SAFETY FIRST: SEAFOODS

Follow this simple Guidelines... 

1. Eat up to 12 ounces (two six-ounce servings) per week of a variety of seafood that is lower in mercury, such as shrimp, canned light tuna or salmon.
2. If you like albacore tuna, make that your only serving of fish for the week. Albacore tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. 
3. Avoid eating large fish, such as swordfish or king mackerel, since bigger fish tend to have the highest levels of mercury. These fish can’t eliminate mercury as fast as they take it in. All women of childbearing age and children should avoid eating these types of fish.
4. When you’re doing your own fishing, check local advisories about the safety of fish caught in local lakes, rivers and coastal areas. If no advice or informative is available, eat only six ounces of fish caught from local waters and then don’t consume any other fish during the week.
5. When preparing a fish caught yourself, it is important to clean the fish by trimming away the skin and fatty tissue. This helps reduce the pollution in the fish.

In conclusion, as long as you follow the guidelines to eating seafood safely, the health benefits to eating seafood will far outweigh the risks from mercury.