Clams in pregnancy: can these seafood be eaten or are they foods to be avoided?
Can clams be eaten during pregnancy? Here is one of the many questions that a future mother - especially if she has a sweet tooth for fish and seafood - frequently asks herself about her diet during pregnancy. With what kind of cooking is it possible to consume clams and mussels, if any? Is a nice plate of spaghetti and clams allowed? Here are the answers, but in the meantime, watch our video on foods to avoid during pregnancy:
Clams in pregnancy: is it good to include them in the diet of a future mother?
Clams in pregnancy can bring numerous benefits to the expectant mother and the fetus, this is because they are foods rich in nutrients, like many other seafood and types of fish. In fact, clams contain a lot of iodine, always present in seafood and very important for the development of the child and the functioning of our thyroid.
Clams (from clams to Adriatic clams) also bring many vitamins, especially those of group B, and remember that vitamin B12 in particular is essential for the growth of the fetus! Vitamin D (important for skeletal formation) and vitamin A are also present.
It should not be forgotten, however, that clams perform a "filter" function in the marine system, so they also retain waste elements present in the sea water that could create problems for both the future mother and the child. For this reason it is always good to consume clams, mussels and other seafood only and only under certain conditions and paying close attention, despite their undeniable nutritional properties.
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Can I eat clams when pregnant?
The diet during pregnancy, as recommended by the Ministry of Health, must exclude the consumption of raw meat, including fish. Clams in pregnancy are therefore to be avoided altogether except after cooking: consuming raw mussels, clams, crustaceans and molluscs during pregnancy could jeopardize the pregnancy itself, exposing the future mother to many pathogens.
And can clams during pregnancy be eaten after proper cooking? In principle, yes, you can eat cooked clams and mussels, but with a few more tricks. First of all, the clams must be cooked for no less than fifteen minutes in order to eliminate all pathogens. Only after careful cooking, in fact, can they also be safe for you who are pregnant and be added - why not? - to a nice plate of spaghetti!
Contraindications of mussels and clams in pregnancy and how to consume them
Clams and mussels in pregnancy can create some more digestive problems for the expectant mother, causing gastrointestinal symptoms that are not at all pleasant even after prolonged cooking. In fact, doctors recommend never exceeding the portions of crustaceans, molluscs and seafood during pregnancy, also because they contain a much higher level of cholesterol than meat. In women who already suffer from high cholesterol and who are at risk of pregnancy cholestasis, in fact, mussels and clams are foods to be avoided completely, even after cooking.
Great attention must also be paid to the origin of clams in pregnancy: precisely because the clam - like mussels - acts as a filter of sea water, it is advisable to inquire about the healthiness of the seas from which it comes. The freshness of the clams is also essential: at the time of purchase you must check that the valves are perfectly closed if the animal is still in the water, because it means that it is still vital. The water itself must have a brackish odor, without ammonia.
Before cooking, the clams must be carefully cleaned: all traces of sand, mud and encrustation must be removed from the shell by scraping it with a wire brush. Warning: if the shell is damaged or already open it means that the clams (but the same goes for mussels) are not fresh enough and it is therefore better not to eat them during pregnancy.
The cooking of clams and mussels during pregnancy must last at least 15 minutes: generally only 5 minutes are enough for the flavor and digestibility to be preserved, but for the diet of a future mother it is really too little. There are also those who believe that a few drops of lemon can be enough to "disinfect" raw fish and seafood: nothing could be more wrong, during pregnancy it is certainly not enough to eliminate any contraindications!
