Dr. Brett Hill - Eat Think Move Chiropractic

The humble seafood dinner has become a victim of the pollution of our environment. Not so long ago you could have happily recommended people eat a couple of serves of fish a week, content in the knowledge that it was great for them. After all, fish are a great source of essential fats, in particular Omega 3's which are great for your body in many ways. They are protective for your heart and nourishing for your brain. They are also a great source of protein to give you long-lasting energy and balance out our carbohydrate-laden diets.

So what is the concern?
In a word: mercury. Because of our pollution of the environment, especially from coal-fired power stations and mining, we have seen a dramatic increase in mercury - and particularly in our fish. In fact the contamination of Pacific fish (especially tuna) has increased by a whopping 30% since 1990! It is also important to remember that mercury never leaves your body and toxicity can result in paraesthesia, depression, and blurred vision, and can have an even more devastating impact on a developing foetus or an infant including arrhythmias of the heart, headaches and effects on attention span, memory and coordination.

So should we avoid fish all together? Well, at this stage, I would say no. We know that Omega 3's and protein have fantastic health benefits but we don't know what else in fish is beneficial for our health. As is often the case I have no doubt that in future years we will find out that there is something in the whole fish that is more than just the sum of its parts and more than we can get in a capsule.

I recommend eating small fish regularly.

Why small fish? Well in the fish food chain, the small fish get eaten by the medium-sized fish, meaning that the medium-sized fish have not only the mercury they got from their environment but also that from all the small fish they ate. The large fish of course has its own mercury, plus that of the medium fish, plus that of the many small fish... you get the idea. So stay clear of large fish like tuna, flake and swordfish, and instead choose smaller fish like sardines, anchovies and Tommy Roughs. And due to the increased sensitivity of the foetus if you are pregnant it might pay to avoid the fish all together just for the next nine months and go for capsules instead.

And if we keep polluting waterways the way we are, don't be surprised if in a few years time if you hear me reluctantly recommending that you avoid fish all together.