Guide says to go fishin' for 8 ounces a week

Guide says to go fishin' for 8 ounces a week

Written by
Michelle Healy
USA Today

The world's oceans may hold a bounty of food essential to a healthy diet, but far too few of us take advantage of it.

Though 45 percent of Americans say they eat seafood once a week, only 22 percent say they eat it twice a week, according to a 2008 report in the Journal of Food Service.

But the benefits of fish and seafood are so great that the government's recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that average Americans increase their seafood intake to at least 8 ounces a week, or about two servings. The guidelines, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, say adults now consume only about 3 ounces a week.

Among reasons for seafood resistance: complaints about taste, cost and limited access to stores that sell a variety of fresh seafood; concerns that seafood is difficult to cook; and confusion about contaminants, especially mercury, which occurs naturally in soil and rocks but can be released into the air through industrial pollution.

"Many Americans are scared of fish, and that's very understandable," said Aliza Green, a chef, food writer and author of the new book "The Fishmonger's Apprentice." "They have so many questions that they get overwhelmed and don't buy it or limit themselves."

Adds Julianna Grimes, senior food editor at Cooking Light magazine: "Fish has a bad rap for being difficult to cook. But it really comes down to lack of familiarity."

Grimes and others say that armed with a little confidence, curiosity and guidance, more Americans can learn to indulge in a valuable food source that's low in saturated fat and rich in high-quality protein and nutrients.

In particular, omega 3 fatty acids are found in all seafood to varying degrees and are associated with reducing the risk of dying from heart disease, says registered dietitian Beth Thayer of the American Dietetic Association.

They also are "beneficial during fetal growth and during infancy and early childhood in terms of brain development," she says.

Research also suggests that omega 3s may help fight eye problems, depression, Alzheimer's disease and arthritis, among other conditions.

These fatty acids are found in other sources, too, including flax seed, canola oil, walnuts and omega-3-enriched eggs. But various fish species - especially oily or dark meat such as salmon, Atlantic and Pacific mackerel, sardines, herring and trout - are especially good sources.

Despite the benefits of seafood, some people, especially pregnant women and nursing mothers, continue to shy away from it because of the health risks associated with methyl mercury, a heavy metal that can damage nerves in adults and disrupt development of the brain and nervous system in a fetus or child.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mercury that falls from the air can accumulate in streams and oceans and is turned into methyl mercury in the water. It is this type of mercury that can be harmful to fetuses and children.

As they feed, fish absorb the methyl mercury, which builds up more in some types of fish and shellfish than others, depending on what the fish eat. That's why mercury levels vary.

The new dietary guidelines say that most types of fish can be eaten safely during pregnancy or breastfeeding with the exception of four varieties - swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish - because of their high methyl mercury content. For the same reason, it's recommended that pregnant or breastfeeding women limit consumption of white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces a week.

And a large government-sponsored study in last week's New England Journal of Medicine is the latest to suggest that for most adults, the benefits of seafood outweigh potential risks.

Choosing a variety of seafood "can reduce issues of safety, and it encourages people to try different things in their diet" that are important for health, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and reducing salt, says Ralph Sacco, president of the American Heart Association, which recommends that adults eat two or more servings a week.

"We really need to be thinking about a balanced diet," he says.