Korean Food in Pregnancy

Much of the everyday Korean table suits pregnancy well: rice, soups, vegetables, tofu, eggs and cooked fish. A handful of beloved dishes, though, raise questions that general pregnancy leaflets rarely answer, from raw marinated crab to salted seafood and ginseng. This page applies the main US and Korean guidance to Korean food. It is a starting point for a conversation with a midwife, obstetrician or dietitian, not a substitute for one.

Why pregnancy changes the rules

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that pregnancy affects the immune system, which makes some foodborne infections more serious for both the pregnant person and the baby. It singles out two: Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that, unusually, can grow at refrigerator temperatures, and Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in raw and undercooked meat and on unwashed produce. The FDA's practical rules are the familiar ones: wash hands and produce, keep raw meat and seafood apart from ready-to-eat food, cook thoroughly, refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below, and use ready-to-eat perishable foods promptly.

Raw seafood, hoe and gejang

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) advises avoiding raw fish and shellfish, including sushi, during pregnancy because raw fish is more likely to cause illness. On the Korean table that covers sliced raw fish (hoe; see hoe culture), raw oysters, and raw marinated crab such as ganjang-gejang and yangnyeom-gejang.

Gejang is worth singling out because its soy or chili marinade can look like a form of preservation. A Korean laboratory study published in 2016 tested this directly. Crabs deliberately contaminated with five foodborne bacteria were soaked in soy sauce and kept at 5°C; Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus all survived on the crab for the full 28 days. The authors concluded that marination alone is not enough to make raw crab safe. See making gejang.

The FDA also advises against refrigerated smoked seafood unless it is cooked into a dish. Cooked seafood stews, grilled fish and pan-fried fish (saengseon-jeon) are the straightforward alternatives.

Jeotgal

Salted, fermented seafood such as myeongnan-jeot, ojingeo-jeot and changnan-jeot is eaten uncooked, straight from the refrigerator. None of the US or Korean guidance cited here names jeotgal specifically, so there is no official rule to quote. But it shares the features the guidance warns about: it is raw, ready to eat and kept chilled, and the gejang study shows that salt and refrigeration do not reliably eliminate Listeria. A cautious approach is to use jeotgal as a seasoning in dishes that are boiled or simmered, and to ask your provider about eating it raw as a side dish. Jeotgal is also very salty; see sodium in Korean food.

Fish and mercury

Fish remains valuable in pregnancy. ACOG recommends two to three servings of fish or shellfish a week (a serving is 4 ounces, about 113 g), avoiding bigeye tuna, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish and tilefish, and limiting albacore tuna to 6 ounces a week. Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has advised pregnant and breastfeeding women to limit tuna, swordfish and shark to 100 g or less a week. Familiar Korean fish such as mackerel, anchovies and pollock are lower-mercury choices; details are in seafood, omega-3s and mercury.

Makgeolli, soju and cooking wine

MedlinePlus states that there is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy and that drinking at any stage can be harmful. That applies to makgeolli, soju and cheongju alike, whatever their strength. Small amounts of rice wine used in marinades are a separate question: how much alcohol cooks off depends on the method and time. See traditional liquor.

Ginseng

The NIH's National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says some studies suggest Asian ginseng may be unsafe taken by mouth during pregnancy, noting that one of its compounds caused birth defects in animals, and that little is known about its safety while breastfeeding. That guidance concerns ginseng as a supplement; it does not address the root simmered in samgyetang. Concentrated products such as ginseng extracts, teas and tonics are best avoided unless a provider agrees, and it is reasonable to ask about culinary use too. See ginseng.

Seaweed and iodine

Iodine needs rise in pregnancy; ACOG lists 220 micrograms a day. Korean seaweeds such as miyeok and dashima can be very rich in iodine,. Moderation and variety are the guiding ideas; see seaweed and iodine and, for the custom of eating miyeok-guk after birth, postpartum food traditions.

Everyday habits

• Cook sprouts through: Lightly blanched mung bean sprouts in sukju-namul can be cooked a little longer.
• Store banchan well: Return dishes to the refrigerator promptly and serve with clean utensils. See food safety at home.
• Check with your provider: Nausea, aversions, medical conditions and family custom all shape what works; personal advice beats any general list.