Can You Eat Tuna While Pregnant?
Yes, but limit it — tuna contains mercury, so cap canned light tuna and especially limit albacore and fresh tuna steak.
The full answer
Tuna is nutritious but accumulates mercury, which in large amounts can affect a baby's developing nervous system — so the guidance is about quantity, not banning it. Canned light (skipjack) tuna is lower in mercury: the FDA places it in the "best choices" group, up to about 2–3 servings a week. Canned albacore (white) tuna and fresh tuna steak are higher in mercury — the FDA limits these to about 1 serving (4 oz) a week, and the NHS advises no more than two tuna steaks or four medium cans a week. Always choose cooked or canned tuna, never raw.
How to eat tuna safely
- Canned light/skipjack tuna: up to ~2–3 servings a week
- Canned albacore (white) or fresh tuna steak: limit to ~1 serving a week
- Always cooked or canned — never raw (no raw tuna sushi/sashimi)
When to avoid: Avoid raw tuna and high-mercury fish (bigeye tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel) entirely.
Pregnancy food-safety basics
Most “can I have this?” questions in pregnancy come down to four things. Listeria — a bacterium that survives the fridge — is why chilled ready-to-eat meats, pâté, and mould-ripened soft cheeses are heated or avoided. Mercury is why certain fish are limited. Caffeine is capped at about 200 mg a day. And alcohol is best avoided entirely, as no safe amount is known. Cooking food until it’s steaming hot kills listeria and most other bugs, which is why “heat until steaming” solves so many of these questions.
For the full picture, see our pregnancy safety guide, and track your pregnancy with the How Far Along Am I? calculator and the week-by-week guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you eat tuna while pregnant?
- Yes, but limit it — tuna contains mercury, so cap canned light tuna and especially limit albacore and fresh tuna steak. Tuna is nutritious but accumulates mercury, which in large amounts can affect a baby's developing nervous system — so the guidance is about quantity, not banning it. Canned light (skipjack) tuna is lower in mercury: the FDA places it in the "best choices" group, up to about 2–3 servings a week. Canned albacore (white) tuna and fresh tuna steak are higher in mercury — the FDA limits these to about 1 serving (4 oz) a week, and the NHS advises no more than two tuna steaks or four medium cans a week. Always choose cooked or canned tuna, never raw.
- Why is tuna something to be careful with in pregnancy?
- Tuna is nutritious but accumulates mercury, which in large amounts can affect a baby's developing nervous system — so the guidance is about quantity, not banning it. Canned light (skipjack) tuna is lower in mercury: the FDA places it in the "best choices" group, up to about 2–3 servings a week. Canned albacore (white) tuna and fresh tuna steak are higher in mercury — the FDA limits these to about 1 serving (4 oz) a week, and the NHS advises no more than two tuna steaks or four medium cans a week. Always choose cooked or canned tuna, never raw.
- When should I avoid tuna during pregnancy?
- Avoid raw tuna and high-mercury fish (bigeye tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel) entirely.