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Eating Fish Sticks and Processed Fish During Pregnancy

QUESTION

Is it okay to eat fish from fast food places? Are products like frozen fish sticks from the grocery store safe during pregnancy?

ANSWER

Fish is healthful to eat while pregnant for your baby's brain growth and for your overall health. Go for wild fish most often and of course stay clear from raw fish and fish high in mercury. Mercury consumed during pregnancy has been linked to developmental delays and brain damage! Ick!

Fish high in mercury includes: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. Canned, chunk light tuna generally has a lower amount of mercury than other tuna, but still eat in moderation (six ounces maximum per week).

If you are wanting fish sticks, try Dr. Praeger's -- delicious ones that you can bake in the oven, so lower in fat and it's made from pollock, so not high in Mercury.

Health and happiness to you,
Deborah Klein, MS, RD

Deborah Klein

Deborah Klein , MS, RD, is the world’s first Livitician™ coach, a term she coined beyond Dietician, counseling clients on nutrition and fitness for 17 years. Her mission is to educate others on achieving optimal wellness through balanced eating, intrinsic coaching and exercise.

At University of California, Davis, Deborah received a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics and a minor in Exercise Physiology and received her Registered Dietitian license in Georgia. She also completed her Master’s of Science degree in Foods and Nutrition with an emphasis in sports nutrition at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona and is a PhD candidate at Saybrook University Graduate College of Mind-Body Medicine. She is also a Certified Intrinsic Coach, which she incorporates into her nutrition counseling to delve into the core of ones’ experiences and thoughts, to identify any barriers to enable long-term health.

Her past career experiences include hosting a TV show in Georgia on Midday News Live, teaching “5 A Day - For Better Health,” working for CNN, Food & Health News and honored as “Registered Dietitian of the Year” by the Spectrum Health Club in Los Angeles. Recently, she was named “Young Dietitian of the Year,” by the American Dietetics Association and served as President of the Los Angeles Dietetics Association.

Currently, Deborah has a private practice where she specializes in weight loss, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, disease prevention, and long-term wellness. She is the author of “200 Superfoods That Will Save Your Life” published by McGraw-Hill, Inc. that details her “Livit” philosophy to achieve one’s wellness goals. Through education and discovering each individual’s full potential, Deborah provides individuals with “A Plan to LIVE for!” She resides in Los Angeles and relishes being a mother of 2 boys, Hayden (8 years) and Eitan (6 years).