Can you eat sushi while pregnant?
Yes, if it's cooked or vegetarian. Skip sushi and sashimi made with raw fish, along with raw oysters, clams, scallops and ceviche, because raw seafood can carry germs that hit harder in pregnancy. Rolls made only with cooked shrimp, cooked crab or vegetables are fine. Avoid bigeye tuna, and skip cold smoked salmon unless it's cooked.
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The short answer: cooked yes, raw no
Pregnancy changes your immune system, so some food germs hit harder than usual, and a few can harm a baby even if you don't feel sick. That's why US food-safety advice for pregnancy says to skip raw sushi and sashimi, raw oysters, clams and scallops, and ceviche. The swap is simple: cook seafood to 145°F (63°C), and choose cooked or veggie sushi rolls.
So you don't have to give up sushi night. You just order differently for a few months. Sushi rolls made only with cooked shrimp or cooked crab are fine, and so are vegetable rolls.
What to order and what to skip
| Usually fine in pregnancy | Skip until after the birth |
|---|---|
| Rolls with cooked shrimp, including tempura shrimp | Sashimi (sliced raw fish) |
| Rolls with cooked crab or imitation crab (made from pollock, a Best Choice fish) | Nigiri and rolls with raw salmon, raw tuna or other raw fish |
| Cucumber, avocado, sweet potato and other vegetable rolls | Raw oysters, clams and scallops |
| Egg on rice, if the egg is cooked firm | Ceviche, which is “cooked” with citrus, not heat |
| Rolls with fully cooked salmon or another cooked Best Choice fish | Rolls with cold smoked salmon (lox), unless cooked into a hot dish |
When in doubt, ask the restaurant what's cooked and what's raw.
One more swap: if a roll with refrigerated smoked fish is your favorite, note that refrigerated smoked fish such as lox and nova can carry listeria. It's safe only when cooked into a hot dish until steaming. Shelf-stable canned or pouched fish is fine.
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The germs behind the rule
It helps to know what the rule is protecting against, so you can apply it beyond the sushi bar:
- Raw seafood germs. Raw fish and shellfish can carry bacteria and parasites. Heat kills them, which is why the advice is to cook seafood to 145°F (63°C).
- Listeria. This bacteria can infect your baby even if you don't feel sick. It hides in refrigerated smoked fish, deli meats eaten cold, raw milk and raw-milk soft cheeses.
- Toxoplasma. A parasite found in raw or undercooked meat, so the same caution applies to raw beef dishes.
- Salmonella. Found in runny or raw eggs. Choose egg toppings that are cooked until firm.
The good news is that each risk has an easy swap, and none of them means giving up a night out.
Mercury: which fish matter even when cooked
Cooking takes care of germs, but not mercury. Some fish carry enough mercury that the FDA and EPA advise skipping them completely in pregnancy and while breastfeeding:
- Shark
- Swordfish
- King mackerel
- Marlin
- Orange roughy
- Bigeye tuna
- Tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico
If you order cooked tuna at a sushi bar, ask what kind of tuna the restaurant serves. Yellowfin is on the Good Choices list (one serving a week), and canned light tuna is a Best Choice. More in can I eat canned tuna while pregnant and the full lists in what fish is safe during pregnancy.
What about the seaweed?
Nori, the seaweed wrapped around rolls, is a good source of iodine, the nutrient your thyroid needs to make the hormone your baby's early brain depends on. Two tablespoons of dried nori (5 g) has about 116 mcg.
Some seaweeds are too rich, though. Commercial seaweeds range from 16 to 2,984 mcg of iodine per gram, and the safe upper limit for adults is 1,100 mcg a day. Too much iodine can make the thyroid slow down or speed up.
The practical rule: enjoy a sprinkle of nori or a sushi roll with a cooked or veggie filling. Skip kelp supplements and kelp powders unless your doctor says otherwise, because there's no way to know how much iodine a scoop holds. If you have a thyroid condition, ask your doctor about iodine. More in iodine during pregnancy.
Don't let sushi rules scare you off fish
The raw-fish rule is about germs, not about fish itself. Cooked, low-mercury fish is one of the best foods of pregnancy for your baby's brain. The FDA and EPA advise 8 to 12 ounces a week of lower-mercury fish. In the UK's ALSPAC study of 11,875 women, eating fish in pregnancy was linked with better verbal IQ scores in the children. That study was observational, so it shows a link, not proof.
If sushi night was your main fish meal, replace it with a cooked one: sheet-pan salmon, salmon cakes from a can, a tuna-white bean salad with canned light tuna, or shrimp fried rice. Salmon has about ten times the DHA of cod, so make at least one weekly serving a fatty fish.
If you already ate raw sushi
Try not to panic. Many people eat sushi before they know they're pregnant. If you're worried, call your doctor or midwife and tell them what you ate and when. They can tell you what, if anything, to watch for.
Know the signs that need a call right away: a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, severe belly pain that doesn't go away, or vomiting so bad you can't keep fluids down. From here on, order cooked and veggie rolls, and enjoy raw sushi again after the birth.
Do this
- Order rolls with cooked shrimp, cooked crab or vegetables instead of raw fish.
- Ask what kind of tuna the restaurant uses, and skip bigeye.
- Skip lox and other cold smoked fish unless it's cooked into a hot dish.
- Enjoy nori in rolls, but skip kelp supplements and powders.
- Replace sushi night with a cooked fish meal so you still get 8 to 12 ounces a week.
When to ask your doctor
Check with your doctor or midwife first if…
- You have a thyroid condition: ask your doctor about seaweed and iodine.
- You have a fish or shellfish allergy: ask your doctor about other omega-3 sources.
- Your immune system is weakened by illness or medicine: ask your doctor about any seafood.
Call your doctor now if…
- You have a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher in pregnancy: call your doctor now.
- You have severe belly pain that doesn't go away: call your doctor or 911 now.
- You have vomiting so bad you can't keep fluids down: call your doctor or 911 now.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every child is different. Ask your doctor, midwife or pediatrician before changing supplements, diet or care.
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People also ask
Is a California roll safe during pregnancy?
Usually, yes. California rolls are typically made with cooked imitation crab, which comes from pollock, a Best Choice fish, plus cucumber and avocado. Check with the restaurant that nothing raw has been added, and enjoy it.
Can I eat cooked salmon sushi while pregnant?
Yes, if the salmon is fully cooked. Salmon is a Best Choice fish and rich in DHA. Avoid raw salmon and cold smoked salmon (lox) in rolls, unless the smoked fish is cooked into a hot dish until steaming.
What sushi can I eat while pregnant?
Choose rolls made only with cooked fillings: cooked shrimp, including tempura, cooked crab or imitation crab, fully cooked salmon, cooked egg, or vegetables like cucumber, avocado and sweet potato. Skip raw fish, raw shellfish, ceviche and rolls with cold smoked salmon.
Is seaweed safe to eat while pregnant?
Nori in sushi rolls is fine and brings iodine. Some seaweeds are extremely high in iodine, so skip kelp supplements and powders unless your doctor says otherwise. If you have a thyroid condition, ask your doctor about seaweed.