Natural Health Nutrition

Lean Fish List

July 17, 2009
By J White

Lean fish is a great source of protein. It is light on your stomach and many varieties are full of the healthy omega 3 fatty acids, a necessary fat that is unfortunately low in most diets.

The only drawback with fish is that most if not all varieties contain contaminates such as mercury, PCBs, chlordane, dioxins, and DDT. As such, agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration advises that you should limit the amount of fish you eat each week.

Furthermore, as for mercury, women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children are advised to avoid certain types of fish, and only eat fish that is low in mercury, as it may be harmful to the fetus and to small children’s developing nervous system.

For others, the recommendation is that you eat no more than 12 ounces (340 grams) per week of fish that is low in mercury and only 6 ounces (170 grams) per week of fish that has higher amounts of mercury.

Most of the fish that have the lowest amount of mercury are found in the wild, though some varieties with stricter guidelines may come from fish farms.

Also, as a general guide, seafood that are higher on the food chain tend to have the highest amounts of mercury. So fish such as shark and swordfish are known to have the highest levels of the toxin.

The following list of lean fish are fish that contain less than 2 percent fat. In addition to their low fat content, these varieties are also recognized as having low mercury concentrations, which means these fish can be eaten at least twice a week.