This hot topic has been circulating for a while however, after I read this Dr. Mercola article, I am going to be a lot more selective about which fish I purchase. The only adult interaction I get during the day, other then some random calls to friends, is the meat/fish guy at Whole Foods. :) Sad..I know! When I get brave enough to take the kids with me, he is extremely patient with my little crew and ALL of my questions. He told me that it is imperative that you buy your fish from a reputable vendor. Recently, he was telling me that Tilipia is typically a dirty/bottom feeder fish and he wouldn't buy it from anywhere but WF. Now, he is an employee of WF so I am taking that into consideration. It definitely made me think twice about getting my fish from Kroger.
Dr. Mercola said he would depend on getting his Omega threes from a clean fish oil versus from fish. He recommends Krill oil. I personally take Carlson's Cod Liver Oil. This brand/oil has come highly recommended by MANY experts. The kids take a 1/4 t. a day and I take 1 t. a day. Typically, you take a 1/4 t. per 25 pounds. Again, please check with your doctor if you are going to supplement.
It is most important to take CLO third trimester of pregnancy and while nursing. Studies show that it (Omega 3) has a significant impact on I.Q. until the age of two. Once you stop nursing, give it to your baby in their water/juice.
I do love fish and can not give it up. Soooo I will be doing more homework on the fish we purchase/consume. Check our part of the article from Dr. Mercola for more information:
"Farmed Fish Also Pose Additional Human Health Hazards
In addition to being an unsustainable practice and an economic disaster, farm raised fish can also spell disaster for your health.
It's important to understand that ALL farm-raised fish – not just salmon -- are fed a concoction of vitamins, antibiotics, and depending on the fish, synthetic pigments, to make up for the lack of natural flesh coloration due to the altered diet. Without it, the flesh of caged salmon, for example, would be an unappetizing, pale gray.
The fish are also fed pesticides, along with compounds such as toxic copper sulfate, which is frequently used to keep nets free of algae.
Not only do you ingest these drugs and chemicals when you eat the fish, but these toxins also build up in sea-floor sediments. In this way, industrial fish farming raises many of the same environmental concerns about chemicals and pollutants that are associated with feedlot cattle and factory chicken farms.
In addition, fish waste and uneaten feed further litter the sea floor beneath these farms, generating bacteria that consume oxygen vital to shellfish and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures.
Studies have also consistently found levels of PCBs, dioxins, toxaphene and dieldrin, as well as mercury, to be higher in farm-raised fish than wild fish.
This fact alone would be cause to reconsider consuming farmed fish!
Wild caught fish have already reached such toxic levels, it's impossible to recommend eating them with a clear conscience anymore. For example, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey study, mercury contamination was detected in EVERY fish sampled in nearly 300 streams across the United States!
More than a quarter of these fish contained mercury at levels exceeding the EPA criterion for the protection of human health. Another study on fish from US lakes and reservoirs found that more than half contained excessive levels of mercury -- so much so they were deemed unsafe for children and pregnant women to eat.
So, when you consider the fact that factory farmed fish typically are even MORE toxic than wild caught fish and also contain an assortment of antibiotics and pesticides, avoiding them becomes a no-brainer – at least if you're concerned about your health."
