Is calamari safe during pregnancy?

What does the evidence say about calamari during pregnancy?

1. Squid is listed among FDA and EPA's Best Choices seafood, the category with the lowest mercury levels, cleared for 2 to 3 servings a week at 4 ounces per serving during pregnancy. 1
2. FDA's own mercury testing found squid averaged 0.024 parts per million, well within the range of its lowest-mercury seafood, alongside scallops and shrimp. 2
3. Raw seafood, meaning anything that has not been cooked at all, carries a higher chance of Listeria, toxoplasmosis, Vibrio, Salmonella, and E. coli than the same seafood cooked through. 3
4. Fish and shellfish are considered done at an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, the same general cooked-through standard that applies to squid, shrimp, and scallops. 3
5. Undercooked or raw shellfish and seafood is the main route for Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which brings on abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever roughly 17 hours after a contaminated meal, and cooking it through is what keeps this from happening. 4

Is calamari safe in each trimester?

• First trimester. Fried or grilled calamari is a fine choice from the start of pregnancy, and it is a lean, low-mercury way to work seafood into meals if fish itself is not appealing right now. The only thing to skip is a raw preparation like squid sashimi or ceviche.
• Second trimester. Calamari's low mercury average makes it one of the easier Best Choices seafood options to eat regularly, alongside shrimp, salmon, and scallops. Restaurant fried calamari is almost always well cooked through, so it is a reasonably safe order when eating out.
• Third trimester. No new caution applies here in the third trimester. Calamari is a lean source of protein rather than a strong source of the omega-3s that matter most late in pregnancy, so pairing it with an oilier Best Choices fish over the week rounds things out.