One Fish, Two Fish

You probably already know the numerous health benefits of incorporating fish into  your diet. The benefits to the cardiovascular system (heart and circulation) have been widely touted. And now there is mounting evidence supporting the role of omega 3 fatty acids (such as those found in fish) in preserving cognitive function in older adults, improving mood, and even relieving inflammatory conditions.

While all these benefits are compelling reasons to consume fish (not fried) the recommended two times per week, recently the media has been filled with warnings of potential contaminants, such as mercury and dioxins. Two new reports have been published that put these warnings in perspective; a report from the federal Institute of Medicine and another from the Harvard Medical School. Both conclude that the health benefits of fish far outweigh any potential risk. The most important rule you can follow in minimizing risk is to eat a variety of fish each month. For example, if you eat tuna as your first weekly fish meal, select cod for your second fish meal of the week. The recommendation is to eat fish no more than three times per week (two is better), and to consume a four- to six-ounce portion at each of those meals. 

Although the writers of these reports didn’t want to create “good fish” lists and “bad fish” lists, preferring to emphasize the importance of variety, there are other groups, such as oceansalive.org,  that provide more detailed information about contamination, and groups such as EcoFish (www.seafoodsafe.com) that identify sustainably-managed fisheries that do not contain unsafe levels of contaminants.

Following are some basic guidelines that will help point you in the right direction:

• Eat only six ounces of tuna per week, and make sure canned tuna is light, not white albacore.
• Avoid fish that is known to be high in mercury, such as swordfish, tilefish, shark and king mackerel.
• Choose wild salmon if available. Check the country of origin of farmed salmon: the safest farmed salmon comes from Chile (and other South American countries), Canada and the US. Canned salmon (made from wild chum, Coho, and sockeye salmon) is an option, as most of it is wild and inexpensive. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant, and young children, should eat farmed salmon no more than once per month.
• Fatty fish lower in the food chain, such as sardines, herring, and anchovies, are good choices..  Some other good fish choices, that are both low in contaminants and high in heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, are mackerel, striped bass (farmed), and sablefish (also called black cod).
• You can prepare fish in a way that decreases the amount of PCB’s (polychlorinated biphenyls, a common contaminant) that you consume. Remove the skin and the fat beneath the skin (where the pollutants are more concentrated) prior to cooking. Broil, bake or grill the fish on a rack. Don’t use batter or breading, which traps the fat. Note that none of these cooking techniques affect the amount of mercury contamination.