Fish have become a popular protein choice in healthy diets. They are low in fat while also high in omega-3 essential fatty acids and other essential nutrients. Although eating fish is recommended for heart health and weight loss, contamination levels of fish, especially of mercury, have been a lingering concern. By selecting lower-mercury fish, seafood can still be a part of a healthy diet.
The Basics
Almost all fish have some amount of mercury in them. Some mercury occurs naturally in the environment, but the high levels seen today are related to industrial pollution, which builds up in the ocean. As fish live in the contaminated waters, the mercury builds up in them. Larger fish that live longer accumulate higher mercury levels over time. It's the "large breed" varieties of fish that end up on the "avoid" list, while small, younger fish have much lower levels.
The Best Options
The following seafood varieties contain the least amount of mercury: anchovies, catfish, mackerel, flounder, mullet, perch, pollock, salmon (fresh and canned), sardines, sole, squid (calamari), tilapia, trout and whitefish.
Also, here are some shellfish options that are low in mercury:
clams, crab (domestic), crawfish/crayfish, oysters, scallops and shrimp.
Eat up to 12 ounces of seafood per week, equal to about two or three meals' worth.
Now and Then
These fish have moderate amounts of mercury and should be eaten only occasionally: bass, cod (Alaskan), croaker, halibut, mahi mahi, monkfish and snapper.
Tuna typically has high mercury levels, but two types fall into the moderate category: canned chunk light and skipjack.
Lobster is the only shellfish that falls into this category.
Fish to Avoid
These fish have the highest amounts of mercury and should be eaten only occasionally: bluefish, grouper, mackerel (Spanish, Gulf), sea bass (Chilean), tuna, (canned albacore, yellowfin, bigeye, ahi), mackerel (king), marlin, orange roughy, shark and swordfish.
To Sushi or Not to Sushi?
Sushi fans can still dig in with their chopsticks. Just print out an easy reference wallet card, such as the one below in the References section. The hardest part will be avoiding or limiting the many tasty tuna varieties that fill sushi menus.
Member Comments
gotmercury June 28
An excellent tool to gauge how much potential mercury is in the fish you are eating is the free on-line calculator found at www.gotmercury.org