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If your cravings drive you to a sushi restaurant, you can feast on more than just longing looks at your partner's plate. Sushi is safe to eat -- as long as it's cooked. California rolls, which are filled with steamed crab, and sushi that uses cooked eel are fine.

However, never eat raw seafood while you're pregnant. Why? For one thing, raw seafood contains parasites such as tapeworms, which can rob your body of important nutrients for your baby. (Both freezing and cooking kill the parasites, but cooking is the safer method by far.) The fish most likely to carry parasites are cod, Pacific salmon, and Pacific rockfish, so never order sushi containing these fish....

If your cravings drive you to a sushi restaurant, you can feast on more than just longing looks at your partner's plate. Sushi is safe to eat -- as long as it's cooked. California rolls, which are filled with steamed crab, and sushi that uses cooked eel are fine.

However, never eat raw seafood while you're pregnant. Why? For one thing, raw seafood contains parasites such as tapeworms, which can rob your body of important nutrients for your baby. (Both freezing and cooking kill the parasites, but cooking is the safer method by far.) The fish most likely to carry parasites are cod, Pacific salmon, and Pacific rockfish, so never order sushi containing these fish.

In addition to parasites, the dangerous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes lives in raw fish and can cause a serious infection called listeriosis that could lead to the death of your unborn child. Though it sounds extreme, this risk cannot be overstated, so avoid all raw seafood during your pregnancy.

Safety Note

Symptoms of listeriosis typically develop several weeks after infection and may include fever, chills, muscle aches, and back pain. It affects roughly one in every 20,000 pregnancies. If you think you have listeriosis, contact your doctor immediately.

Find out which seafood is safe to eat

Find out how to cook seafood safely

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