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.
The Oregon Department of Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a recall of Sprouter’s Northwest brand alfalfa sprouts following an outbreak of salmonella or salmonellosis.
The Oregon Department of Human Services reported that the company voluntarily recalled the product linked to at least 13 salmonellosis cases, nine people in Washington State and four in Oregon.
The alfalfa sprouts were distributed to grocery stores, restaurants and other retail outlets in Oregon and Washington.
More about Salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called Salmonella. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. However, in some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.
How to prevent salmonellosis
Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk.
If you are served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant, don’t hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.
Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks, and after contact with pet feces.
Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles, iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised persons.
Don’t work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change diaper) at the same time.
Mother’s milk is the safest food for young infants. Breastfeeding prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.
On August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule that allows the use of irradiation to make fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling.
The FDA ruling allows spinach and lettuce sellers to take an extra step, a long-awaited move amid increasing illness outbreaks caused by raw produce.
Irradiation has been shown to kill E. coli, salmonella and listeria and lengthen shelf life, without compromising the safety, texture or nutrient value of raw spinach and iceberg lettuce.
The FDA is reassuring the public that the process will not make food any less appealing or less healthful than non-irradiated varieties.
ABC News recently took a look at restaurant websites and menus in New York City and talked to spokes people for various restaurants and fast food chains to determine which fast food burgers one can eat if you are on a diet, and which ones will force you to the gym.
They only looked at the calories for each of the hamburgers which for some may be half of a normal person’s daily calories. They did not look at the fat content for the hamburgers (which presumably is quite high also).
Lower Calorie Hamburgers
Wendy’s Jr. Hamburger – 230
In n’ Out Burger – Protein Style (Bun replaced with Lettuce) – 240
McDonald’s Hamburger - 250
Jack in the Box, Hamburger deluxe – 350
Chili’s Burger Patty only (w/o bun or toppings) – 360
Medium Range Calorie Hamburgers
Fatburger, Fatburger – 520
McDonald’s Big Mac – 540
Burger King’s Whopper – 670
Head to the Gym Calorie Hamburgers
Six Dollar Burger from Carl’s Jr. – 1010
Jack in the Box Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger – 1,090
An article that came out in today’s Salt Lake Tribune looks at some young athletes who have observed Ramadan even during football season by not eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset. In the article one young player discusses some of the challenges he experienced when not eating and not drinking water during the day and still practicing football.
I had mentioned Ramadan as an example in the Introduction to Nutrition Lecture this week that people’s religious beliefs can impact their eating habits, or in this case their lack of eating habits.
Ramadan, the annual 30-day Islamic holiday during which all believers abstain from food, drink and physical pleasures such as smoking and sex from dawn until sunset.
According to the article not everyone has to fast during Ramadan. Pregnant or menstruating women are exempt but expected to make up the lost fast days during the course of the year. Children begin fasting gradually, first half a day, then several days, until they grow old enough to fast without injuring their health.
The practice is meant to instill discipline, and to encourage gratitude and identification with the poor.
A new study published this August in JAMA found that one-fifth of both US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic.
The purpose of the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) study was to “determine the prevalence of Ayurvedic medicines available via the Internet containing detectable lead, mercury or arsenic.” The study was also designed to compare the prevalence of toxic metals in US- vs Indian-manufactured medicines and between rasa shastra and non–rasa shastra medicines.
Lead, mercury, and arsenic have been detected in a substantial proportion of Indian-manufactured traditional Ayurvedic medicines. These metals may be present due to the practice of rasa shastra which is to combine herbs with metals, minerals, and gems.
More about Arsenic, Lead and Mercury
According to the study research more than 80 people have developed lead poisoning worldwide from Ayurvedic medicines since 1978. Lead and mercury can damage the kidneys and brain, especially in children. Arsenic can cause cancer.
Ayurvedic medications are largely used by adults to treat problems ranging from indigestion to infertility. About 4% of the 193 products that author Robert Saper of the Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center tested were labeled for use in children. Among the metal-containing products, 95% were sold by US Web sites and 75% claimed Good Manufacturing Practices.
The bottom line, since 20% of both US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contained detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic one should be extremely cautious when using these products.
Parents are one of the greatest influences on their children’s eating habits. This has been confirmed in a new study published this summer.
According to researchers at Washington University in St. Louis parents who providing fruits for snacks and serving vegetables at dinner can shape a preschooler’s eating patterns for his or her lifetime.
Researcher Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., a professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work found when parents eat more fruits and vegetables, so do their children. On the other hand, when parents eat and give their children high fat snacks or soft drinks, children learn these eating patterns instead.
I firmly believe if we teach our children how to make healthy choices, about good health, nutrition and being active; these will help them to develop healthy habits and lifestyle choices to they can be healthy for a lifetime.
According to the fifth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, 2008 report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) the adult obesity rates increased in 37 states in the past year. The report was released in August 2008.
Rates rose for a second consecutive year in 24 states and for a third consecutive year in 19 states. No state saw a decrease in rates of obesity.
According to the study, even though many promising policies have emerged to promote physical activity and good nutrition in communities, these policies are not being adopted or implemented at levels needed to turn around this health crisis.
Statistics from the Report:
More than 25 percent of adults are obese in 28 states, which is an increase from 19 states last year.
More than 20 percent of adults are obese in every state except Colorado.
In 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.
In 1980, the national average of obese adults was 15 percent.
I think one of the best things about Madagascar the Movie (2005) was the song by King Julian, “I Like To Move It.” It is just one of those infectious songs that gets people up and moving. I know that it got my kids up dancing.
I am hoping with the release of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa this November, that the film and health industry will realize the potential of the “Move it! Move it!” song to use it as a great incentive to get kids (and grownups) up and moving.
Here is the clip with the original King Julian, voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen:
You can see the full list at their website, their list by fish or download their pocket guide. For more information on contaminants see Contaminants in Fish and Shellfish and their Health Alert for fish and shellfish.
Visit the Environmental Working Group’s 
On August 22, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule that allows the use of irradiation to make fresh iceberg lettuce and fresh spinach safer and last longer without spoiling.
Lower Calorie Hamburgers
A new study published this August in JAMA found that one-fifth of both US-manufactured and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines purchased via the Internet contain detectable lead, mercury, or arsenic.
Parents are one of the greatest influences on their children’s eating habits. This has been confirmed in a new study published this summer.
According to the fifth annual 
