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Can I eat mahi mahi while pregnant?

Check Doola Scan's answer in the United States

Mahi mahi cooked through, grilled, blackened or in fish tacos, shows Check in Doola Scan in all six countries: it counts towards your weekly fish, and in the US it sits in a higher-mercury group. The FDA lists mahi mahi among its Good Choices, 1 serving a week, rather than its Best Choices at 2 to 3 servings. Health Canada sets no weekly amount for it, and the NHS's weekly limits are for oily fish and tuna.

Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · Updated

  • Mahi mahi fillets, grilled or baked

    CheckIn all six countries

  • Blackened mahi mahi and fish tacos

    CheckIn all six countries
Doola Scan checking a plate
What each country says

Mahi mahi while pregnant: what each country says.

Each country's own pregnancy guidance on mahi mahi, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.

  • Doola has no source from Ireland on this yet; its answer comes from the other countries' guidance.

  • United States

    Check
    • FDAHigher mercury than Best Choices.Source

  • United Kingdom

    Check
    • NHSTrying for a baby or pregnant: no more than 4 cans or 2 tuna steaks a week; other species not limited.Source

  • Canada

    Check
    • Health CanadaCanned albacore tuna up to 300 g a week; other moderate fish not limited.Source

  • Australia

    Check
    • FSANZ1 portion (150 g) a week of orange roughy or catfish and no other fish that week.Source

  • New Zealand

    Check
    • Health NZLonger-lived fish (snapper, albacore, farmed salmon, kahawai, red cod, ling) less than 3-4 times a week.Source
What to check

Before you eat mahi mahi.

  1. In the US, keep it to 1 serving a week

    The FDA lists mahi mahi among its Good Choices and asks pregnant women to eat 1 serving a week from that list, instead of 2 to 3 servings from its Best Choices. A serving is 4 ounces, about the size of your palm. FDA

  2. Cook it until it flakes

    The FDA asks for most seafood cooked to 145°F, and says fish is done when the flesh is clear and separates easily with a fork. Health Canada gives 70°C (158°F) for fish. FDA

Questions

About mahi mahi
in pregnancy.

The FDA puts mahi mahi in its Good Choices, the middle group between its lowest-mercury Best Choices and its Choices to Avoid. Health Canada limits only fresh or frozen tuna, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy and escolar.

In the US, 1 serving of 4 ounces a week from the FDA's Good Choices, mahi mahi included. The NHS limits only oily fish and tuna, and Health Canada sets no weekly amount for mahi mahi.

Mahi mahi tacos and blackened mahi mahi show Check in all six countries. Cook the fish until it flakes: the FDA's number for most seafood is 145°F.

The FDA says fish supply omega-3 fats, iron, iodine and choline, which support a baby's brain development, as well as protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D and selenium. The FDA lists mahi mahi among its Good Choices, at 1 serving a week.

The NHS lists raw fish as a food to avoid in pregnancy, and the FDA asks pregnant women to avoid raw or undercooked fish, as in sashimi or ceviche. Choose mahi mahi cooked through.

The guidance is the same in every trimester. Cooked mahi mahi shows Check from the first weeks to the third trimester, within the weekly fish amount.

Yes. Take a photo of the plate, the menu or the label, and Doola Scan checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.

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Doola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.