Healthy Fish Options

HEALTHY FISH OPTIONS

My husband recently went in for his yearly checkup with our doctor and it turns out his mercury level is incredibly high.  This news was a bit shocking but it makes perfect sense.  We are owners of two kosher restaurants that serve sushi and we also keep a kosher diet when eating out at non-kosher restaurants.  This means when we eat at restaurants that are non-kosher, we do not order any meat/chicken, shellfish, and pork. This limits us to vegetarian and fish options to order from.  I guess we were unaware as to how much mercury we have been ingesting each week.  We also were not aware of which types of fish to avoid.

We always thought that eating fish was our healthiest option. We know that eating fish is good for you. Fish is the ultimate anti-aging superfood.  It contains omega-3 fatty acids and so many healthy fats that reduce cholesterol and improve your health.  However, fish can be harmful to your health if you are eating the wrong kinds and eating them too often. Eating the wrong kinds of fish can raise your mercury level and result in damage to your kidneys and brain.   This is especially dangerous for pregnant and breastfeeding women because fetuses and newborns are very sensitive to mercury. My doctor said that pregnant women and children under 6 years old should eat no more than 2 servings of low mercury fish each week.

Check out below to see what types of fish you should be eating and what types of fish you should avoid.

HIGHEST MERCURY

Avoid eating (everyone):

• Marlin
• Orange Roughy
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Tilefish
• Tuna (Ahi)

HIGH MERCURY

Eat no more than three 6-oz servings per month

pregnant women and small children should avoid these

• Bluefish
• Grouper
• Sea Bass
• Tuna (Canned Albacore, Yellowfin)

MODERATE MERCURY

Eat 6 servings or fewer per month (pregnant women and small children should avoid these):

• Bass
• Carp
• Cod
• Halibut
• Lobster
• Mahi Mahi
• Monkfish
• Perch
• Snapper
• Tuna (Canned Chunk light)

LOWEST MERCURY

Eat 2-3 servings a week (pregnant women and small children should not eat more than 12 ounces (2 servings):

• Anchovies
• Catfish
• Clam
• Crab
• Crawfish
• Flounder
• Haddock
• Herring
• Mackerel
• Mullet
• Oyster
• Perch
• Pollock
• Salmon
• Sardine
• Scallop
• Shrimp
• Sole
• Squid
• Tilapia
• Trout
• Whitefish

Look over this list or print it out so that you know which types of fish are safe for you and your family to be eating.

---