Can You Eat Mussels When Pregnant? - Netmums

1. Netmums
2. Pregnancy
3. Health and wellbeing
4. Eating and drinking
5. Can you eat mussels when pregnant?

Can you eat mussels when pregnant? Charlotte Thomas PUBLISHED: 11:23, 27 May 2020 UPDATED: 10:13, 08 Jan 2021

Find out if it's safe to eat mussels during pregnancy, plus precautions to take to keep you and your baby healthy.

The official advice on eating mussels in pregnancy

Good news! Mussels are safe to eat in pregnancy, as long as they're thoroughly cooked.

Mussels are a shellfish and the NHS says cooked shellfish including mussels, scallops, lobster and crab, is fine to eat when you're pregnant.

You should avoid eating raw or undercooked shellfish though as it can cause food poisoning. During pregnancy, you're more susceptible to food poisoning. While it's unlikely to do your baby any harm, it can be very unpleasant.

Cooking shellfish helps kills off the bacteria which can cause food poisoning.

Delicious seafood recipes

Love seafood? Why not try one of these great pregnancy-safe recipes?

• Prawn stir-fry
• Crab cakes
• Easy paella
• Fish pie
• Garlic prawns

We like The Whole 9 Months, a week-by-week pregnancy nutrition guide, packed full of recipes and medical advice. See more details here at Amazon.

Take a look at : Foods to avoid in pregnancy: your definitive guide

Unsure what's safe to eat during pregnancy? These are the foods and drinks you should avoid or cut down on to protect your baby.

View gallery

Looking for more pregnancy diet info? Check out our articles below, or swap tips with other mums-to-be in our forum.

Related stories

What to eat and drink during your pregnancy

CHAT: Pregnancy

Your complete A-Z of pregnancy food and drink safety

This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.

About the author Charlotte Thomas With more than 15 years' experience as a health and lifestyle journalist, Charlotte started her career at the BBC working on children’s magazines including Top of the Pops and Girl Talk, where she got to meet her pop heroes, Girls Aloud and McFly. She loves running and yoga and has worked with the Youth Sports Trust, Virgin Active and the FA on projects to engage young girls with sport. Experience Charlotte has written for leading titles including the Sunday Mirror, Women’s Health, Shortlist and Junior. She also works with major brands, creating content and editorial strategy for Mamas & Papas, H. Samuel, The Body Coach and more. Alongside running an award-winning fitness blog, Charlotte has led blogging workshops for teenage girls. Articles by Charlotte Thomas From the author 5 of the most common new parent rows (and how to diffuse them) ‘Parenting wins’ for new mums and dads Warning over kids’ toy with ‘twice as many germs as a toilet seat’ – and your child probaby has one

Related articles

Eating and drinking

Calls grow for clearer labelling on low-alcohol drinks as pregnant women report widespread confusion

Research shows mums-to-be rely on alcohol-free drinks but struggle with unclear labelling.

Food and Nutrition

‘Lose 13 kilos in 6 months’: This is the ideal breakfast to adopt to slim down after 50

A 57-year-old influencer who managed to lose 13 kilos in six months shares her ideal breakfast recipe for staying in shape after 50

Eating and drinking

All the foods you can eat while pregnant and the ones you need to avoid

Wondering about the dos and don'ts of consuming alcohol, soft cheese, or seafood during pregnancy? Here's authoritative advice on what to include and exclude from your diet while expecting.

Eating and drinking

Folic acid to be added to bread and flour to protect babies from serious birth defects

The government announced new measures this week, to help prevent serious conditions including spina bifida in babies

Don't miss

shopping

Forget back pain, this revoluntarty mattress will transform your sleep – and spine

Luff Sleep introduces its groundbreaking Prestige Bamboo Hybrid Mattress, designed to alleviate back pain and enhance sleep quality.

Places to go

Forget paying full price, save up to £60 on tickets to Alton Towers, Chessington, Legoland and more in Merlin’s Black Friday sale

The Merlin annual Pass is the gift that keeps on giving – and it's now on sale

Best buys

Teaching your child to cycle this summer? This is the perfect bike to learn on

Netmums' Charlie Bond tested the Woom Go 2 to find out why this bike is such a popular option for parents of kids learning to cycle...

Most active chat

Expert advice Topics Popular Child Mental Health

'Help - 8 year old having meltdowns after school'!

Maternal Mental Health

'My 13 year old DD has a boyfriend'!

Baby and Child Health

'13 year old cannot seem to shake this virus'!

Unhealthy Relationships

'Husband thinks he's my boss'!

Sleep

'Is it ok to take my baby to OH's christmas party'?

Baby and Child Health

'Police told HV about me'!

Pregnant with multiples

SPD

Pain relief

Other Netmums Clubs

Nappies

Children with Down Syndrome

Children 4-11

struggled to get their kid excited about reading?

Tweens and teens

11 (nearly 12) year old son doesn’t eat!

Allergies and intolerances

Reflux/Intolerance

Babies

Newborn passport photo disaster

Netmums to be

Struggling at 35 weeks

Christmas

Managing xmas morning chaos

Join the chat DISCOVER NOW! Netmums Test & Review FREE products to test TODAY Newsletter Follow Us Most read Hair 'I'm a hairdresser and here are the three haircuts... Life 'Up to six inches of snow in the next 72 hours' –... Life River Island is closing 32 stores in the UK before... Shopping Say goodbye to Christmas pyjamas, this 2 piece set... Home Say goodbye to string lights, this 'elegant' £27 Dunelm... Best buys Forget jeans, these M&S trousers are 'the perfect...