Marie, I am 12 weeks pregnant, and my friend told me I need to stop adding tuna to my salad. I really love it, but I am worried because I ate it several times during my first trimester. Is it really dangerous? Thanks for your help, and looking forward to your answer. Rosanna

Rosanna, your friend is half-right about tuna and pregnancy. I would need to know the type of tuna to answer your question. In fact, you can safely eat white tuna found in cans. Why? Because the tuna used for canning usually are small, so younger and have had less time to accumulate high levels of mercury in their system. Canned white tuna is not restricted during pregnancy, don’t worry.

However, fresh or frozen white tuna, found in stores, comes from larger fish and has higher levels of mercury. Health Canada suggests restricting consumption from the time you want to become pregnant, during pregnancy, and when breastfeeding.

Rosanna, all you need to do is choose the right type of tuna!

All the best,

Marie

The Baby Expert