[bananapancakes]

Originally Posted by i am still trying

mxgirl- I dont think they used to use dolphin but the issue was that the tuna nets were also catching dolphins in them- i think....

Dolphin meat is not in your tuna can, never fear. Dolphin friendly means that no drift nets etc... are used.....basically the tuna is caught in a way that does not trap, harm or kill dolphins.

[raiatheplaya]

There are a few factors to determining a safe level of tuna to eat, such as your weight, and the type of tuna. Albacore tuna has three times as much mercury as light tuna. According to the Environmental Working Group, a 150 pound woman can eat 3/4 of a can of Albacore tuna, and 2 and 1/4 cans of light tuna. These numbers are assuming you don't eat any other sea food in the week, and if you do, these numbers decrease.

Even at 200 pounds, you should only consume 1 can of Albacore tuna, and 3 cans of light tuna per week.

I've done a lot of research on the topic, and I've never been told that it's safe to eat tuna every day. I limit my consumption to no more than 2 cans of tuna per week, as this is usually the only fish I eat.

[staja]

I just read an article on this very subject -
http://www.slashfood.com/2008/09/07/...om-toxic-tuna/

Just something to think about. (And I stay away from all fish)

[luvja]

Seriously, for like 6 months, I ate tuna atleast 5 times a week.... nothing happend to me!.

[zenor77]

If you are concerned about mercury, Tongol tuna has the lowest amount of mercury. It's a much smaller type of tuna so there is basically no mercury in Tongol. I can't remember who did the analysis, but I read an article about a group that did an independent lab analysis and Tongol was much lower in mercury then all other varieties. It was a while back, I think it might have been Good Housekeeping? I believe albacore had the highest.

The rule for fish and mercury is, the higher up the food chain the more likely they are to have high mercury levels. Higher up the food chain=Bigger fish, so Large species of tuna, shark, swordfish, some types of mackerel...

One thing to keep in mind if you are feeding a family as well, is that men, children, pregnant women, and women who have gone through menopause should eat less mercury heavy fish (less fish in general.) It's the same idea as with iron, menstruating women have a way to eliminate excess heavy metals from their bodies.

As far as salmon, farmed salmon has mercury and PCBs due to what they are fed. Wild salmon is fine and I've never heard that you should limit wild salmon. The canned salmon I buy is wild from Alaska. Of course, I don't eat it every day because it's more expensive then other forms of protein.

As far as Omega-3 supplements, I take 3 capsules per day for health reasons. As long as you are buying a reputable brand that tests for mercury, taking it every day along with eating fish is fine. I don't believe you can get too much. The Omega-3s in your body should out number the Omega-6s (found in saturated fats and meats) anyway, for optimal health.

[kaplods]

Heavy metal poisoning can take years or even decades to reach toxic levels, or even for symptoms to appear, and even then, the symptoms can be vague and easily misdiagnosed unless the doctor thinks to check specifically for it.

How much is too much? It's hard to tell, because even the "experts," disagree.