Can You Eat Fish Sticks While Pregnant? | Safe Brands & Tips

Yes, fish sticks are generally safe during pregnancy, provided they are fully cooked and made from low-mercury fish like pollock — which commercial.

Fish sticks have a reputation as a quick dinner for toddlers, not a go-to snack for expecting parents. That image makes the question feel almost silly, even though it comes up constantly on pregnancy forums and OB-GYN checklists.

The honest answer is more straightforward than you might think. Fish sticks are made from fish that tend to be very low in mercury, and the cooking process kills the bacteria that make certain seafood risky during pregnancy. Still, there are a few details worth knowing — serving sizes, brand choices, and a single older study — that help you feel confident eating them.

What Makes Fish Sticks Different From Other Seafood

The main concern with fish during pregnancy is mercury, a heavy metal that can pass through the placenta and affect a baby’s developing nervous system. But the type of fish that goes into fish sticks matters here.

Most commercial fish sticks — brands like Gorton’s or store-brand versions — are made from pollock, which the FDA classifies as a low-mercury fish. Pollock is in the same category as salmon, tilapia, shrimp, and cod. These are the fish the FDA recommends eating 2 to 3 servings per week during pregnancy.

Listeria is the other big worry with pregnancy seafood. That risk usually comes from cold-smoked or cured fish, like smoked salmon, which the NHS advises avoiding. Fish sticks are fully cooked in the factory and then reheated at home, so listeria is essentially a non-issue here.

Why The Kid Food Stigma Sticks

Fish sticks land on so many “what can I eat while pregnant?” lists because they feel like a compromise — you want the nutrition of fish, but you also want something mild and convenient. That tension makes people second-guess them.

Pregnancy nutrition can feel like a minefield of contradictory rules. You hear “eat more fish for omega‑3s” and in the same breath “avoid high‑mercury fish.” Fish sticks, with their breaded coating and relatively low omega‑3 content, don’t always register as a legitimate choice.

• Mercury safety: Pollock is one of the lowest-mercury fish available. The FDA’s “Best Choices” list includes pollock, and fish sticks made from it fall safely within that category.
• Convenience factor: Fish sticks are already cooked. You just need to heat them until they’re steaming hot — no raw handling, no complicated prep.
• Portion control: A typical serving of fish sticks is about 4 to 5 pieces, which roughly equals 3 ounces of cooked fish. That makes it easy to track your weekly intake.
• Omega‑3 content: While pollock contains some omega‑3s, it’s not as rich in DHA and EPA as salmon or sardines. If your diet relies heavily on fish sticks, you might want to include a fattier fish occasionally.
• Brand variation: Not all fish sticks are created equal. Check the ingredient list for the type of fish — if it says “pollock” or “Alaskan pollock,” you’re in low‑mercury territory.

The takeaway is that the kid food stigma doesn’t have a health basis. Fish sticks are a perfectly reasonable way to include low‑mercury fish in your pregnancy diet, as long as they’re fully cooked and eaten in moderate amounts.

Mercury Levels and Safe Choices

Understanding which fish are low in mercury makes the fish-stick decision much simpler. The following table shows common fish categorized by mercury level, so you can see exactly where pollock and other fish-stick candidates fall.

As the table shows, pollock sits comfortably in the low‑mercury group. The Mayo Clinic pregnancy fish guide specifically recommends choosing low‑mercury fish and notes that 8 to 12 ounces per week is a safe target for most pregnant women.

Tips for Choosing and Eating Fish Sticks Safely

A few practical details can help you enjoy fish sticks without any worry. The steps below cover everything from the grocery aisle to the table.

1. Check the fish species on the package. Most brands list “pollock” or “Alaskan pollock.” If you see “Pacific cod” or “haddock,” those are also low‑mercury options. Avoid any fish stick made from shark or swordfish (extremely rare, but check labels on specialty products).
2. Cook them until piping hot. Fish sticks are pre‑cooked, but you still need to heat them thoroughly — the center should be steaming hot (165°F if you use a food thermometer). This kills any surface bacteria picked up during packaging or handling.
3. Stick to the weekly fish limit. The FDA recommends 2 to 3 servings of low‑mercury fish per week. A standard fish stick serving (4–5 pieces) counts as one serving. You can fill the rest of your weekly allowance with other low‑mercury fish.
4. Pair with a side for a balanced meal. Fish sticks alone aren’t a complete meal. Add a vegetable and a whole grain — like roasted broccoli with brown rice — to round out the nutrients.
5. Consider the occasional swap for fattier fish. If you eat fish sticks frequently, try replacing one serving per week with salmon or sardines for a bigger dose of DHA.

Following these guidelines helps you get the benefits of fish during pregnancy while keeping mercury exposure well within safe limits. No single food needs to be perfect — variety matters more than any one choice.

How Many Fish Sticks Can You Eat Each Week?

The FDA and EPA agree that 2 to 3 servings (8 to 12 total ounces) of low‑mercury fish per week is the sweet spot for pregnant women. Applying that to fish sticks works the same as any other low‑mercury fish.

A typical serving of fish sticks is about 4 to 5 pieces, which weighs roughly 3 ounces once cooked. Eating 2 to 3 servings of fish sticks per week would keep you right within the recommended range, especially if you aren’t eating other fish that week.

The one nuance worth mentioning: a single 2005 study in PubMed found that while eating oily fish was linked to lower asthma risk in children, eating fish sticks during pregnancy was associated with a small increase in asthma risk. This is an older, isolated finding, and the mechanism isn’t clear — it could be due to the breading, frying method, or something else entirely. Most experts don’t view it as a reason to avoid fish sticks entirely, but it’s worth noting that the FDA fish advice pregnancy guidance doesn’t raise that concern. If it gives you peace of mind, you can alternate fish sticks with other low‑mercury fish like salmon or tilapia.

Using the 8‑ounce low end of the FDA range, 3 servings of fish sticks would bring you to about 9 ounces — slightly over, but very close. If you pair them with other low‑mercury fish during the week, you can simply reduce your fish stick servings to 2 per week.

The Bottom Line

Fish sticks are a safe, low-mercury option for pregnancy, as long as you choose a brand made from pollock or another low-mercury fish and cook them thoroughly. The FDA recommends 2 to 3 servings of low-mercury fish each week, and standard fish‑stick portions fit neatly into that range. One older study raised a potential concern about asthma, but it’s an isolated finding and doesn’t change the broad medical consensus that low-mercury fish is good for both you and your baby.

If you have specific concerns about your individual mercury exposure or your baby’s development, your obstetrician or midwife can review your overall fish intake and help you balance variety, omega‑3s, and safety based on your health history.