The Great Fish Debate

Posted Sat, Mar 15, 2008, 5:16 pm PDT

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Not long ago 60 Minutes did a segment about the high levels of mercury in fish. The New York Times quickly followed up with an article, and before you knew it, the story was all over the place.

In Sweden, I grew up with fish and seafood on the table at least three times a week, and I'll continue eating it. I like fishing for it, buying it at the market, working with it in the kitchen, how it tastes, and, maybe more importantly, I like how eating fish makes me feel afterwards. This great debate about fish ties to my overall philosophy about food: It's all about moderation.

I try to have fish two or three days a weeks, a vegetarian meal twice a week, and a blend of chicken and red meat the rest of the days. There's such a mix of information coming at us these days -- today it's don't eat fish, but we've also heard not to eat carbs or not to eat fat. I think the healthiest approach is to balance your foods and not to eat too much of one thing.

Naturally, you have to be informed -- children and women who are pregnant need to be very conscious of mercury levels.

What's your opinion about the fish controversy?

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2 Comments

1. Posted by Mel J on Mon, Mar 17, 2008, 2:33 pm PDT

I, too, enjoy fish and seafood of just about all kinds. Based on everything I've read, for most people the benefits of including fish and seafood far outweigh the dangers of mercury consumption. The very old, the very young and expectant mothers all have to exercise extra caution. For those who are concerned about what types of fish have high mercury levels, there are several web sites that offer guides that tell you that information. Additionally, most of these sites also indicate which types of fish are endangered and/or being overfished. I've found that this allows me to regularly make seafood purchases, both at home and when dining out, that are healthy and a little more environmentally friendly so that we can all continue to enjoy the bounty of the oceans, rivers and lakes.
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2. Posted by ocean_spiders on Fri, May 16, 2008, 4:16 am PDT

fish can be healthy, but at the same time, can be dangerous, because of the mercury in fish.Spread out the meals, eat different things, a good variety, a healthy variety, just watch the portions you eat.
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