Fish is a good option for a protein source since it is low in fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that eating just 6 ounces per week of fatty fish, such as salmon or sardines, may be enough to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 36 percent and reduce the overall risk of death by 17 percent. This makes fish perhaps one of the healthiest foods that you can eat.
Although there has been some recent concern about contaminants in fish such as mercury and PCBs, the evidence suggests that the proven health benefit of fish consumption is much greater than the potential for harm among adults who consume fish one to two times per week. Except perhaps for a few fish species that are higher in mercury, the scales also tip in favor of fish consumption for women who are pregnant. While high intake of mercury appears to hamper a baby's brain development, low intake of omega-3 fats from fish is at least as dangerous, since omega-3 fats are crucial for brain development.
So, the healthiest approach for women who are or may become pregnant, for nursing mothers, and for young children is to eat two servings per week of fish or other seafood, including up to one serving per week of white (albacore) canned tuna, and to avoid the four fish species that are highest in mercury: shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel. In addition, about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
It is important that women recognize that the list of fish and seafood that they and their children should eat is far larger than the few specific species to be avoided. Also, it's important to realize that the restrictions on shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel apply only to pregnant women, nursing women, and children—not to the rest of the population, for whom the evidence supports simply choosing a variety of fish and seafood.
Although there has been some recent concern about contaminants in fish such as mercury and PCBs, the evidence suggests that the proven health benefit of fish consumption is much greater than the potential for harm among adults who consume fish one to two times per week. Except perhaps for a few fish species that are higher in mercury, the scales also tip in favor of fish consumption for women who are pregnant. While high intake of mercury appears to hamper a baby's brain development, low intake of omega-3 fats from fish is at least as dangerous, since omega-3 fats are crucial for brain development.
So, the healthiest approach for women who are or may become pregnant, for nursing mothers, and for young children is to eat two servings per week of fish or other seafood, including up to one serving per week of white (albacore) canned tuna, and to avoid the four fish species that are highest in mercury: shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel. In addition, about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.
It is important that women recognize that the list of fish and seafood that they and their children should eat is far larger than the few specific species to be avoided. Also, it's important to realize that the restrictions on shark, swordfish, tilefish, and king mackerel apply only to pregnant women, nursing women, and children—not to the rest of the population, for whom the evidence supports simply choosing a variety of fish and seafood.
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