Yes, you can eat anchovies while pregnant but there are certain rules that you should follow before you eat anchovies during pregnancy.
Explore the comprehensive guide on “Can You Eat Anchovies While Pregnant“, delving into the safety and nutritional benefits of anchovies during pregnancy. Discover expert recommendations and alternative omega-3 rich foods to ensure a healthy diet for both you and your baby during this crucial time.
During pregnancy, a mother probably lives the most special and happy days of her life. But along with the abundance of happiness, pregnancy brings a lot of responsibilities with it. One of the biggest responsibilities is eating the correct food during pregnancy.
The health of the child entirely depends on what the mother eats during her pregnancy. That’s why as a mother you should always eat food that is healthy for both you and your child.
Especially when it’s a matter of fish, you should be extra careful during pregnancy. Some fish can be very bad for your baby’s health as some of the fish contains high amount of mercury which can be harmful to the development of your baby’s brain.
So let’s find out how you should eat anchovies during pregnancy so that it doesn’t harm your baby and what are the benefits and probable risks of this fish.
Is Eating Anchovies During Pregnancy Safe?
No, fishes that contain high amounts of mercury are not safe to eat during pregnancy. Anchovies, on the other hand, contain very low mercury which is why it is totally safe to eat anchovies while pregnant.
There’s no need to worry about the mercury level in anchovies but you do need to eat anchovies in certain amounts and you should follow some steps before consuming anchovies while pregnant. You must also consult your dietician before consuming any food as well as anchovies to be extra careful.
Anchovies contain very low mercury but on the other hand, they are very oily fish, which is why you should not consume anchovies repeatedly every day while you’re pregnant. Two 140g portions of anchovies per week is more than enough for a pregnant woman and her baby. So, new moms I know you are craving anchovies a lot but for your little sunshine, you must eat anchovies in little portions and stay healthy.
One of the main reasons why anchovies are safe to eat during pregnancy while many of the fishes are prohibited is the procedure of preserving anchovies. Unlike many sea fishes, anchovies are sterilized by cooking or pasteurization instead they’re preserved by a salting process.
Because of the exclusion of any kind of pasteurization, anchovies are safe to eat while pregnant.
Moreover, anchovies have high amounts of Omega 3 fats which are really crucial for your baby’s brain development. In fact, fresh anchovy oil is suggested by many dieticians for better development of the unborn baby’s brain and bones.
Health Benefits Of Anchovies While Pregnant:
Here we have discussed some major health benefits of Anchovies While Pregnant:
1) Nutritional Value of Anchovies:
Anchovies are a great source of nutrients that are very helpful for your unborn baby’s health. You can get 8 grams of protein from only 1 ounce of canned anchovies. It’s needless to say how important protein is for your unborn baby’s health development.
One nutrient that a pregnant woman’s body lacks the most is iron and you’ll get 1.3 milligrams of this nutrient from the same amount of anchovies. Iron is essential during pregnancy to support the growing blood and to reduce fatigue and anemia.
For better development of the unborn baby’s bones and teeth, you need to intake calcium as much as possible. From 1 single ounce of canned anchovies, you’ll get 66 milligrams of calcium so it’s safe to say that anchovies can be a great source of calcium for you while pregnant.
Paying extra attention to your heart condition during pregnancy is also very important. Anchovies can also help you in this matter as anchovies enhance heart health by reducing triglycerides and improving the cardiovascular function of your heart.
2) No Need To Worry About Mercury:
Mercury can be a great threat to your unborn baby’s health which is why most of the fishes that contain high amounts of mercury are strictly prohibited for pregnant women. But anchovies carry very little mercury and cooked anchovies are safe to eat during pregnancy.
Craving fish during pregnancy is very common but you must avoid fishes with high mercury such as swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel. Consuming this kind of fish may harm your baby’s nervous system. You should opt for tuna, catfish, and sea bass as these fishes contain 0.09 parts of mercury per million which are very low and have very crucial nutrients for your baby’s overall health development.
3) Perks of DHA:
Docosahexaenoic acid AKA DHA is considered to be a very vital nutrient for an unborn baby’s brain development and this nutrient can be found in many fatty fishes including anchovies. The amount of DHA that anchovies can provide should be enough for your pregnancy diet.
Along with better development of the baby’s brain, DHA also helps to improve the health of the baby’s eyes. So it’s important to intake as much DHA as possible during pregnancy and fish can be a good source of DHA for you. However, some of the fish can be harmful during pregnancy because of their high mercury. That’s why you should opt for anchovies for DHA.
4) Perks of Vitamin D:
During pregnancy, vitamin D is needed for both the baby’s and mother’s health as it takes a high amount of calcium to develop the baby’s teeth and bones. Anchovies can be the perfect source of vitamin D during pregnancy.
If you intake the proper amount of anchovies per week and take sun baths twice a day, you will get enough vitamin D for your and the baby’s better health. As per experts, you need to intake 600 IU of vitamin D during pregnancy and only 100 grams of anchovies can provide 114 IU of vitamin D. So if you’re looking for a tasty way to fill the needs of vitamin D during pregnancy, you should opt for anchovies.
Risks Of Eating Anchovies While Pregnancy:
Along with so many benefits, there are also some risks of eating anchovies during pregnancy that you should be aware of.
1) Anchovy Poisoning:
The main cause of anchovy poisoning is the toxin tetrodotoxin which can be found in many fishes as well as anchovies. The symptoms of anchovy poisoning are muscle weakness, tremors, and seizures. In most cases, anchovy poisoning results in paralysis and death.
But you can avoid the risk of anchovy poisoning by being extra careful when buying anchovies. Store-bought canned anchovies can be a good source of anchovies that are free of any toxic elements.
2) Risk of Increasing Preeclampsia:
During pregnancy having preeclampsia is a ubiquitous thing. Preeclampsia is basically a pregnancy complication that increases the chances of having a stroke or heart attack and it can be worsened by consuming high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Because of having high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, anchovies can be a risky food item during pregnancy.
To avoid the risk of worsening preeclampsia by eating very little anchovies per week. The recommended portion of anchovies during pregnancy is 12 ounces per week. Measured intake of anchovies won’t worsen the risk of heart attack during pregnancy.
3) High Sodium:
Anchovies are generally preserved by a salting process which is why they’re high in sodium. Intaking high amounts of sodium during pregnancy can be harmful. Especially anchovies stored in jars for too long contain high amounts of sodium because of salt preservation.
Eating fresh marinated anchovies can lessen the risk of consuming high sodium. But if eating canned anchovies is convenient for you, then you can avoid the risk by eating a limited amount of anchovies per week.
How to Prepare Anchovies While Pregnant:
Among many peculiar things that women crave during pregnancy, anchovies are one of them because of their strong flavorful taste. But because of being a sea fish, you must modify them to be extra careful before eating. While buying anchovies you should know how they were preserved for so many days.
Mostly anchovies are stored in a jar with loads of salt which makes anchovies taste more salty than their actual taste so it’s needless to say that the taste of anchovies highly depends on the way it is preserved that’s why you should pay extra attention to the way anchovies were preserved before buying them. This way you can also prevent buying anchovies that contain high sodium as high amounts of sodium can be health hazardous for would-be moms.
To satisfy your taste buds during pregnancy you can prepare anchovies in different ways rather than eating them raw. Here are some tips on how you can prepare anchovies:
1) Sandwich: If you want me to name the easiest snack that you can make with few ingredients and in a short time I’ll say Sandwich. During pregnancy, it’s a very convenient snack for women as it doesn’t take a lot of hassle to make a sandwich. So if you’re craving a lot of anchovies, just add a few of them to your sandwich with tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and aioli. Oh yes, you can absolutely add as much mayonnaise as you want for your greedy taste buds now worries.
2) Fried Rice: You can add anchovy oil to your egg fried rice for extra flavors and also for the unborn baby’s better development as anchovy oil plays an important role in the baby’s brain development. Adding anchovies oil to your fried rice will make a pleasant taste which will definitely satisfy your pregnancy cravings.
3) Soup: Whether you’re in the mood for a tomato soup or corn soup, you can simmer anchovies in both along with garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. This will be a very nutritious meal for both you and your unborn baby. The strong flavor of anchovies will eliminate the blandness of your soup and you can enjoy a hot tasty healthy meal with the little one.
4) Toast: Your forever favorite breakfast toast can be a little more tasty if you add a layer of anchovies to it along with a few sliced tomatoes. You can also coat your crunchy toast with anchovy paste and add some sliced onions and tomatoes for that blast of flavors inside your mouth.
5) Pizza Topping: Pineapple on pizza as a topping can be a hilarious choice but anchovies as a topping may not be that bad idea. At least not for all the would-be moms who can’t get enough of anchovies. It can be a really good option for homemade pizza topping if you’re not a big fan of sausages, olives, or even pineapples.
6) Pasta: Tried adding everything to your pasta but it still couldn’t satisfy your pregnancy cravings? Well, try adding anchovies to your pasta along with garlic, vegetable oil, chili flakes, and tomatoes. Fill the needs of Omega-3 fatty acids along with a tasty pasta dinner by dropping a few anchovies into your pasta.
- Fried Anchovies: The few risks that anchovies may have can be avoided by cooking them properly and the best way to cook anchovies is by stir-frying them. You can use soy sauce and sesame oil to fry anchovies for better results. Fried anchovies are best to avoid any anchovy-related risks during pregnancy.
- Anchovy Salad: Mix anchovies with your regular green salad along with a few drops of lemon to make a delicious anchovy salad full of nutrients. You can add olives and a little mustard for more flavor.
- Mix With Broccoli: Are you wasting those stems of broccoli by trimming them off? Rather roast those stems and add anchovies for a strong boost of umami.
Broccoli stems are tastier than you think they are and if you make a whole side dish out of them by adding anchovies, it’ll be like cherry on top.
- Marinated Anchovies: To eat anchovies any time without any hassle, you can just marinate them with coarse sea salt, garlic cloves, white wine vinegar, olive oil, and lemon. This will be a flavorful side dish to eat along with regular dinner.
Conclusion: Can you Eat Anchovies While pregnant!!
The confusion of whether anchovies are good to eat during pregnancy or not has been going around for a while now. To avoid any unwanted trouble, pregnant women have been avoiding anchovies but anchovies are not totally excludable from the pregnancy diet. It’s a myth that eating anchovies can be highly risky while pregnant so it’s pointless to ignore your anchovies craving during pregnancy.
If you keep the few pieces of advice that I’ve given above in mind, you can eat anchovies while pregnant without any tension. And of course, don’t forget to consult with your healthcare expert before adding anything including anchovies to your pregnancy diet. I hope you find the “Can you Eat Anchovies while pregnant” content helpful.
