One Fish, Two Fish, Good Fish, Bad Fish

Have you ever had that debate when eating fish, trying to decide whether you're being healthy, or harmful to your body?

It all depends on your choices, actually.

Fish is an excellent source of not only protein, but also omega-3 fatty acids that are wonderful for a myriad of important bodily functions. So, what is the catch? Some seafood varieties contain high levels of mercury, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), dioxins and other environmental contaminants.

What to do then?
It's easy!

Just make sure your seafood choices are based on a
higher ratio of good vs the bad.

Higher levels of these environmental contaminants are usually present in larger, older, predatory fish, and significantly lower in their smaller, younger prey. For example, shark and swordfish are very high, and anchovies and sardines are very low. That represents two extremes, though, so don't worry I'm sure your favorite fish is on the list, at least in moderation!
To check out your own mercury calculator (using your weight to judge the exposure to a serving of your favorite fish), go to the website www.gotmercury.org.

Now, what about the good side of fish?

Omega-3 fatty acids are important for the formation of healthy cell membranes and proper functioning of your brain and nervous system. They are involved in pretty much everything that you and your body needs to think and do.
In addition to those minor details, a healthy balance of fatty acids in the diet are protective against heart disease, depression and other mental disorders, cardiac sudden death, stroke, hormone imbalance, unhealthy cholesterol ratio, and possibly hypertension and inflammatory diseases.

If you want to reap all these benefits,
but don't want to worry about which fish to eat or not?

I would recommend taking an omega-3,6,9 supplement, up to 3g daily. Fatty acid supplements made from fish are purified to remove any heavy metals, and it's possible to get a supplement that provides for you a balance of the variety of omega fats your body needs. If you prefer to have fatty acid sources that are vegetarian, you can also choose supplements such as the oils of: flax seed, borage, evening primrose or food sources such as walnuts, hemp seeds, soybeans (I recommend edamame or tempeh), and dark leafy greens.

So, back to the fish topic:
who are the fish winners in the omega-3 content category?

Wild Salmon, Herring, Rainbow Trout, Anchovies, Pacific Oysters and Sardines, where 4 ounces or less of these varieties will give you roughly 1 gram of disease fighting and brain boosting omega 3's. If you want an easy way to boost your fish intake, but don't want to buy and cook fresh, remember that canned is inexpensive, easy to find and prepare. Remember however the importance of choosing the correct fish variety. Wild salmon is an excellent choice, "light or chunk" tuna is also good, but I would choose albacore and yellowfin tuna last due to their higher mercury levels.

Just to throw out one more hook while we're on the subject...
have you considered where your fish come from?

Sustainable fishing is not only important for our environment, but also important for the health of our bodies through the health of the fish we eat. The Monterey Bay Aquarium provides an easy to use website for interesting information and seafood variety search capabilities to see if your favorite fish is on the "good" list.

Here is their website for reference: www.mbayaq.org
To look up specific fish, look under Save The Oceans, then Seafood Watch, or go to http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

Thankfully, the fish on the "health winner" list can also be winners on the sustainability list!

Enjoy low mercury, high omega-3 fish several times a week (in 4oz portions), stay educated about your food choices, and not only will your body thank you, but so will the environment!