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Old 04-28-2006, 02:02 PM   #1  
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Default YIKES did you know.....

Did any of you know about the mercury in fish? Apparently I have been in a cave as I eat a lot of fish (I mean a lot) -- my boss sent me this link and if you click on calculate on the left, put in your weight and it will give you what you can safely have. Click on more fish and it will list the remainder of the most common fish eaten. No more tuna for me!



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Old 04-28-2006, 02:41 PM   #2  
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I wouldn't worry about it my dear. There's always SOMETHING "they" want us to be worried about. The killer bees are coming, we're all going to get sick with SARS, everyone is going to die of the bird flu, etc. etc. I eat tuna all the time. We can't go through life worrying about every single thing we hear, see on the news, read in the newspaper/internet. Enjoy life!!
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Old 04-28-2006, 03:53 PM   #3  
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Here is a very informative article from the EPA
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fishadvice/advice.html

"What You Need to Know about Mercury in Fish and Shellfish"

The article starts off with: "Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfish contain high-quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can contribute to heart health and children's proper growth and development. So, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to the many nutritional benefits."
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Old 04-28-2006, 03:59 PM   #4  
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More information from the EPA website:

However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury. For most people, the risk from mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. The risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend on the amount of fish and shellfish eaten and the levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

By following these 3 recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
Check local advisories 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.
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Old 04-28-2006, 04:04 PM   #5  
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See do you love conflicting information from news folk! LOL I swear. I LOVE FISH. My dd & I eat it all the time, especially albacore tuna. I was really worried about the mercury content with her only being 10. Granted we are ok & healthy (just over weight) so far. I choose albacore as it isn't as mushy as chunk tuna. SO I will just limit that. Thanks for the other article too! I thought I would be stuck with perch, cod & tillapia from now on (granted they are yummy too)
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Old 04-28-2006, 06:18 PM   #6  
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The Chicago Tribune did an in-depth series on mercury in fish recently. The big piece of info I walked away with is that children and pregnant women need to be the most careful. The rest of us, as long as we are moderate about it, will likely be fine. Mercury poisoning is also reversible (except perhaps in kids), so if you thought you had symptoms, stopping eating fish would help then.
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Old 04-28-2006, 06:41 PM   #7  
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The reason albacore are worse than light tuna is that the albacore tend to be giffer fish 60-80lbs and therefore higher up in the food chain. Light canned tuna is made from the 5-6 lb variety. Sharks are top of the food chain - large fish - that have higher contaminates. Most fake crab is made from shark (big = bad) or pollock (2lb fish = good)

This idea holds true for all other fish. The larger the fish, the higher up the food chain, the more time they have been around to eat bad things, and the more likely they are to pass it on to you. You can keep safe by eating smaller fish. Sockeye salmon rather than King salmon, etc...

Other weird fish things. Wild salmon have less contaminates than farmed salmon (they hypothesize it is the crappy fish food they feed fish at farms).

There are also some acute problems with local fish in areas that have had heavy mining sediment deposited in local lakes and streams. Where I live entire towns have been labeled as Superfund sites. I only fish is smaller local lakes that didn't have mining activity.

Here is a website with no mercury info but good fish infohttp://www.pacseafood.com/products/albacore.html
and here is a website with the lowdown on Mercury http://www.epa.gov/ost/fishadvice/advice.html, most of which was already quoted above.
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Old 04-28-2006, 06:51 PM   #8  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cafe Ole
Did any of you know about the mercury in fish? Apparently I have been in a cave as I eat a lot of fish (I mean a lot) -- my boss sent me this link and if you click on calculate on the left, put in your weight and it will give you what you can safely have. Click on more fish and it will list the remainder of the most common fish eaten. No more tuna for me!



What link?
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