The Right Tuna for You and the Ocean
Eat the right tuna and make sure that you cleanse yourself of any potential heavy metals (mercury) that it might contain.
THAT’S ONE amazingly appetizing looking meal, don’t you think? If you do, you’re not alone. Given the health benefits of fish relative to red meat (a lot of protein without the saturated fat, hormones and antibiotics), the whole world wants to eat fish.
(Mercury notwithstanding.)
And the fish are facing dire consequences of such demand.
It’s been a long time since the fish business was a “Mom and Pop” operation, consisting perhaps of a boat or two. Now, in the United Kingdom for instance, 90% of the fish quota is caught by 7% of the fishing vessels. That means fishing is big business. It has grown to a scale that threatens several species. And the mercury threatens you.
Here’s some frightening facts that Bart van Olpen, (Founder, Fishes; author, ‘Fish Tales‘) cites in his blog post, Can We Keep Eating Tuna: “The worldwide fishing capacity is five times more than the legal amount of fish available. We need to accept that a wild-caught fish has become a rare food product. In today’s oceans, 25% of all fish stocks are depleted and around 50% is fully exploited.”
Of course, day in, day out, we consumers keep blithely maintaining our consumption patterns as if all is well. But we can make some slight adjustments that can improve the situation, such as these alternatives which the Marine Stewardship Council recommends:
- The fish comes out a healthy stock; second
- The fishing methods have limited impact on the ecosystem
- The fishery is managed by the firm standards set by the MSC. An independent certifier controls every aspect of the fishery.
For more information on what kind of tuna you should be eating to help maintain the fishing stock and help protect the oceans, (as well as a great tuna recipe) read Olpen’s post.
(Short on time? American Albacore Tuna, the best sustainable tuna choice!)
Regarding your health… well… eating the right tuna doesn’t keep the mercury out of your body, so irrespective of what kind of tuna you eat, if you eat more than two cans per week, consider taking some things that help rid your body of heavy metals.
(Pregnant = No tuna.)
Cilantro works well. Better yet is chlorophyll which you can buy in most health food stores (usually a brown bottle with green liquid). I add a couple of tablespoons a day to various drinks, particularly aloe vera juice, cause it’s a great cleanser.
For more help in ridding yourself of heavy metals, consider supplements such as these: Detoxifying Your Way to Nirvana.
Last Updated on March 16, 2020 by Joe Garma
