We’ve all heard that mercury is found in fish, but do you know which fish are the safest to eat? Or how much is okay to consume in a week? Use two simple tools to find out.
The FDA has been testing fish for years to determine the mercury content in commonly consumed species, and publishes this information on its website, but the list doesn’t help much if you don’t know how use it. Thankfully the good people at the Turtle Island Restoration Network have created a calculator for determining how much fish you can safely eat in a week. Just enter your weight, the type of fish you will be eating, and how much. The calculator does the rest.
Here’s another great resource: The Natural Resources Defense Council’s wallet card that outlines how much of each fish a woman can safely consume while pregnant.
I’ve also gone ahead and ranked the 10 species of fish with the lowest and highest concentrations of mercury according to the FDA chart.
The fish with the lowest mercury (ppm) ranked in order from least to most (“most” only refers to this list of ten, all of these fish contain low levels of mercury by comparison to other fish): Scallop, Salmon (Canned), Clam, Shrimp, Oyster, Sardine, Tilapia, Anchovies, Salmon (Fresh/Frozen), Squid
The fish with the highest mercury (ppm) ranked in order from least to most (but make no mistake, even the least of these has very high mercury content!): Tuna (Fresh/Frozen, species unknown), Grouper (All Species), Mackerel Spanish (Gulf of Mexico), Marlin, Orange Roughy, Tuna (Fresh/Frozen Big Eye/Ahi), Mackerel King, Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico).
May All Beings Be Happy,
Craig Swogger, L.Ac.
Acupuncture, Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Optimal Wellness
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