I got a great question from a reader and I wanted to share it with you. He raised some concerns about a food many of us love–Tuna. As the world we live in becomes more toxic from the errors of the past we must be mindful of what we eat and more importantly, how much we eat. It’s pretty common to question the safety of everything we put in our bodies and our children’s bodies.
Hey WWDD, quick question for you. My boy is 2 and a half years old. In NY, fresh fish is something to be desired in the winter, so my wife and I started giving my son Tuna. He now LOVES eating tuna. He eats sandwiches, tuna in mac and cheese, with rice, and much more. But I was curious to know if it’s safe or not for him. We’ve tried to give him other types of fish like Salmon and Halibut, but he would never eat them, just Tuna. Is it safe for him to eat a lot of Tuna?
What Would Dad Do’s Answer:
Hey Bobby, thanks for writing in, Tuna is actually great for your son. It’s a light oily fish that is very healthy–if consumed in controlled quantities. Canned tuna is a healthy source of vitamins and protein, but it does contain some levels of mercury. Whether it’s enough to require posted warning signs on the can labels is still being debated. Studies have been all over the place at this point in time but most studies conclude that people should not eat more than ONE can of Albacore tuna a week because of the mercury levels it contains. However, Skipjack tuna is a very common brand of canned tuna and it is safer for consumption than Albacore. Obviously raw tuna found in Sushi is filled with Mercury.
Below I have lsited the recorded mercury levels of fish and the recommendations for consumption. Honestly, the Mercury levels in some fish are surprising to me and scary. When you start to investigate what you eat it can become a bit disenchanthing. But a list of mercury levels in fish is something we as parents and human beings should no be completely aware of.
Here is a current list provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
LEAST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish:
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Clam
Crab (Domestic)
Crawfish/Crayfish
Croaker (Atlantic)
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Oyster
Perch (Ocean)
Plaice
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Scallop*
Shad (American)
Shrimp*
Sole (Pacific)
Squid (Calamari)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish
Whiting
MODERATE MERCURY
Eat six servings or less per month:
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Croaker (White Pacific)
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Jacksmelt
(Silverside)
Lobster
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned
chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Weakfish (Sea Trout)
HIGH MERCURY
Eat three servings or less per month:
Bluefish
Grouper*
Mackerel (Spanish, Gulf)
Sea Bass (Chilean)*
Tuna (Canned Albacore)
Tuna (Yellowfin)*
HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid eating:
Mackerel (King)
Marlin*
Orange Roughy*
Shark*
Swordfish*
Tilefish*
Tuna
(Bigeye, Ahi)*
* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods.
** Farmed Salmonmay contain PCB’s, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.
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