Pregnant and craving salmon?

Like all farmed foods, salmon farming is mandated by organisations set in place to protect our health

British Columbia is a wonderful place to rear children, a place where they can breathe clean air, drink plenty of fresh water, a safer place than most anywhere else in the world. Then there are our coastal areas teeming with wondrous nature, and our ocean that has been producing wild and farm-raised seafood for ages, and not to forget, our islands and valleys overflowing with farms. How lucky the child borne into this special place.

Mothers-to-be need to eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products, and protein foods. Protein is crucial for the baby’s growth throughout the pregnancy. Good sources of protein are lean meat, poultry, eggs and seafood. These are all healthy and safe farm-raised protein.

What’s safe to eat, and how much per week?

Eat a variety of seafood that’s low in mercury and high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as: salmon, anchovies, herring, sardines, freshwater trout, Pacific mackerel. These are all excellent sources of seafood very low in mercury. Play it safe, by eating no more than 12 ounces (340 grams) of a variety of seafood weekly.

One of the best and most versatile fish to cook is farm-raised salmon. This is a product that is traceable right back to its spawning, even before it enters the ocean, back when  it was just a glimmer in the eyes of the broodstock. Farmed-raised salmon is safe to consume, extremely healthy, and there is always a reliable supply available.

Unlike its wild counterpart, which comes with health warnings regarding – three types of fish parasites of public health importance; roundworms (nematodes), flatworms or flukes (trematodes) and tapeworms (cestodes) – . If you have ever seen one of these parasites in wild salmon, you know it is something that can never be unseen, or forgotten.

This is precisely why it is safe to opt for farmed salmon, because this is an industry that is heavily mandated, and the product is tested, and dressed, before reaching the consumers. Dressed fish are ready to cook , usually gutted, with head, tail and fins removed.

Like all farmed foods, salmon farming is mandated by organisations set in place to protect us. Our health and safety matters. We depend on our governments to do the jobs our taxes pay them to do. For example; The Ministry of Agriculture and Food is responsible for the production, marketing, processing and merchandising of agriculture and seafood products, as well as supporting our province’s food security, and developing a resilient food system and economy. On the linked site above, there are a plethora of information on how our food is grown in BC, including the rules and regulations set in place to keep us safe.

Therefore, if one is pregnant and looking for some safe options for their 3 or 4 seafood meals per week. Choose farm raised seafood for your and the baby’s health. There are many recipes out there, like this Low FODMOP Fish Curry.

This recipe is one of my absolute favourites, Salmon with Anchovy Butter and Braised Kale, is inspired by BC’s farms. It is easy to recreate, delicious to eat, and perfect for all mothers-to-be, or to be politically correct…all baby-bearers to be.

Image from Adobe Stock Photos