Is smoked salmon safe to eat during pregnancy?

Salmon is a fish apart. It can be eaten fresh or smoked, raw or cooked, depending on each person's taste. For a woman who is expecting a baby , it is recommended not to eat smoked salmon, to avoid any risk of food poisoning in particular. Even if it is restrictive for nine months, the baby's health comes first  !

Smoked salmon is obtained from salted salmon fillets, then cold "smoked". The fish is therefore not cooked. It is subjected to a temperature between 22 °C and 30 °C in the smoke of a wood fire for several hours (about ten minutes on average). In stores, smoked salmon is sold more expensively than fresh salmon fillets. It is generally eaten during festive meals... But for several years, its consumption has become widespread, and it has fans all year round.

How is it prepared? "There are two smoking techniques: there is real smoking, in a smokehouse, and there is the addition of smoked flavoring. Smoking or salting food is not a cooking method, but a preservation method."

This is strongly discouraged , especially if the salmon is artisanal. Since it is not cooked at high temperatures, consuming smoked salmon is potentially risky when you are expecting a baby. The proliferation of bacteria, following the salting (which is not the equivalent of cooking) and smoking of the salmon, can be dangerous for the health of the mother-to-be and her baby.

Cold or hot, smoked salmon is not recommended for pregnant women , particularly due to the risk of contamination by the Listeria bacteria . Listeriosis can indeed hinder the proper development of the fetus, with significant consequences for its health.

Smoked salmon, vacuum-packed, has undergone pasteurization or a thermal preservation method at more than 70 °C for 100 minutes. However, it is also not recommended when pregnant. "  It is still not recommended by the National Agency for Food Safety ( ANSES) and the High Authority for Health (HAS)", warns Coralie Costi.

Whatever the dish it accompanies, from pasta to pizza, salmon is still not recommended.

Any raw or undercooked product is strongly discouraged during pregnancy. For this reason, it is preferable not to eat raw salmon.

When you are pregnant, no more sushi or sashimi, which contain raw salmon! The same goes for salmon gravlax (a no-cook recipe based on salmon marinated in lemon). Raw salmon can indeed contain dangerous bacteria, such as Listeria. There are also other dangers: "In raw salmon, larvae can develop. These are anisakis, which like raw surfaces". To enjoy a good salmon fillet, you have to cook it sufficiently, that is to say at a high temperature (70 °C minimum).

On the other hand, when pregnant, we can turn to the well-cooked salmon steak, which is totally authorized. We can therefore benefit from its many nutritional qualities, for our health and that of our future baby. Good for the body, fresh salmon has multiple virtues: it is an excellent source of protein, which helps boost our muscles; it is rich in omega 3 and 6, which is perfect for storing up on essential fatty acids, essential for the proper development of the fetus's nervous system; its mineral and trace element content increases our body's immunity; finally, its vitamin D content promotes the absorption of calcium and therefore strengthens our bones and those of our future baby.

Listeriosis is a food disease, or rather a serious infection that comes from the Listeria bacteria. It is a small bacteria that is very resistant in the external environment. Its optimal growth temperature is between 30 and 37 °C. Listeriosis contamination is most often due to food, for example in fruits and seafood. Since it does not survive cooking, it is mainly found in raw products. The symptoms of listeriosis contamination are: fever , headaches and sometimes digestive disorders such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. You can also be asymptomatic after being contaminated. In the rarest cases, listeriosis can cause serious neurological damage, such as meningitis or encephalitis. For the unborn child, the consequences of listeriosis contamination can be serious: premature delivery , miscarriage , or even respiratory distress or septicemia in the infant a few days after birth. So be careful with raw foods!

The sea and oceans are very polluted. According to UNESCO, each year, 300 to 500 billion kilos of heavy metals , toxic sludge, solvents, and other hazardous waste are dumped into the seas by industrialists around the world. Fish are therefore contaminated by these heavy metals. As a precaution, when you are expecting a baby, it is better not to eat fish every day, even cooked. "  Fish is recommended during pregnancy twice a week. We recommend a lean fish and an oily fish. You must diversify the species consumed, the places of supply and the fishing grounds, to avoid being contaminated with methylmercury. The latter, when taken in high doses, is toxic for the fetus: it can cause developmental delays in utero, behavioral disorders in the future child...  ".

Other raw fish should also be avoided during pregnancy. As for cooked fish, it depends on the species.

When pregnant, smoked trout should also be avoided to avoid contamination by Listeria. Herring is a fish very rich in omega-3; well cooked, it can be eaten once a week. As for cooked fish, some are not recommended , such as sea bream , tuna , ray , sturgeon, etc. As well as large predators such as shark, swordfish, marlin, lamprey, etc.

" Freezing fish that you have bought fresh is not recommended when you are pregnant, because freezing does not eliminate the bacteria . As a general rule, the safety of freezing depends on the performance of our freezer. Also at issue: our handling of the fish purchased, that of the fishmonger before purchase... There are many micro-risks that follow one another during this chain, from purchase to consumption" .

When pregnant, it is important to eat labeled cooked salmon, such as salmon from Scotland and Norway, which are of better quality and traceability.

In all cases, follow the recommendations of your doctor   or midwife.