Is Your Seafood Healthy?

Americans are eating more seafood than ever before. With the explosion of cheap outlets – well, you can buy it at a gas station now, right? Where is all this seafood going to come from when the planet’s oceans are already over-fished. It’s actually such a great example of a world out of control: With an ever growing population and dwindling resources, we still (in the West,) are intent on filling our bellies full of food that just isn’t sustainable. If you don’t believe me, there are numerous peer-reviewed reports and studies that will send chills down your spine!

I love sushi and almost any kind of Japanese food, however, I am really picky because of the health issue. It’s not just the health of our planet, but it’s also our personal health – many fish are now so heavily laden with mercury and other toxins, that it’s really unhealthy to eat to much of it. The main mercury culprits would be tuna and swordfish (the bigger the fish, the worse the mercury,) and yet tuna is the main staple of sushi. To Check to see if you are eating too much mercury, go to this fantastic mercury calculator, where you put in the fish you eat and your weight – it’ll tell you how much is too much for you!

There’s always farmed fish, which is a double-edged sword. Depending on the kind of aquaculture, the fish can be fine, or simply injected with dye and chemicals (I rarely eat farmed salmon for this very reason). Watch this short video that explores whether aquaculture can save our oceans.

Greenpeace conducted a study last year of the most (and least) sustainable grocery stores for seafood. Safeway and Whole Foods came out on top with a “Good” rating.

One of the most popular seafood choices in the U.S. is Albacore Tune. Here’s what Seafood Watch advises: Troll or pole-caught Albacore in the US or Canadian North Pacific. Longline-caught Tuna is to be avoided. I highly recommend Wild Planet canned Tuna.

Sardines are a super-healthy and sustainable choice. I highly recommend Bela Sardines – the most delicious I have ever tasted.

Here’s a list from Seafood Watch of the most sustainable and healthy choices:

Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)
Oysters (farmed)
Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
Rainbow Trout (farmed)
Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)

** OTHER HEALTHY “BEST CHOICES”
Arctic Char (farmed)
Barramundi (farmed, from the U.S.)
Dungeness Crab (wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
Longfin Squid (wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
Mussels (farmed)

You can download the Project Fish Map app to see where you can find sustainable seafood.