Can you eat sushi while pregnant?

General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or midwife about your own situation.

The short answer from health agencies: skip raw fish, enjoy cooked sushi. Pregnancy weakens the immune system, so bacteria such as Listeria and parasites in raw fish are a bigger risk, for you and the baby. The UK's NHS and the US FDA both advise avoiding raw or undercooked fish and shellfish while pregnant.

Cooked sushi that is usually a safer choice

• Tamago: sweet omelette.
• Unagi and anago: grilled eel.
• Boiled prawn (ebi) and boiled octopus.
• California roll made with cooked crab or crab stick.
• Vegetable sushi: kappa maki, kanpyo and inari.

"Aburi" (torched) and seared pieces are only cooked on the surface, so treat them as raw. Cold-smoked salmon also needs cooking until steaming hot, according to the NHS.

Fish high in mercury

Some fish are a concern even when cooked. The FDA lists swordfish, shark, marlin, king mackerel, bigeye tuna, orange roughy and Gulf of Mexico tilefish as fish to avoid. The NHS also limits tuna to two steaks or four cans a week. At a sushi bar that means going easy on maguro, otoro and chutoro, and skipping swordfish (mekajiki).

Hygiene matters too

Cooked sushi can still pick up bacteria if it sits out. Choose busy places with fresh turnover, avoid pieces that have circled a conveyor belt for a long time, and eat takeaway sushi promptly.

Halal and cooked options often overlap: many halal-certified sushi restaurants have a cooked menu.

Sources: NHS, Foods to avoid in pregnancy; US FDA, Advice about eating fish; FoodSafety.gov, Pregnant people.