Fish and Mercury
Recently, the benefits of eating fish and shell fish have been widely discussed in fitness and health articles. The Omega-3 Fatty Acids contained in fish and shellfish are beneficial to your heart health. In addition, seafood is high in protein and low in saturated fats.
However, some fish and shellfish are high in the element mercury. Mercury is highly poisonous to our bodies. Pregnant women and children are particularly at risk if mercury levels are too high in the diet.
Lewis Carroll’s character, the “Mad Hatter”, in “Alice in Wonderland” was based upon the hat makers in the 1800’s, who used mercury in the process of making felt hats. As a result, the mercury exposure degenerated brain and nervous system functions of these hat makers.
Warnings have been posted from the FDA and EPA to avoid certain sea-foods that are high in mercury. As you plan your diet, avoid the following high mercury sea-foods:
Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel and Tilefish
It is suggested that you can eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of the following common varieties of sea-food that are lower in mercury:
Shrimp, Canned Light Tuna, Salmon, Pollock, and Catfish
Albacore (white) Tuna has higher levels of mercury than Canned Light Tuna and, as a result, you should only eat 6 ounces per week.