I am not a foodie but when it comes to eating seafood, you will never see me saying no to it. Also, any dish with some seaweed in it is also my favorite. Are you one of them too? To my luck, I never got sick of eating seafood a lot, maybe because of all the nutrients in them. But I have also seen people getting sick of eating meat or chicken, I still wonder how? Anyways, that’s another story, coming back to the seafood cravings, which are something to die for. Either it’s seafood or seaweed, both are filled with high nutrients that are essential for healthy body and mind growth.
We all know about seafood but not many know about seaweed as it is not very common nowadays as compare to seafood. Rare will be the places that serve seaweed dishes because it is that food that our elders, ancestors ate and forgot about its existence completely. But this super food has done remarkable work when it came to maintaining weight. I, myself, eat its salad a lot. So when I was planning a baby, I asked my doctor can I eat seaweed salad while pregnant and to this, her answer was in my favor.
Seaweed Benefits
So, seaweed is a kind of algae, which is a non-flowering plant and lives in water. It can be eaten during pregnancy as it has a positive impact on the baby and the mother. It contains all the essential nutrients like proteins, minerals, salts, alginates, and folic acid. Seaweed benefits are not known before childbirth, even though; it is also used to purify the blood after childbirth due to the detoxifying properties it has. As it has omega 3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids, doctors advise pregnant women to eat it more often but in a little quantity as it plays a vital role in keeping the good moods of the mother and is essential for the baby’s nervous tissues construction.
Another seaweed benefit is that it can be cooked very easily. And if you do not want to cook it, you can also buy it ready-made from the market and have it with salads, omelets, pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes. Versatile in nature can be served or use in many dishes.
Can I Eat Seafood While Pregnant
As I shared with you all before, that I am both a seafood and seaweed person. As I asked my doctor, can I eat seaweed salad while pregnant as it is my favorite go-to dish; meanwhile I asked her can I eat seafood while pregnant? To this she said, I do not have to tell the beneficial properties of fish to you as you, in fact, everybody knows it well enough.
But there are pros and cons of seafood, as not all seafood is good for baby and mother’s health. So try to eat tuna, salmon, codfish as they are good for your baby’s brain and your cardiovascular, joint health, also they are a great source of protein, vitamins, selenium, magnesium, potassium, and many other minerals, also low in fats. Such a variety of fish is highly recommended for you and other pregnant women.
But avoid eating big fish, as they contain mercury and it is not good for your baby’s growth, fetus, and DNA. You cannot even take a single bite of it; mercury can cause long term damage to the pregnant woman. And if you can’t distinguish which fish contains mercury and which not. Avoid eating fish during planning baby and 9 months and even during breastfeeding to your child.
Sushi during Pregnancy
Sushi, the most advanced form of eating fish. Really low in calories and when it gets ready, it takes very little fat. Eating sushi is also a great way to eat seaweed, as I already told you, seaweed is not easily available in the restaurant, but it is in the sushi, the inside of sushi mostly contains dried seaweed. Eating it is just like you are having an ideal diet with a good amount of proteins and minerals in it.
And if you are pregnant and want to consume iodine, apart from eating salty food items and fish, you can go for sushi. Iodine is one of the important nutrients for pregnant women. Mostly woman crave for sushi during pregnancy but can’t eat because it is half cooked and doctors do not allow them as pregnant women are requested to avoid the raw fish. (Not good for the mommy and baby)
Take Care of Your Baby
To the future mom, who is reading it take care of your baby, drink more water, take less nicotine. Fulfill your cravings by taking care of the baby’s health too, as not all cravings are good; avoid the food that may harm your body. If you will get ill, your baby will too get sick. Consult your doctor; make a diet plan filled with all the nutrients, minerals, vitamins, calcium, iron, and low in calories.
It is not always the food that can harm your baby but the mental health, overdo of something, irregular exercises, wearing wrong shoes or outfits, and taking unnecessary caffeine.
Conclusion
Never in my life had I experienced bad health by eating seafood or seaweed. I am a fan of eating all types of fish and seafood, even sushi was always my got to, and seaweed was my favorite ingredient to add to my breakfast omelet. But when I questioned my doctor that can I eat seaweed salad while pregnant, she said yes but told me all the pros and cons.
So this is how it is, when pregnant you have to take care of all the little details whether that’s about choosing the type of fish for dinner or what to wear and this joy of being a mom takes a little effort too like lessening the amount of your favorite seaweed in the dish. Better take precautions than regretting later.
Happy pregnancy!
