Wisdom of Healing

The new study out last week has shown that pregnant women who eat fish frequently have offspring with higher IQ’s than those who don’t eat fish very often. I guess this finally shows us that the omega 3 fatty acids in the fish outweigh the possible consequences. For more than two decades, we’ve been told to stay away from fish when pregnant to avoid mercury poisoning in the developing fetus.

Having done fairly extensive investigation on mercury and PCB poisoning, I can tell you that this ‘new’ study is nothing new. For years, there has been some very good research showing that women from various cultures around the world who consume more fish while pregnant; even the types of fish that Americans have been told to avoid for years, have children with higher IQ’s and less risk of concerns such as ADD and other learning difficulties.

So, if you’re pregnant or considering pregnancy, what should you really be eating regularly?

Well, I can tell you right now; we don’t have bright kids just because we ate lots of fish; and not because we didn’t eat fish, either. This is only one of the tens of thousands of things we could do right or possibly do wrong. Many of them can also have an impact on our developing fetus’ brain and nervous system health. When we are blessed with children who are more intelligent and follow a better path in their lives, it is for a wide variety of reasons. But, for now, let’s look at whether eating fish regularly is the prudent choice when we are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy.

Eating fish frequently is well known to provide the body with the omega 3 fatty acids necessary to nourish the brain, nerves, eyes and heart. Rather than staying away from something that provides so much essential nutrition, it may better serve us to eat detoxifying foods regularly to help prevent the potential for mercury toxicity.

While it is not safe to detoxify the body during pregnancy with strong herbs and supplements, eating nourishing, lightly cleansing foods such as dark leafy greens; kale, collards, arugula, cilantro, watercress and the like should be part of the daily menu plan, whenever possible. Squeezing lemons and limes into our water and onto foods like fish can safely help to purify the liver and blood. And eating plenty of whole grains such as brown rice, millet, quinoa and barley helps to prevent constipation, a common complaint in pregnancy.

I ate the very cleanest fish possible very often during both of my pregnancies, and I have been blessed with two exceptionally bright and intelligent daughters. I also ate greens virtually every day and consciously did at least a thousand others things to help improve those chances.

So, if you decide that eating fish is worth the risk, which fish should you choose? The answer is simple, sort of. Choose the very cleanest, least contaminated option possible. Ask at the fish counter where their choices were caught or raised. Remember that most farmed fish contains higher concentrations of contaminants that most wild fish.

Small species such as sardines, herring and anchovies are high in the good fats and considered safer to consume. It will depend, of course, on where the fish is from as to whether it is truly safe. Please ask questions before you make your purchase from a reputable market. Below, you will find a partial list of the fish considered safest from mercury for us to eat while pregnant, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. They also offer a wallet sized ‘Mercury in Fish’ laminated card.

LEAST MERCURY Enjoy these fish.
Anchovies
Butterfish
Catfish
Flounder*
Haddock (Atlantic)*
Hake
Herring
Mackerel (N. Atlantic, Chub)
Mullet
Perch (Ocean)
Pollock
Salmon (Canned)**
Salmon (Fresh)**
Sardine
Shad (American)
Sole (Pacific)
Tilapia
Trout (Freshwater)
Whitefish

MODERATE MERCURY Best to eat six servings or less per month.
Bass (Striped, Black)
Carp
Cod (Alaskan)*
Halibut (Atlantic)*
Halibut (Pacific)
Mahi Mahi
Monkfish*
Perch (Freshwater)
Sablefish
Skate*
Snapper*
Tuna (Canned chunk light)
Tuna (Skipjack)*
Sea Trout

* Fish in Trouble! These fish are perilously low in numbers or are caught using environmentally destructive methods. To learn more, see the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute, both of which provide guides to fish to enjoy or avoid on the basis of environmental factors.

** Farmed Salmon (and other farmed fish) may contain PCB’s, chemicals with serious long-term health effects.

There is a new organization called Seafood Safe, which measures the levels of mercury and PCBs in seafood. The Seafood Safe label informs the consumer how many meals they may safely consume per month without exposure to dangerous levels of these contaminants.

There are companies that offer only very clean (and environmentally safer) fish. Ecofish offers the most sustainable, high quality and healthiest seafood; supports sustainable fisheries (wild & aquaculture); and is helping to reverse the decline of marine bio-diversity by encouraging a shift in consumer demand away from over-exploited fisheries.

Should other seafood, such as lobster, shrimp, scallops and crab, be consumed as liberally as well? Maybe. Consider these two concerns. First, they don’t contain the quantities of omega 3 fatty acids that many species of finned fish contain. Secondly, many of the other seafood choices are bottom feeders. They crawl and live predominantly on the seabed floor, eating from what’s sunk to the bottom. With all the garbage we’ve dumped into our oceans, lakes and rivers, we should be very careful with consuming these and other non-finned seafood.

So, are supplements the answer? I’ve heard several reporters and ‘specialists’ interviewed on this issue say that we should ignore this latest report and continue to avoid fish while pregnant; taking omega 3 supplements instead. Again; maybe. The answer can be summed up in one word; quality.

I wouldn’t take very many of the fish oil and other omega 3 supplements on the market. There are many periods during production where the quality of those supplements may be compromised. With fish oil, the region where the fish was caught and the pressing method are both very important. Some fish oil supplements, both liquid and capsules, have also been found to be contaminated with concentrations of heavy metals including lead, or other contaminants. Some have also been found to be rancid on the store shelf.

The four brands of fish oil supplements that I prefer to use include Nordic Naturals, Carlsons, NewChapter and Renew Life. Their standards are consistently very high.

Nut and seed oils can also contain significant amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. Flax and hemp are particularly good choices, and it’s very important to choose organic seeds and seed oils to prevent consuming genetically modification and other contamination. My favorite brands of flax oil capsules are Renew Life and Barleans, and I have only one favorite in liquid form; Flora. This is because they care enough about their consumers to bottle their precious oils in glass. No one else does, to my knowledge. Regarding hemp oil products, my top choices include Manitoba Harvest and Nutiva.

Ummmm; I’m getting quite a craving for a salmon steak with ginger honey glaze and a big bowl of garlic kale with lemon juice!

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