SEAFOOD delicacies such as prawns are delicious, but eating them can have some risks.
Supermarkets offer an extended range of seafood, but can you eat prawns during pregnancy?
Is it safe to eat prawns when pregnant?
Nowadays, you can buy just about everything from the supermarket, including seafood.
Whether it is prawns, scallops or mussels it is likely to be available.
And if you live by the sea, you might be able to get them fresh from a local market.
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But, buying and cooking prawns or any other seafood, can be intimidating, especially when you are pregnant.
Generally, most shellfish are safe to eat and do not affect the baby during the pregnancy, the only risk is food poisoning, which can affect anyone if the shellfish is not cooked properly.
Famously, members of the Royal Family are not allowed to eat shellfish due to the risks of food poisoning affecting their schedule.
The easily accessible prawns are safe to eat during pregnancy, as long as they have been thoroughly cooked.
Prawns turn from grey to pinky-red when they have been cooked, so this is how you can tell whether they are safe to eat.
Cold pre-cooked prawns are also fine to eat.
What seafood should be avoided during pregnancy?
While you may want to indulge in some delicious seafood, some of it can be dangerous for your baby.
Specialists advise that you should be careful with smoked fish, such as smoked salmon and trout.
This is due to a listeria outbreak linked to smoked fish, which can affect, people at higher risk of serious infection, including women who are pregnant.
They should only eat smoked fish products that have been thoroughly cooked.
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Another thing you would want to limit is the consumption of oily fish, which are salmon, trout, mackerel or herring.
The reason for it being that they can have pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in them.
If you eat too much of these, they can be harmful to your unborn baby.
You should eat no more than two tuna steaks or four medium-sized cans of tuna.
Tuna is not oily fish but contains more mercury, than the other types of fish.
If you eat too much mercury, it can be harmful to your unborn baby.
What foods should you avoid during pregnancy?
Other than seafood, there are also everyday products and foods that you should avoid during your pregnancy,
One of them is raw eggs, mainly because of the risk of salmonella.
While poached eggs on toast are a highly enjoyable and delicious treat, dieticians advise that you should be careful how you prepare them.
The more raw the egg yolk is, there is a higher chance of getting salmonella.
Expecting mothers should also be careful of products made with raw eggs, such as homemade mayonnaise.
Pâté is also on the list of the food that you should avoid.
Just like smoked fish, a pâté carries the risk of listeria, it is also very rich in Vitamin A, which in high levels can be toxic to babies.
It goes without saying that alcohol should not be consumed during pregnancy.
After a misconception that a little amount is fine and safe, the NHS advises that the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.
