How much fish is too much?

[Anonymous]

I have a toddler who LOVES fish. I know this seems like it wouldn't be so bad, but she will eat a whole can of tuna for lunch every day if I let her, and then she wants salmon for dinner. I know that they limit you when pregnant b/c of mercury, so is this a problem? Is there a guideline for this? DD#1 is almost 4, but we do have a one year old in the house, and she ends up eating lots of fish too. Is this bad?

[Anonymous]

hmmm I stopped eating fish about a year ago b/c most of it has become so contaminated. But there are certain kinds that are worse than others -- like tuna, swordfish and "steaky" fish are bad, but I think mild, soft, whitefishes are better (like tilapia). I would let her eat fish, but not too much and only certain kinds. If she likes fish sticks, those tend to be mild white fishes and are probably ok. I am sure you can find more info on the Sierra Club website or Environmental Working Group site. This is something I think most doctors don't know much about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hmmm I stopped eating fish about a year ago b/c most of it has become so contaminated. But there are certain kinds that are worse than others -- like tuna, swordfish and "steaky" fish are bad, but I think mild, soft, whitefishes are better (like tilapia). I would let her eat fish, but not too much and only certain kinds. If she likes fish sticks, those tend to be mild white fishes and are probably ok. I am sure you can find more info on the Sierra Club website or Environmental Working Group site. This is something I think most doctors don't know much about.

Agree with this. I'd stay away from those fatty fish prone to mercury accumulation. And to the extent possible, buy wild caught and/or American. You would be disgusted to know how farm raised fish in China are fed/raised.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/world/asia/15fish.html

[Anonymous]

I wonder this too...except about goldfish crackers. I'm convinced DS would ONLY eat goldfish if I let him.

[Anonymous]

Here's some guidance. http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/fishmercury.htm

If you scroll to the bottom, it will tell you exactly how much tuna your daughter can eat depending on how much she weighs. Do you buy the white albacore tuna or the chunk light tuna? Light has so much less mercury than albacore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder this too...except about goldfish crackers. I'm convinced DS would ONLY eat goldfish if I let him.

Seriously. Mine too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder this too...except about goldfish crackers. I'm convinced DS would ONLY eat goldfish if I let him.

Seriously. Mine too.

Then you should definitely switch to Annie's Organic Whole Wheat Cheddar Bunnies.

[Anonymous]

Check out the EPA guidelines on how much to eat per week, for canned albacore tuna, it's recommended no more than once per week. For canned light tuna, eat no more than twice per week.

http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm

[Anonymous]

I thought that tuna at this point is neuro-toxic and thus try to use salmon instead. I have tried to eliminate all tuna from our household, and buy only Alaska wild salmon in cans (without skin and bones). If I mix that with a little mayonnaise, it can pass for tuna salad and my toddler is perfectly happy to eat it. It has to be alaskan salmon - because Pacific salmon (as opposed to farm raised or Atlantic) is supposed to be super-healthy and has good omega-3s etc and is low mercury. I buy it at Trader Joes. I have to admit, I used to love tuna salad and the salmon is not a great substitute, but I figure it is so much healthier.

[Anonymous]

The smaller the fish the lower the mercury contamination - large fish like tuna at the top of the food chain have more concentrated mercury etc.. Oily fish are the best for you.
From a health perspective you are best off with anchovies, sardines, pilchards etc, though the bones can be annoying.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We do the light because I do remember something about there being less contaminants or mercury. So I only buy the light tuna. So if we are doing tuna twice a week (we've been doing it 3 or 4 times a week at this point, OMG! should I do something about how much she's already eaten?) is it still ok to do salmon? Or no? We do tilapia every now and again too. I will try to get her to pull back from the tuna, but it's all she wants to eat!

[Anonymous]

I've read somewhere that cilantro helps remove mercury from the body. It can't hurt to include it in your diet in case it actually works. Other than that just be careful about the types of fish that you eat and where that fish comes from. Also try and buy fish from a reputable source, and a fair percentage of fish is mislabeled.