Shrimps and pregnancy

I am in my first pregnancy at the age of 22 years. I love shrimps a lot. Kindly advise me if I can still eat them during my pregnancy.

Abeni (by SMS)

Yes, pregnant women can, in fact, eat shrimp. That doesn’t mean it should become your go-to daily meal, but it does mean you and baby can benefit from some of the great nutrients in shrimp.

As far as eating shrimp during pregnancy, some women avoid it like the plague because they’ve been told that all seafood is off limits.

But while it’s true that you should avoid some types of seafood during pregnancy, shrimp isn’t on the list. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration Trusted Source, seafood can provide pregnant and breastfeeding women with nutrients to help their baby’s growth and development.

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Still, it’s important to have a clear understanding of which seafoods are safe, and which seafoods to avoid. Basically, you’ll need to avoid any seafood that’s high in mercury. This is important because eating too much mercury can damage a growing baby’s nervous system.

Seafood with high mercury levels includes: Seafood that contains little mercury, on the other hand, is completely safe to eat during pregnancy. This includes shrimp — but not only shrimp. 

As a general guideline, pregnant women should eat no more than 8 to 12 ounces (two or three servings) of seafood per week.