Yes, You CAN Eat Sushi While You're Pregnant!

In Japan, a country quite preoccupied with public health, most pregnant women eat sushi. They believe it is part of a healthy diet, and they're quite right. They do not become sick or have the paranoia that people in the US have. In the US & Japan, more people get sick from seafood prepared at home than at sushi restaurants. The chefs carefully handle the fish to make sure it is safe to eat, and the fish comes from reputable dealers who make sure it was raised in a healthy environment. Sushi from the bar is highly unlikely to make you sick.

Meat may contain parasites, and while freezing kills the adults, only cooking it kills the eggs. The eggs are, however, unlikely to survive the hostile environment of your stomach. There is no evidence suggesting that raw fish is at all harmful to pregnant women. It is rare for someone to contract these parasites from sushi and even more rarer for that to cause any ill effects to the fetus. About 85% of seafood-related illnesses are caused by eating oysters and clams raw. If you take them out of the equation, the real risk of illness from uncooked seafood is 1 in 2 million servings!

If you are concerned about avoiding uncooked fish, there are still many selections on the bar you can enjoy. Not all sushi contains uncooked meat. Sushi consists of a variety of ingredients, mostly rice, vegetables, and seaweed. Avocado is a favorite ingredient. Most sushi contains cooked meat, and some is 100% vegetarian! There is no reason to abstain from sushi completely, because not all or most rolls contain raw fish. It's sashimi that is always raw, and again, the risk of falling ill from uncooked fish is almost zero.