Pregnancy is a special time in every woman's life, bringing specific changes to her lifestyle and diet. Raw foods become a big no for pregnant women, as they might be contaminated with bacteria or parasites that harm the fetus. But what if you don’t want to give up luxurious food like caviar during pregnancy?
It is possible for pregnant to still enjoy fish eggs during pregnancy, especially if selecting high-quality products like the ones you can find in our caviar store. However, it is an ambiguous topic. You should always consult with your healthcare professional before adding caviar to your diet during this time, as some unexpected factors like personal intolerance to the product might arise.
Hence, the information we share in this article serves solely for educational purposes and should not be taken as the only source for your decision-making. We care about the health of our clients and their babies, so we always insist on talking to your doctor before eating caviar.
Risks of Eating Caviar During Pregnancy
Black caviar is a great delicacy you can enjoy on special occasions or on a random Tuesday when you feel like it. However, caviar is a product that is traditionally stored and served fresh and raw, which automatically makes it risky while pregnant.
Health professionals suggest excluding any raw, thermally unprocessed foods from pregnant women. Any meat, fish, sea products, and even vegetables should be cooked to destroy any bacteria or parasites. Hence, oysters, sushi, and other dishes served with raw ingredients are a big no-go.
So, caviar should fall under the same category: there are only a handful of recipes where caviar is cooked. In all other cases, it is served fresh, sometimes salted. The main concerns regarding caviar in pregnancy are listeria and mercury.
Listeria is a pathogenic bacterium that causes food poisoning, but for pregnant women, it brings additional risks, e.g., miscarriage during the first trimester, premature labor, or even infant death. Listeria is usually found in seafood but can be easily killed with temperature. Hence, you should always boil or fry fish and other sea products before eating them. At the same time, authentic caviar produced on reliable aqua farms doesn’t contain it or contains it in small, insignificant amounts. For other types of fish roes, like “red” caviar (salmon roe), the situation might vary, as quality standards are different.
Mercury is another issue. It can be found in any type of seafood, especially in predatory fish, and while it might not be a serious cause of concern for adults, it can harm the nervous system and brain of the fetus. However, the trace of mercury in caviar is very low, and it would be able to make real damage only if you are going to eat pounds of caviar on a daily basis.
So, as you can see, there are some risks associated with eating caviar during pregnancy, but they are minimal, especially if you’ve obtained a high-quality product from a reliable provider and got a green light from your doctor.
The Benefits of Eating Caviar
Is caviar good for pregnancy? In fact, if mitigating the possible risks connected to caviar, this product can be actually beneficial for pregnant women, as it is a source of dozens of nutrients a mother’s body needs to ensure the normal development of the baby. From this point of view, the best black caviar is extremely beneficial for pregnant women, if not overindulge (no more than 6 ounces per week).
Nutritional Facts
What elements does caviar contain and why are they so important for your baby's development? Here is a list of nutrients that create all the benefits of eating caviar and pregnancy.
- Omega-3 acids: these fatty acids are extremely substantial for the mother and fetus, as they contribute to the development of the baby’s brain, and retina, reducing the mother’s blood clotting and lowering blood pressure.
- Vitamins B12: B12 is crucial for the development of the fetus's spinal cord, and brain and the formation of red blood cells.
- Calcium and phosphorus: these two minerals are important for healthy bone building in babies, as well as for cell and tissue repair, muscle contractions, and kidney functions.
What Kind of Caviar is Safe During Pregnancy?
You can enjoy regular fresh caviar of high quality and face minimal risks, as high-quality caviar producers pay a lot of attention to the fish's health, safety standards, and transportation. However, if you want to reduce your chances of catching listeriosis to zero, you can try these two types of caviar. Due to the processing methods, compressed and pasteurized caviar simply can’t contain any trace of pathogenic microorganisms, making caviar safe during pregnancy.
Compressed Caviar
Compressed caviar is a paste made from broken caviar eggs. Such roes are put together, salted, and drained, then pressed together into a thick paste you can spread over a piece of cracker or add to other dishes like pasta.
Producers preserve compressed caviar for up to six months, which ensures that the product is free of harmful bacteria and can’t infect you with any dangerous illnesses. And while compressed caviar doesn’t have the texture you are used to with regular products, it still contains all the flavor characteristics we appreciate so much.
Pasteurized Caviar
Another solid option would be pasteurized caviar. It is boiled at a high temperature before being packed, and this guarantee that all bacteria and other organisms will be killed. It also increases the shelf life of the product, though to ensure that bacteria won’t spread again, even pasteurized caviar should be stored in the cold at 3 °C or less.
Pasteurized caviar will lack the freshness and crispiness of the raw product, but it will be a 100% safe choice for you and your baby.
Is It Worth Giving Up Gourmet Food?
Caviar and pregnancy can co-exist perfectly, and you can still enjoy your favorite delicacy while waiting for a baby. As we have already described, the risks of eating high-quality caviar are minimal, moreover, you can always play it safe and choose a pasteurized or compressed option.
You should always ask your doctor beforehand and find a reliable provider who ships only fresh products from first-rate aqua farms. With Bester Caviar, you can always contact our manager to choose the tin from the very latest supply. We would be glad to share all the details about the chosen caviar type and batch.
Conclusion
Let’s sum it up: is caviar safe during pregnancy? If to simplify everything, we would say yes. The chances of catching something harmful from an ounce of high-quality caviar are minimal. However, every case is unique. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so before adding even an ounce of caviar to your diet, you should consult with your doctor and discuss all the risks and alternatives you might have.
And when you know you are okay to savor this special delicacy, Bester Caviar will be here to provide you with the freshest product from the top farms of Israel, Madagascar, and other locations where sturgeons are raised in pure nature and under thorough monitoring of the top specialists.
Written by Inna Polutska
