Page 92 - EatingWell Special Edition Superfoods 2019

BE SURE TO
TALK WITH
YOUR DOCTOR
BEFORE ADDING
A SUPPLEMENT
TO YOUR DIET OR
PILING ON THE
FORTIFIED FOODS.

was not associated with fewer deaths from stroke lose your hair. It’s scary, but don’t banish seafood
or any other cause. from your plate.
The key is considering all the data. Although If you follow the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines and
some studies and reviews haven’t shown prom- eat at least 8 ounces of seafood a week, making some
ise, others clearly do. And generally, getting of your choices lower-mercury fish (shrimp, tilapia,
omega-3s from food seems to be a safe bet. In trout), you should be fine, even if you’re pregnant

Japan and Greenland, where seafood is aplenty, or breastfeeding. (Also, farmed fish generally have
data show that residents have some of the high- less mercury than their wild counterparts.)
est omega-3 levels and the lowest rates of cardio- Want to be more cautious? Use the Environ-
vascular disease. mental Working Group’s Seafood Calculator for
That said, surveys suggest we aren’t eating a custom dietary recommendation based on your
enough oily fish: Americans’ median intake of fish weight, age and gender. Generally, though, research
high in omega-3s is about 0.15 ounce a day. So for is fairly conclusive that the benefits of eating more
some, adding a supplement to your regimen might seafood outweigh the risks. Plus, ocean fish and
be worth talking to your doctor about. shellfish are full of the mineral selenium (17 of the

By upping your seafood intake, you’ll get more top 25 selenium-rich foods are seafood), which
good-for-you omega-3s as well as other key nutri- binds to mercury, reducing its negative effects.
ents, such as selenium, vitamins B and B , and After that sobering call with Bibus, I forced
6
12
iron. Some of the omega-3-rich fish that we gravi- myself to take a daily omega-3 gummy despite
tate toward (mackerel, swordfish and most tuna) not being much of a supplement gal. I also dou-
are also a source of mercury, mostly in the form bled down on all things omega-3: I got more seri-
of methylmercury. Too much methylmercury in ous about eating biweekly seafood meals, I traded

your body can hinder neurodevelopment (in un- my usual milk and eggs in for omega-3-enriched
born and young children); cause numbness and versions, I picked up butter and yogurt made with
tingling in your mouth, hands and feet; make it grass-fed milk, and I made (omega-3-rich) canola
difficult to think clearly; and even cause you to oil my go-to cooking oil. •

88 E A T I N G W E L L