Kids who eat mercury-rich fish

I have been doing my best to avoid fish this pregnancy. I really don't need it and I don't like the thought of ANY mercury going to a growing baby. However, I did finish my son's tuna melt one day and I think I had a tuna sandwich from Subway once. Subway told me they use the cheap tuna, not albacore. So, I think I am probably being a little too careful, but fish is not routinely tested for mercury so I don't think anyone really knows how much is in there. It could be a lot higher than the average amount. Chicken grosses me out when I am pregnant. I have no idea why. It's just one of those things. So my protein is coming from ground turkey, beans and nuts.

I do let my kids eat fish. They only like tuna. I seriously doubt they would eat shark or swordfish. This article makes me think an omega 3 supplement would be better than the fish!

Do you limit how much fish you feed your kids? What about during pregnancy?

FROM CNN: A lot of fish are chock-full of omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for the
heart. but fish also contain mercury.

Jackie Kaminer is buying fish for dinner. although she knows it's full of nutrients, she's careful not to serve too much. "I'm concerned about the mercury levels in the fish and what that can do to your body."

Mercury is a toxin that affects the nervous system in young children. Mostly caused by industrial pollution, mercury contaminates water systems when it rains. As fish feed on one another, mercury stores up in their bodies. And the larger the fish, like swordfish and shark, the more mercury. "As it grows older, it can't eliminate it as fast as it takes it in, so there's an accumulation in the fish."

Andrew Heyes and Cindy Gilmour have been working with mercury in the environment for over 20 years. they say it's good to limit how much you eat. "If you like tuna, eat the inexpensive tuna in cans, instead of the albacore or big sushi tuna."

The federal government advises pregnant women, nursing mothers, women of childbearing age and young children, to avoid fish high in mercury and keep their consumption of low mercury fish like shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish, to 12 ounces a week.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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