Can you eat smoked salmon when pregnant?

Find out if it's safe to eat smoked salmon during pregnancy, plus precautions to take to keep you and your baby healthy.

The official advice on eating smoked salmon in pregnancy

Pregnant women should be careful with smoked fish, such as smoked salmon and trout, says the official guidance.

The NHS says that 'due to a listeria outbreak linked to smoked fish, people at higher risk of serious infection (including people who are pregnant) should only eat smoked fish products that have been thoroughly cooked'.

Listeria can be dangerous in pregnancy and can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, so it's best to steer clear of smoked fish, or make sure it's cooked properly, if you're pregnant.

If you're cooking smoked fish products at home, you should make sure they're steaming hot all the way through.

The NHS also advises limiting the amount of oily fish you eat. You should have no more than two portions of oily fish a fish a week. This is because oily fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and herring can contain pollutants. If you eat too many of these pollutants they may be harmful to your baby.

Delicious salmon recipes

Love salmon? Why not try one of these great pregnancy-safe recipes?

• Herby salmon with salad and crushed new potatoes
• Smoked salmon omelette (make sure you use British Lion eggs)
• Salmon and sweet potato traybake
• Chilli salmon with watercress and lentils
• Salmon, asparagus and squash rice bowls

We like The Whole 9 Months, a week-by-week pregnancy nutrition guide, packed full of recipes and medical advice. See more details here at Amazon.

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