Full Go Fish You’ve heard the good, healthy news about fish, but you may have also heard the bad news about toxins and possible depletion. Confused? Our guide will help you figure out what’s what at the seafood counter. By Matthew G. Kadey By now you’re likely well aware that fish is good for you. Research shows that it helps us fend off heart disease and depression, and it’s even great for your skin and hair. But recent news may have you wondering which seafood is safe and which is politically correct to eat. Some are drowning in toxic chemicals while others are being loved to death. So what’s one to do? Keep eating fish. Loaded with healthy nutrients, it should be a centerpiece in an active women’s diet—so long as you know what’s what. Here’s the bottom line on the healthy virtues of fish and some of the dangers you should know about before heading to the seafood counter. Fish Fact #1: The Fattier the Better “By reducing inflammation and the stickiness of the blood and by lowering triglyceride [a type of blood fat] and blood-pressure levels, fish fat is very heart protective,” says Monique Ryan, sports dietician and author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 2nd ed. (VeloPress, 2007). For these reasons the American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish per week. For pregnant women dietary omega-3 fats are extremely important for optimal fetal brain development. And because it’s effective in reducing inflammation, “fish fat may also help minimize muscle irritation associated with a stiff workout,” adds Ryan. Fish Fact #2: Fish Is a Great Source of Protein Fish Fact #3: Fish Is Nutrient Dense Fish Fact #4: Toxins Accumulate in Fish “A general rule of thumb is that larger fish like shark, swordfish, tuna, and king mackerel and those that have a long life, such as orange roughy, grouper, Chilean sea bass, and Pacific rock bass, can accumulate lots of toxins,” reports Timothy Fitzgerald, a scientist with Environmental Defense’s Oceans program. But not all seafood is drowning in contaminants. Fitzgerald recommends wild Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, trout, sardines, pacific halibut, and tilapia as healthy alternatives. Farmed Atlantic salmon carry a similar toxin stigma. “That’s because carnivorous salmon are fed large amounts of contaminated fish,” explains Fitzgerald. This results in farmed salmon carrying around more PCBs than their wild counterparts. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition found that some of the benefits derived from the fat in these salmon can be diminished due to the presence of PCBs and other contaminants. Albacore “solid white” tuna has roughly three times more mercury than “chunk light” tuna. “Albacore is a much larger fish than the skipjack used mostly for light tuna,” says Fitzgerald. So if you’re a fan of tuna, make sure to stick with the cheaper stuff or, better yet, switch to canned salmon, which is not only lower in mercury but also higher in omega-3s. A bonus is that almost all canned salmon is wild. Fish Fact #5: Fish Is Not an Unlimited Resource
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Seafood Shopping List These fish have low toxin levels and are harvested in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Yellow-light Fish Limit your consumption to a couple times per month as these species may have elevated toxin levels or are in danger of being overfished.
Red-light Fish Avoid these species. They have high toxin levels and/or are harvested in environmentally damaging ways.
*Species that is high in contaminants |
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