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, but is caviar allowed during pregnancy?
This article on Hipregnancy will cover the answer to the above question and other important points you need to know regarding consuming caviar during pregnancy. To figure out whether it is ok to include caviar in your pregnancy diet, read on.
Is fish egg good for pregnancy?
Fish eggs are considered safe to eat while pregnant, as long as they are pasteurized and cooked. Consuming raw fish egg is a big no-no for pregnant, since they might be contaminated with listeria or other organisms causing disease.
Now, you know that it is not forbidden to eat fish roe or fish eggs during pregnancy, but what are their benefits for pregnancy? Why you should include them in your diet while pregnant? Let us tell you.
Fish eggs are rich in vitamins, minerals, essential nutrients, and healthy fats for pregnancy. Consuming cooked and pasteurized fish eggs during pregnancy provides all needed to improve your overall health and required for fetal development, including protein, zinc, iodine, selenium, phosphorous, folate, vitamin C, Vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids.
Did you know omega-3 is highly required to support a healthy pregnancy? Do you know the reason behind that? If you like to figure out, check our article containing a complete guide regarding Omega-3 while pregnant.
Is it safe to eat caviar while pregnant?
According to studies on the safety of caviar for pregnant women, eating caviar while pregnant is not harmful for mom and the unborn baby if it is pasteurized and cooked well before consumption.
Since caviar is a type of salt-cured fish egg, having it in excess may increase your blood pressure; therefore, consume it in moderate quantities. Moreover, to be on the safe side, consult your doctor before including caviar in your pregnancy diet. The same rule goes for any other foods or drinks you want to have when pregnant.
Eating pasteurized caviar pregnancy provides the following benefits, including;
- Boosting immunity
- Improving heart health
- Lowering blood pressure
- Improving mental health
- Enhancing kidney functions
- Reducing mother’s blood clotting
- Aiding in Healthy bone building in baby
- Helping the development of baby’s brain and retina
It is good to know that consuming caviar when pregnant can be useful for treating RLS, as it is a kind of iron-rich food. To learn more about RLS and other treatments, take a look at restless leg syndrome during pregnancy.
How can you tell if caviar is pasteurized?
To enjoy caviar in pregnancy, you should opt for pasteurized one. Pasteurization can make caviar a safe option for pregnant ladies, through heating fish eggs and killing all harmful bacteria, like listeria, that might present in raw caviar. In addition, it can maintain caviar’s flavor and freshness.
Well, how to know if caviar is pasteurized? The easiest way to know whether the caviar is pasteurized is checking its label. There are two more signs that can help you determine if you are buying pasteurized product: color and texture of caviar. Pasteurized caviar has more firm texture that unpasteurized one, and its color is consistent.
Consider, even pasteurized caviar needs to be kept in the refrigerator, as a result, keep it refrigerated according to the manufacture’s structure to keep it safe and healthy to eat in pregnancy. Although the amount of salt in pasteurized version of caviar in lower than the raw and unpasteurized ones, you should have them in moderate quantities.
Also Read: sole fish pregnancy
Is caviar high in mercury?
Generally speaking, all seafood, like fish and shellfish, contains mercury to some extent; some of them are high in mercury and others are low in mercury. Since mercury can damage the developing baby’s brain, pregnant ladies should avoid consuming seafood high in mercury.
However, consuming seafood that has low mercury content is considered safe during pregnancy and will not cause any problems or issue. Including low mercury seafood in your pregnancy diet can promote your overall health, and the baby’s brain development as well.
Caviar contains mercury similar to any other seafood, but the level of its mercury is very low. As a result, you don’t need to be worried about its mercury content, as it is not dangerous for your health and the baby’s health as well. Caviar is not high in mercury, and you can enjoy consuming it without experiencing any dangers associated with mercury.
Also Read: Olives In Pregnancy
What if I accidentally ate raw fish roe or caviar while pregnant?
“I ate caviar while pregnant, but it was raw. What should I do now? Will it harm my baby?”
Do not feel nervous and worried if you have been eaten raw caviar or fish roe. Stress is bad for your health and the developing baby as well. Just be calm, and look out for the signs of listeria, including chills, muscular aches, nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.
You should know that the symptoms of listeria appear within 30 days after consuming contaminated food, like raw caviar while pregnant. It is advisable to talk to your doctor and let your healthcare provider know that you have eaten raw caviar. Getting checked out by your doctor can ensure you that nothing will harm your baby.
Can you eat caviar when trying to conceive?
Women who are trying to conceive can enjoy consuming caviar, but only in moderate amounts. They should eat pasteurized caviar to reduce the risk of listeria and any other infections. Caviar is a rich source of essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals, as well as omega-3 fatty acids.
It is good to mention that consuming foods containing omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the time it takes to get pregnant. So, having caviar when trying for a baby does not seem to be bad for you and help you to get pregnant is a shorter time.
Consider, what you eat before getting pregnant is important, similar to your nutrition during pregnancy. If you follow a healthy diet when trying to conceive, you can improve your chance of getting pregnant and have a healthy pregnancy as well. To learn about it in detail, read pre pregnancy diet for female.
Salmon roe while pregnant
Salmon is one of the safe type of fish you can have in pregnancy. Not only salmon fish is good for pregnant women, but also salmon roe or salmon egg is healthy for pregnant ladies and their unborn babies as well. Salmon roe contains a low level of mercury, but it is high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, including vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, phosphorus, and selenium.
Consuming salmon roe while pregnant provides several health benefits, including improving heart health, supporting bone health, giving you energy, boosting cognitive performance, reducing inflammation, etc.
Consider, having excess amount of salmon eggs in pregnancy can trigger allergic reactions, increase your blood pressure, and cause foodborne illness if consumed raw and unpasteurized. So, have it in moderation to support a healthy pregnancy.
Red caviar during pregnancy
Red caviar, also known as red salmon roe, has a slightly salt and fish taste and can be consumed in pregnancy if it is pasteurized. This type of caviar comes from any fish that belongs to Salmonidae family. Consider, the color of salmon roe is not just red, it can be red, yellow, or orange. However, all of them are known as red caviar among people.
Including red caviar in your pregnancy diet can be beneficial for you and unborn baby, as long as be eaten in moderation. Red caviar is more available than black caviar, and it is cheaper than the black versions. Hipregnancy recommends you check with your doctor how much you can have red caviar while pregnant, or whether it is ok to have it. Then, you can enjoy having it without any problems.
Is black caviar good for pregnancy?
Fish roe that comes from fish of Acipenseridae family or a sturgeon is considered black caviar. This caviar has a nutty, buttery, sweet, salty taste, and can be eaten alone, or used in dishes, like salads, pasta, and omelets. Black caviar is one of the most nutritious foods worldwide, and pregnant ladies can include them in their diet.
Since pregnant ladies usually feel tired, or depresses, consuming black caviar can help them to boost their mood and feel better. Moreover, it can improve their immune system, and minimize the chance of disease of during pregnancy.
Black caviar is more expensive than red caviar, but even a small amount of it is highly nutritious and can improve your health, followed by giving birth to a healthier baby.
Masago caviar while pregnant
Masago is a kind of fish roe, commonly used in Japanese foods and sushi rolls. To learn more about sushi, check can you eat sushi when pregnant.You might think that masago is kind of caviar and they are the same, but it is not true. Here are some differences between masago and caviar, including;
- Masago and caviar are both fish egg, but they are from different species of fish.
- Masago is bright reddish-orange, however, caviar ranges from amber or green to deep black.
- Masago has salty, smoky, and slightly bitter taste, but caviar has creamy, buttery, salty, and sweet taste.
- Masago is less expensive than caviar and smaller compared to the size of caviar.
As you see, masago is not the same as caviar, but it can be consumed during pregnancy if it is pasteurized.
Conclusion
Caviar is a kind of fish egg that can be consumed during pregnancy, but there are two points need to be followed while eating it. The first is that you should only eat pasteurized caviar while pregnant, and the second is that you should avoid consuming it in large quantities. Your doctor can help you know how much caviar should be added into your diet, depending on what you already had in your pregnancy diet.
If you have any experiences regarding consumption of caviar during pregnancy or if still there is any unanswered question, do share with us via comment. Thank you for reading this article on Hipregnancy.
FAQs
1. Is caviar pasteurized?
There are both pasteurized and unpasteurized caviar, but if you are pregnant, you should only eat pasteurized caviar to prevent any potential risks.
2. Does caviar increase fertility?
Since caviar in rich in omega-3 fatty acids and iron, it can improve fertility, but more studies on its impact on fertility are needed.
Very interesting topic, thanks for putting up.