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| The healthiest vegetables are always green. Greens are undoubtedly healthy, but vegetables and fruits in other colors—red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple—all bring different nutrients to the table. You’ll get the most antioxidants, vitamins and minerals if you keep your plate colorful. |
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Although fish is low in fat and high in protein, and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, eating too much of certain kinds can be unhealthy.
According to The New York Times and U.S.A. Today, many types of seafood contain mercury. Over time, people who eat fish containing mercury build up stores in their own bodies. Too much can damage the developing brains of fetuses and young children. CNN recently reported that it’s now thought that about eight percent of American women of childbearing age have enough mercury in their systems to put a fetus at risk.
 At this time, no one knows for certain how much fish is the right amount, especially because different fish contain different amounts of mercury. Among the highest are shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. But tuna, which has just moderately high mercury levels, is eaten so often by pregnant women and young children that it, too, should be on the cautionary list (particularly white albacore, which contains nearly three times as much mercury as cheaper canned “light” tuna). If you’re pregnant, it makes sense to err on the side of caution—don’t eat white albacore canned tuna at all. Likewise infants, toddlers and young children should steer clear of it, too.
A scientific advisory panel recently told the Food and Drug Administration that more research is needed to clarify how much mercury is in different fish, and that guidelines are needed to clarify who’s safe to eat which fish and how much of it.
When it comes to salmon, buy wild salmon, if possible, instead of farmed salmon, as it has more omega-3s and less saturated fat. Farmed salmon is sometimes fed artificial dyes for more color. Plus, The New York Times reports that evidence is mounting that it contains high levels of PCB’s, or polychlorinated biphenyis. PCB’s are industrial by-products that have been identified as probable human carcinogens—they were banned by the United States in 1976. In addition, farming salmon has also been known to cause pollution, and that harms the healthier wild variety.
Click here for more information on eating fish.
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