What are the best and safest seafoods to eat?
The question came up in class about what were the best and safest seafoods to eat considering all of the concerns about mercury and other contaminants in our seafood sources.
When picking seafood one needs to consider:
1. The type of Fish
2. The nutrient benefits of the Fish
3. The potential for contaminants in the Fish
4. The food raising practices of how the fish are farmed.
5. The nutritional needs or status and the size of the person e.g. pregant woman, elderly or child.
American Heart Association’s Original Recommendations about Fish
The American Heart Association recommends that people eat fish at least twice a week. Recent research shows that eating oily fish containing omega-3 fatty acids (for example, salmon, trout, and herring) may help lower your risk of death from coronary artery disease.
Contaminants in Fish and Shell Fish
Despite their valuable qualities, fish can pose considerable health risks when contaminated with substances such as metals (e.g., mercury and lead), industrial chemicals (e.g., PCBs) and pesticides (e.g., DDT and dieldrin).
Many of our oceans, lakes and rivers are now known to be surprisingly tainted with these contaminants. As a result, some fish are sufficiently contaminated that Environmental Defense recommends limited or no consumption.
American Heart Association’s Recommendations about Fish by Stage of Life
The benefits and risks of eating fish vary depending on a person’s stage of life. In addition eating a variety of fish will help minimize any potentially adverse effects due to environmental pollutants.
Children and pregnant women are advised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to:
- Avoid eating those fish with the potential for the highest level of mercury contamination (e.g., shark, swordfish, king mackerel or tilefish);
- Eat up to 12 ounces (two average meals) per week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury (e.g., canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, catfish);
- Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in local lakes, rivers and coastal areas.
For middle-aged and older men and postmenopausal women, the benefits of fish consumption far outweigh the potential risks when the amount of fish are eaten is within the recommendations established by the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency.
Safe Fish and Seafish
According to the Environment Defense Fund, it is generally safe to eat 4 or more meals per month of the following fish and seafish:
- Anchovies
- Clams
- Crab, king (U.S.)
- Crab
- Snow/tanner
- Crawfish (U.S.)
- Haddock (trawl)
- Herring, Atlantic
- Lobster, American/Maine
- Mackerel, Atlantic
- Mussel, blue
- Oysters (farmed)
- Salmon, wild (Alaska)
- Sardines
- Scallops, bay (farmed)
- Shrimp, pink (Oregon)
- Squid
- Tilapia (Latin America)
- Tilapia (U.S.)
- Trout, rainbow (farmed)
EWG’s Tuna Calculator
Visit the Environmental Working Group’s Tuna Calculator to figure out how much Tuna you could consume in a week.
Sources:
American Heart Association. Fish, Levels of Mercury and Omega-3 Fatty Acids.
Environmental Defense Fund Data, Make Smart Choices When Eating Seafood.
Environmental Defense Fund. Contaminants in Fish and Shellfish.
Environmental Defense Fund. Common Questions About Contaminants in Fish.
Environmental Defense Fund. Health Altert.
Image Source: Filipe Natanael. Fish with Tomilho 1. Royalty Free Use.
Add comment September 12th, 2008
