mercury in your fish: how to calculate.

By now pretty much everyone is aware that we need to be mindful of how much fish we consume. We know there are plenty of benefits to eating sustainable, wild caught fish (eg, healthy brain functioning, reduced ADHD symptoms and aggression in children, cardiovascular benefits, reduced inflammation, et cetera); however, there are also some risks. The fish swim in a toxic ocean and eat other sea life also exposed to the same toxins. The larger the fish, the greater the amount of toxins that they, and eventually you, will consume.

One of the most discussed toxins in fish is mercury, which is a neurotoxin associated with autism, reproductive damage (birth defects, miscarriages, damage to sperm, et cetera) brain damage, damage to nervous system, damage to DNA, chronic illnesses (like cancer, colitis, depression, anemia, et cetera), allergic reactions, headaches, rashes, and fatigue. Because toxins, like mercury, accumulate in our bodies over time and are very difficult to detox, it is imperative that we all be mindful of our fish consumption. So, here are some tips on how to get the benefits of fish while reducing dangerous toxin consumption:

1. Take a high quality fish oil supplement. We need healthy omega-3 fatty acids in our bodies, and fish oil is the best way to get these fats into our diets, as they are highly bioavailable and don’t need to be converted before they are used in the brain. Look for a brand that moleculary distills the toxins out of the oil and that doesn’t use GMO ingredients (usual suspects are soy, vitamin e/tocopherol, vitamin c, ascorbic acid – check out this link for a full list of ingredients to avoid unless labeled non-GMO/GM-free).
2. Eat smaller sized fish (check out the suggested fish with the lowest mercury levels here). These fish are usually younger and don’t eat the larger sea life that has higher levels of toxins.
3. Check out the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Mercury Calculator, which will help you identify how much you will consume when you eat fish. The calculator takes gender, age, and weight into consideration.
4. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Guides. They make lists to let you know which fish are safest to eat, and which you should avoid. They take sustainability into consideration, which is critical because overfishing is such a huge problem right now. The website also has plenty of other resources for being an informed consumer.
5. Be mindful of where the fish was caught. For example, there is some concern regarding fish from the Gulf of Mexico after the BP oil spill. Also, post-Fukushima – which is STILL leaking - there are high levels of radiation circulating in the Pacific Ocean (map to right shows radiation in 2012), so fish once considered safe (e.g., Wild Alaskan salmon) might no longer be as safe for consumption. If you are interested in these issues, please contact your local representatives and demand transparency.
6. Use your intuition and try to make the best decisions possible for you and your family. If you (or your child) are a developing child or adolescent, are of child-bearing age, or are planning pregnancy (female or male, remember the whole sperm damage thing), or are breastfeeding, continuously be mindful of your fish consumption.

In wellness,

Lauren