Tea Time: Eating Seafood Safely

• Sources of information on fish and seafood
  • EPA & FDA's "Advice About Eating Fish" pdf
    • https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/UCM536321.pdf
  • EWG's "Good Seafood Guide"
    • https://www.ewg.org/research/ewgs-good-seafood-guide#.W3xIQJNKhAY
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium "Seafood Watch"(app)
    • https://www.SeafoodWatch.org
  • Washington State Dept of Health "Healthy Fish Guide"
    • https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/HealthyFishGuide
• Benefits to eating fish
  • Omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish like salmon, rainbow trout, Atlantic mackerel, sardines)
  • Great source of protein, low in saturated fat
  • Associated with less chronic disease (heart disease) and brain health (included in healthy diets like DASH and Mediterranean Diet)
• Concerns
  • Mercury content (especially of larger fish)
    • of particular concern for pregnant women and children 
  • Environmental impact of unsustainably caught fish
    • ​Ask for sustainably raised/caught
      
  • Pay special attention to local advisories if eating locally caught fish
  • Fish are often mislabeled at the store and/or labels lack details required to make an informed choice