Fish Mercury Levels – Concerns For You & Newborn

We know that fish is, in some cases, very nutritious and have good sources of nourishment, like omega-3s, the B vitamins, and lean protein.  However, fish can consist of in bad pollutants.

Mercury is a pollutant sometimes found in fish that could affect brain growth and the nervous system.  The FDA released daily rules for kids, pregnant women, and women trying to have kids.

These daily rules say that only 12 oz of mercury fish can be eaten each week.  “Highest mercury fish needs to be pushed away and “high” mercury fish needs to be at just three 6 oz helpings each month.

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What does this imply for ladies who are pregnant but want to find nutrients from seafood?  It all has to do with moderation.  Current knowledge put out in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine is saying that fish should not be out of their diet.

Fish consists of too much nutrition that is key to growing and developing, primarily in a pregnant mother and her baby.  Here are 4 kinds of fish that should be on the “too much mercury” list: shark, king mackerel, swordfish, and tilefish.

For information on other kinds of fish, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a fish list with their mercury levels so people will know what they are eating entirely.  To get more knowledge on mercury levels and how much a person is eating, one sure way is using the mercury thermometer to conclude totals.

Highest Mercury

Stay Away From: marlin, grouper, tilefish, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel

High Mercury

Eat no more than three 6-oz servings per month of: croaker, bass saltwater, halibut, tuna, bluefish, lobster and sea trout.

LOWER MERCURY

Eat no more than six 6-oz servings per month of: carp, crab, mahi mahi, snapper, monkfish, herring, cod, skate

LOWEST MERCURY

Enjoy 6-oz servings per week of: butterfish, anchovies, caviar, calamari, pollock, crab, whitefish, catfish, flounder, scallops, hake, haddock, lobster, herring, sole, shad, salmon, crayfish / crawfish, clams, shrimp, oysters, tilapia, sturgeon, sardines, and trout.

Tuna mercury levels can vary according to the kind of tuna it is and where you got it from. The NRDC says an 11 lb child can consume a can of tuna every four months or one can every six weeks; a 22 lb can have a can every 2 months or a can of chunk light every 23 days; a 33 lb child can have a can every 5 weeks or a can of chunk light every 2 weeks; and a 44 lb child can have a can every 4 weeks or a can of chunk light every 12 days.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of how you and your child can continue to enjoy seafood safely.  Fish remains a healthy food, but because of the mercury considerations, it’s sometimes not as safe as we once thought, especially when eaten in excess.  But eating in moderation is not only safe, but nutritious.

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