That is why pregnant and nursing mothers must be very careful about the amounts and types of fish they eat.
Fish that doesn t contain mercury.
But there s a catch.
All fish contain trace amounts of mercury.
That s why women who are or could become pregnant and young children shouldn t eat high mercury fish such as swordfish shark king mackerel and tilefish.
The unborn baby is most sensitive to the effects of mercury particularly during the third and fourth months of gestation.
Some species of fish contain worrisome amounts of methylmercury a toxin that s especially dangerous to developing brains.
That s because it s a great source of protein micronutrients and healthy fats.
Here are some low mercury fish choices and fish to avoid.
A serving of fish meat is likely to contain far more contamination than a fish oil supplement.
Fish products have been shown to contain varying amounts of heavy metals particularly mercury and fat soluble pollutants from water pollution species of fish that are long lived and high on the food chain such as marlin tuna shark swordfish king mackerel and.
The truth is that times have changed and the days of pollution free bodies of water and fish without antibiotics are long gone.
Fish and shellfish concentrate mercury in their bodies often in the form of methylmercury a highly toxic organomercury compound.
However some types of fish can contain high levels of mercury.
Fish that contain high levels of mercury include shark orange roughy swordfish and ling.
Before shopping for seafood familiarize yourself with the levels of mercury in fish.
Top 15 low and high mercury fish.
Mercury is a naturally occurring element that is found in air water and food.
I mean who doesn t love sushi or a hearty seafood stew.
Fish is one of the healthiest foods you can eat.
In fact the majority of people in america need to eat more fish not less fish.
The conclusion that i came to after reading everything i could about mercury and fish is that even though many of these popular saltwater fish have high mercury levels it doesn t mean you should stop eating these fish.
Safe for kids and pregnant women.
Nutrition experts often recommend seafood for kids and pregnant mothers since it is a rich source of vitamins minerals omega 3 fatty acids and proteins.