When it comes to pregnancy, doctors offer a lot of restrictions but still recommend healthy eating, especially to promote fetal development. Amongst the protein sources like eggs that are good for pregnant women, seafoods that are incredibly rich in omega, are always near the top of the list.
To enhance better nutrition during pregnancy, some expectant mothers are asking which seafood is safe to eat while pregnant? Is it Crabs, shrimp, lobster or something else? Can pregnant women eat crayfish without it causing any health risks?
Crayfish nutrition facts
Crayfish is a fresh water animal, also called Anthropoda Crustacean, much like lobster, shrimp and crab, but they are smaller in size. Yet, they are highly enriched with body-demanding nutrients. Crayfish is commonly known as Crawdaddies or Crawdads, Yabbies, Mudbags FreshWater lobsters around Europe.
Crayfish nutrition facts
Nutrients
Nutrients amount
Calories – energy
69.70 calories
Protein
14 grams
Total Fat
1 gram
Carbohydrates
0 gram
Iron
0.72mg
Sodium
79.9mg
Calcium
60.40mg
Vitamin C
1.2mg
Fatty acids
0
Cholesterol
113 to 115 mg (38%)
Potassium
251.60mg
Phosphorus
229.5mg
Can Pregnant women eat Crayfish (Crayfish)?
Like other seafoods, yes, a pregnant woman can eat Crawfish if well prepared and safe from contamination. A non-fried but we’ll cooked crayfish is lower in saturated fat, so it is healthier for pregnancy than poultry and some cut meat. Americans Heart Association AHA
Suggest 8oz crawfish dish per week, especially as it contains high cholesterol and low fat. Generally, pregnant women should never eat raw crawfish or any uncooked seafood.
Only fully cooked crayfish dish is good for pregnancy. pregnant woman should avoid eating raw or fried crayfish.
Benefits of eating crayfish during pregnancy
Are Crawfish Good for Pregnant Women? Yes. Crayfish is one of the essential nutrient-rich-seafoods for nervous system growth in babies. If you make shellfish a consistent part of your pregnancy diet, you get these benefits.
Crayfish is high in lean protein. A dish involving prawn and mayonnaise is just so rich in more protein.
Crayfish is blessed with low saturated fat content. But this shellfish is rich in omega 3 – a healthy fatty acids, omega-6 good for fetus Neuro development
Crayfish is exceptionally loaded with minerals including iron, niacin, copper, iodine, choline, iron, selenium and vitamins which help support immune development of mother and baby.
Crawfish contains healthy fat omega-3, which is good for baby’s brain development and cognitive functions. systematic reviews suggests seafood consumption during pregnancy can raise verbal IQ, and baby’s motor functions.
Crawfish can reduce the Risk Of Heart Diseases since it contain a good amount of omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends 6 -8 ounces oily fish per week can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Is there a Risk of eating crayfish for a pregnant woman?
We have seen that crawfish are a healthy choice of seafood to include in pregnancy diet. Where can eating Crayfish sandwiches be an issue with pregnancy? There are two main concerns I am going to share with you.
1) the Risk of mercury poisoning
A lot of health conscious people belief seafood is not good for the baby in the womb because of risk of mercury and poisoning. The Impact of a pregnant woman eating crayfish with mercury can be too deadly on your baby. So I won’t blame anyone that feels that seafood might be toxic or unsafe for a woman to eat while pregnant.
However, if the fishermen are lucky to get you healthy fish or any seafood with low(or no) mercury content, the health benefits of consuming seafoods during pregnancy can be much more important in the development of the fetus.
2) risk if Parthogenic disease or bacterial infections
Consuming contaminated seafood CA expose expecting mothers to risk of foodborne illness. If crawfish contains bacteria, it is more likely the crawfish are handled cleanly or poorly cooked. Foods like ceviche are prepared with raw fish, and there is concerns if ceviche is safe for expectant mom too.
3) high cholesterol in crawfish
Crawfish contains a high amount of cholesterol, which isn’t good for ladies with hypertension, cardiovascular problems, or diabetes. You o also watch your cholesterol intake when including crayfish in your pregnancy diet.
Is it safe to eat crawfish while pregnant?
Is crayfish safe for pregnant women? Yes, Fully cooked, crawfish is perfectly safe to eat if you are expecting a baby. According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seafood like crawfish with as low as 0.1 parts in a million has low a lower risk of mercury poisoning. A source has proven that crayfish has about 0.033 parts per million.
It is absolutely ok to enjoy your crayfish with pregnancy, but too much eating or craving might not just go any good to your baby, if you usually have seafood allergies.
Cooking Tips for eating crayfish with pregnancy
Can pregnant women eat crayfish
Here are some tips for eating crayfish whole pregnant. Health care expert know that pregnant women have pretty weaker defense (immune) system. So, when you think of Crayfish and pregnancy, you got to do your utmost best to reduce any risk of food contamination.
Quantity of seafood you eat matters. Doctors recommend that the seafood consumption for a pregnant woman should be kept within 12 ounces per week. This is like saying that a lady with pregnancy should take 2-3 seafood servings in one week.
Immediately you get pregnant, know when to eat crayfish. If the crayfish is not properly cooked, a pregnant lady or the unborn child is likely to get affected from pathogenic or bacterial diseases from the seafood.
Also buy only domestic crayfish,not imported, since you are likely not able to get clear information about their mercury level.
some tips on how to prepare crayfish when you are pregnant
If you don’t know how to handle food preparation according to USDA, you might just be eating unhealthy seafood.
Whenever I want to prepare my raw crayfish, I often use a separate kitchen board. One other thing you should do is to wash your hands, sterilize cooking utensils, appliances and kitchen countertops where you place the uncooked crayfish or ingredients. Clean cooking equipment to make sure you your eat your boiled crawfish safely.
Moreover, you should cook your crayfish boil to as high as 60-80°C(check with a cooking thermometer). A higher cooking temperature can destroy any Parthogens and also give you a tasty or savory treat.
Don’t just cook crayfish. Combine seafood meat with a lot of vergatables to enrich your pregnancy diet, especially if you suffer from high blood of diabetes while Pregnant.
Your cooking method also plays important role. Poor food preparation and preservation might cause untimely termination of your pregnancy. Check to make sure you are not using an unhealthy food cooking method to prepare your crayfish.
Consider buying United States Domestic crayfish for your safety and your baby’s safety. Levels of mercury in imported seafoods of crayfish you fished from the water by yourself are not known. You might just be catching crayfish from contaminated waters.
Watch out for symptoms of eating poisonous crayfish when pregnant. Women are likely to experience
- Acute abdominal cramps
- vomiting and some signs of diarrhea
- Reduced appetite
- fever and headache
- nausea and general body weakness
Whether you are pregnant or not, seek immediate medical treatment when your health show the above signs of food poisoning from seefood.
Can pregnant women eat crawfish?
Regarding Seafood and pregnancy , crayfish is a better alternative to red meat, if you are pregnant, diabetic and have hypertension. Prawns are just too good for every meal, but with concerns about the health of the baby in your womb, I think every woman should follow the doctor’s recommended dietary guidelines for her pregnancy.
How Much Mercury Is In Crawfish?
Crawfish is pretty low in mercury, with an average portion of 0.033 parts per million according to Food and Drug Administration.
This number is still less than the threshold mercury level. So if you are a kind of Pregnant woman that keeps check on your mercury intake, your crayfish sauce is a lot safer to eat from breakfast to dinner.
Both wild and farmed crawfish from the USA are also low in mercury. However, imported crawfish might have high amount of mercury. If you doubt, check in with marine advisories in your state.
is 12oz of Crawfish ok for pregnant women?
8-12 ounces well cooked varieties of seafoods (not only crayfish) is just ok for pregnant mothers. A 12 oz variety of fish is healthier than eating 8 – 12 oz of crayfish per week. You will find peeled crayfish in stores, about 12 ounce in weight. Approximately, 12oz crayfish is equal to about 240g, or 0.75lb shelled crawfish meat ( agrilife ) This is around 3-4 serving crayfish tail.
Wrap up pregnant women eating crayfish
Well cooked crayfish is safer to eat when you’re pregnant. However, the way you handle your raw crayfish can it deadly to you or your unborn baby. Poorly handled seafood might be infected with bacteria and might cause serious infection to your baby inside the womb. If bacterial contamination looks weak to an adult’s health, don’t take it lightly, because it might just be dangerous or harmful to your baby’s health.
why do people suck the heads of crayfish?
Crayfish head has no brain, but What Exactly Are people Sucking Out of That Crawfish Head? The crayfish head contains some fat or crayfish butter which has tasty flavor. It is actually called hepatopancreas, which functions similarly to a human liver. Pregnant women have no restrictions to such the juicy, savory crayfish head fat. If you are a crayfish fan, you’ll appreciate the experience is truly transcendent.
Can you eat shrimp while pregnant?
Yes, pregnant women can take shrimp in their meals. Shrimp, is also a great water or seafood, which is generally safe to eat during pregnancy if prepared with good food safety guidelines.
But you shouldn’t be eating shrimp if you have shellfish allergy. Like crawfish, there is a risk of foodborne illness from eating undercooked or raw shrimp.
What other seafood options are safe to eat during pregnancy?
There are some seafood meats that are safe to eat during pregnancy.
- fish like salmon, tilapia, and cod
- shellfish including crab and lobster,
- tuna.
Can a pregnant women eat lobster?
Yes, a pregnant women can eat fully cooked lobster during pregnancy.
Are crawfish high in mercury?
Not really. Seafood like crawfish are not high in mercury except the sea water or ocean had mercury poisoning. Buy crayfish from domestic retailers, not from foreign countries. US has good food safety regulations, so you can trust the mercury levels of seafood products in United States and enjoy crawfish during pregnancy.
Can I eat fried seafood while pregnant?
Absolutely Yes, you can include fried seafood in your pregnant diets. However, you know frying is one of unhealthy food preparation method. And fried seafood may contain high amount of salts, which isn’t healthy for high blood patients.
With few months pregnancy, and hypertension, you should limit fried seafood as they can contain unhealthy fats from cooking oils.