Pregnancy is an arduous stage for aspiring mothers, especially if you consider that there are a lot of things you can't eat since the next thing you put in your mouth might not bode well for your baby. Fortunately for fish lovers, salmon is not part of the equation: eating this oily fish is not only allowed, but recommended as well.
This is simply because the seafood reduces the chances of the infant child to be diagnosed with asthma, a lifelong ailment that hampers one's quality of life. The conclusion was made by a study led by Professor Philip Calder of the University of Southampton which was presented at the Experimental Biology Congress in San Diego, California.
The study was done through a randomized controlled trial wherein the pregnant women ate salmon twice a week starting the from the 19th week of their pregnancy. Allergy tests were then performed on the children at six months of age and then at two to three years. The results of the tests were then compared to another group of children whose kids did not eat salmon during pregnancy.
Calder, known for his work in fatty acids' effect on the human body, and his colleagues found out that there was no difference in the allergy rate with the children, but found out that the one whose mothers ate salmon were less likely to have asthma. This in turn means that pregnant mothers should definitely include the seafood into their diets, whether it's smoked, fried, seared, or grilled.
The study's results were a welcome addition into the world of health and medicine, mainly because it was able to link the relationship between nutrition and immune-related diseases before birth. Note that pregnant women are recommended to eat at least a couple of servings of fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If you're wondering how to cook it, here's a video to help you out:
