I'll Have the Fish; No Mercury Please!

Do you ever worry about the contaminants in your fish? I hear these questions a lot, "should I eat tuna? Which fish is highest in mercury? Are fish oil supplements safe?

Here are some answers:

Tuna

• It is advised that adults eat no more than 1 can of tuna per week ( This is the general recommendation, I sometimes eat two cans, personally. The 1 serving per week recommendation is especially important for women who are pregnant).

• Albacore tuna is the richest source of omega-3 fatty acids, and it is also one of the least likely contaminated tunas (light canned tuna actually has the lowest amount of mercury, but it's also much lower in EPA/DHA).
  

Other Fish

• The fish that are generally highest in mercury include swordfish, shark, tilefish, and king mackerel. Again, it's especially important to keep away from these during pregnancy.
  

• The fish that are generally lowest in mercury are haddock, tilapia, salmon, cod, pollock, canned albacore tuna, and most shellfish.

Supplements

• If you take cod liver oil, be aware that many brands are potentially high in mercury and PCBs.

• In a recent review of 52 different brands of fish oil, ConsumerLabs.com found that none of the supplements had detectable levels of mercury or PCBs (yeah!).
  

• Look for the NSF or USP label on your supplements. This means the supplement has been tested for contaminants!

• On a different note, check out this article about the health benefits of fish oil. Basically, there are benefits, but they don't outweigh the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
  

Quick, Healthy, and Cheap Recipe #16
Tuna Melt

Ingredients

1 slice whole grain bread
3 ounces canned or pouched white tuna
1 slice American Cheese
1 tsp Red Hot

Possible Modifications

• Use any bread you have available
• Use any tuna you have (white tuna has the most EPA/DHA)
• Use any kind of cheese!

Instructions
Add the tuna and the cheese on top of the bread. Pop into toasted oven until cheese is nice and melted.

ENJOY!

Nutrition Facts

EPA/DHA: ~.66-1 gram per serving (The recommendation is 1-2 grams per day)

Coming Up

Tomorrow I plan to show you the two houses that Nick and I are "fighting over". I'll let you be the judge as to which one you like best. I only have two pictures, from the outside. I'll show you more once we by one of the houses! I also plan on doing a product review.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!