Eat Fish, Avoid Mercury

Worried about mercury overload in your diet? It's no mystery that too much of the stuff is bad for your brain, but unless you've been following Entourage star Jeremy Piven's diet, chances are you're probably not getting enough of the scaly swimmers. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) put out a review in 2007 that concludes that the benefits of consumption of fish far outweigh any risks from mercury. New recommendations actually urge all people, including pregnant women, to eat a minimum of 12 ounces (2 to 3 servings) of fish per week in order to get enough of those coveted omega-3s (you know--the super-healthy fat that's been shown to prevent heart disease, depression and stroke). On the flip side, many types of seafood do contain mercury--and at very high levels, mercury kills brain cells. Still, getting mercury poisoning isn't easy--your body removes most of it naturally via the filtering action of your kidneys and other metabolic pathways. In order to rack up a dangerous amount of the toxin, you'd have to consume the most mercury-laden fish several times a month. Here's your quick list of fish you should avoid and fish you should eat more often: Fish To Avoid Because large fish eat smaller fish and their large bodies soak up more chemicals than small ones, they contain the highest levels of mercury. King mackerel (not Atlantic mackerel), sharks, swordfish, tilefish, and whales all make the cut (and should be cut out of your next meal). White or albacore tuna, which often ends up on this short list, does have more mercury than light canned tuna, but all people can safely enjoy about 6 ounces (approximately two servings) per week. But remember, despite all the mercury melodrama, fish should be a part of every healthy diet--it's slim on calories and artery-clogging saturated fat. Just err on the side of caution: score your 250-milligram minimum of omega-3 fats from fish with as few toxins as possible. WH's Best Healthy Fish 1. Salmon (the wild kind): Most varieties provide more than three times recommended daily dose of omega-3s. Wild Atlantic salmon is king of the sea with a mighty 1.6 g of the good stuff and a mini mercury count of 0.01 ppm. Avoid Farmed salmon, which may contain PCBs from polluted water. AVOID Farmed salmon, which may contain PCBs from polluted water. 2. Rainbow trout (the farmed kind): With a full gram of omega-3s. Tests on mixed varieties of trout show only 0.07 ppm of mercury, and farmed may contain even less. Plus it's got a full gram of omega-3s, boasts more than twice the 2-mcg RDA for B12, and contains half the 15-mg RDA for niacin (lowers bad cholesterol and helps with metabolism). 3. Oysters (from the Pacific): Almost devoid of mercury (0.01 ppm) and pack 1.2 g of omega-3s per 3 oz., plue they deliver more than twice the 12-mg RDA of immunity- and libido-boosting zinc. AVOID Wild Eastern and American oysters — they may contain PCBs. 4. Striped bass (if farmed): Not known to contain mercury in any measurable quantity, and packs 0.8 g of omega-3s, more than twice the suggested minimum. Bonus: Has about double the RDA of B12 and 72 percent of your daily selenium. AVOID Mercury-laden wild striped bass (0.22 ppm). 5. Pollock (from the Atlantic): Often used to make filet-o-fish, fish sticks, and imitation crab and is rich in B12 (3 mcg) and selenium (40 mcg). It's extremely low in mercury (0.04 ppm) and you'll love the 0.5 g of omega-3s.AVOID Pacific pollock--it's more likely to contain PCBs.