Dear Reader,
What do you do about this health dilemma?
Eat more fish because of the quality protein and the healthiest of omega-3 fats…. Or, eat less because of widespread mercury pollution.
There are so many conflicting reports about the fish, it’s hard to know what to think.
Case in point:
The New York Times just came out with this front-page story…
Random testing of tuna sushi found mercury levels so high that eating just six of those tiny pieces of raw fish a week would put you over the EPA’s limit.
Yet the American Heart Association currently recommends a much larger 6 ounces of fish twice a week for optimum heart health.
Some have recommended farm-raised fish because of fear of mercury in fish caught in the ocean. But this exposes another problem….
Farm-raised fish are fed soy and grain instead of their natural diet of shrimp and plankton, which makes their meat far less nutritious than their wild-caught cousins. What’s more, fish “farms” are just shoreline “pens,” which means the trapped fish absorb toxic chemicals in ground water and “run-off,” including PCBs, dioxins pesticides – and mercury.
You don’t have to take my word for it. A recent study found that wild-caught fish in general have lower levels of dangerous toxins than farm-raised fish. (By the way, most of the fish you’ll find in supermarkets and restaurants these days are farm-raised.)
Here’s what I do: I mostly stick to smaller fish that are lower down on the food chain. Because they don’t generally eat other fish, fewer toxins get stored in their flesh. It’s the big, deep-sea fish like tuna, swordfish, and grouper that have the highest mercury levels.
I eat larger fish less frequently, select wild-caught only and prefer Pacific to Atlantic fish. I also take one tablespoon of cod liver oil per day that has been tested and found to have less than one part per billion of mercury or PCB’s.
You can also enjoy other kinds of seafood besides fish without running the risk of poisoning from chemicals and other pollutants. Just make sure you know the source.
Here’s a list my Wellness Research team put together of what’s safe to eat and what’s not. Notice how some of the same species can be healthy or dangerous depending on where they come from:
SAFE
Salmon (wild-caught Alaskan)
Herring (Atlantic)
Mackerel (Atlantic)
Flounder (summer)
Anchovies
Arctic Char
Halibut (Pacific/Alaska)
Mahi-mahi (Atlantic)
Black cod
Haddock
Shrimp (Northern/Canada)
Prawns
Clams/Oysters (ocean farmed)
Bay scallops (ocean farmed)
Blue Crab (Atlantic)
Trout
UNSAFE
Salmon (farm-raised/Atlantic)
Grouper
King Mackerel
Monkfish
Swordfish
Tuna (blue fin)
Halibut (Atlantic)
Snapper
Cod (Atlantic)
Marlin
Shrimp (Imported)
Chilean Sea Bass
Shark
Skate
Caviar
Tilefish
You can also limit your exposure to potential toxins by making sure you get filets with as little fat as possible, since many of the dangerous contaminants are stored in fatty tissue.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1Marian Burros, “High Mercury Levels Are Found in Tuna Sushi,” New York Times, January 23, 2008.
2 Foran et al. “Risk-Based Consumption Advice for Farmed Atlantic and Wild Pacific Salmon Contaminated with Dioxins and Dioxin-like Compounds.” Environmental Health Perspectives. 2005. 113(5): 552–556.