The Type of Fish You Eat Matters

Omega-3 is essential for healthy brain development and function. So it’s not only important for young children, but also adults. This is one of the main reasons that sea food is part of a balanced diet. However, mercury isn’t! So it’s essential to monitor not only the amount of fish you eat, but also the type.

The NRDC has a list of fish that should be completely avoided, as well as fish that should not be eaten more than 6 or 3 times a month. It’s easy to categorize all fish equally. However, it’s not that simple. It may be surprising to know that fish such as halibut, canned chunk light and skipjack tuna and Alaskan cod have moderate levels of mercury and shouldn’t be eaten more than 6 times a month. Even more shocking is that albacore and yellowfin tuna, along with some types of mackerel shouldn’t be eaten more than 3 times a month.

Each list contains several fish. However, the recommendation isn’t to eat each of those fish the recommended number of times each month. We shouldn’t eat any combination of those fish more than the recommended number of times, or in larger portions. So if you eat four (4) skipjack tuna sandwiches in one month, don't eat two (2) servings of any other fish on that list for the rest of the month.