Nutrition 4 Kids

Safe Fish Intake For Women and Children

By Jennifer Yoon, RDN, LDN, IBCLC

AHN Pediatrics — Pediatric Alliance St. Clair

 

 

Fish is a low-fat, high-quality protein. Fish is rich in vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin), and a great source of minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. Fish is filled with the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which keep our heart and brain healthy. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times per week as part of a healthy diet. Some good choices are salmon, trout, sardines, herring, canned mackerel, canned light tuna, and oysters.

Though fish has many health benefits, it can contain contaminants and mercury. Women who are pregnant, might become pregnant, or are breastfeeding, and young children must use caution with eating fish. Toxic chemicals can disrupt a child’s developing brain and immune system. Too much mercury can affect how a child learns, moves, and behaves. It’s important to eat fish for the health benefits, but make smart choices to minimize your risk from exposure to contaminants.

Contaminants concentrate in the fat of fish. These contaminants can be reduced by up to 50% by preparing the fish properly. Cut off the skin and fat before cooking. Then broil, grill, or bake it on a rack so the fat drips off the fish. Don’t use the drippings for sauces. Fish contaminated with mercury can’t be prepared or cooked in a way that reduces the mercury. Mercury is stored in the muscle tissue (the fillet/meat of the fish).

The following lists provide more guidance to safely include fish in a healthy diet:

 

Safe to Eat 2-3 Servings Per Week

Anchovies                                              Mackerel

Black sea bass                                       Oysters

Butterfish                                               Pollock/Fish sticks

Catfish                                                     Salmon (fresh, canned, all types

                                                                                   except Chinook)

Clams                                                       Sardines

Cod                                                           Scallops

Crab                                                          Shrimp/Prawns

Crab-Imitation                                    Squid/Calamari

Crayfish                                                  Tilapia

Flounder/Sole                                       Trout

Herring                                                   Tuna (canned light) (troll/pole) 

 

Safe to Eat 1 Serving Per Week

Chilean sea bass                                  Mahi mahi

Chinook salmon                                  Monkfish

Croaker                                                   Rockfish/Red snapper

                                                                     (trawl-caught)

Halibut                                                   Sablefish/Black cod

Lobster                                                   Tuna, Albacore or Yellowfin

 

Should Not Eat

Women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should NOT eat:

King Mackerel

Marlin

Orange Roughy

Shark

Swordfish

Tilefish

Tuna Steak- Bluefin, Bigeye

 

 

*** Jennifer Yoon sees patients at the AHN Pediatrics — Pediatric Alliance St. Clair office. For an appointment, please call (412) 221-2121. Read more from Jennifer’s “Nutrition 4 Kids” column on The PediaBlog here.

 

source http://www.thepediablog.com/2021/09/29/nutrition-4-kids-16/