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PROMOTING
WELLNESS
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| Since red meat is high in cholesterol and contributes to heart disease and fish is high omega 3 fatty acids that prevent heart attacks more of us are eating more fish. But eating a lot of fish has its drawbacks. Some fish is high in mercury content. The worst of these are king mackerel, shark, swordfish and tilefish. The next offenders have moderate amount of mercury and should be consumed only occasionally are halibut, lobster, mahi-mahi, orange roughy, red snapper and tuna. The fish with the lowest amount of mercury are catfish, flounder, sole, salmon, sardines, shellfish, and tilapia. Mercury is mostly a byproduct of mining and other industries. Once it gets into the water supply it lingers in fish flesh. As big fish eat the smaller ones they absorb more of the metal, making the large predator fish the most toxic. Because of this, warnings from the federal government have gone out to pregnant and nursing mothers to avoid these fish. FDA advises pregnant women to limit fish consumption of the lower amounts of mercury to 12 ounces. It seems that old rule “Everything in Moderation” can be applied to this situation. If a serving consists of 3-5 ounces, as it should, then 3 to 4 servings of fish a week should be safe. Other sources of Omega 3 fatty acids are flaxseed and canola oils. Information taken from the LA Times Health Section 5/26/03
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