A GUIDE TO EATING FISH This guide should be used to help choose fish sold in supermarkets or grocery stores. For more information on safely eating sport fish (fish caught in local lakes and rivers) visit ontario.ca/fishguide
HEALTH BENEFITS RAW FISH Eating a variety of fish is a great way to get the nutrients Pregnant women, children under five, adults over sixty, and you, your baby and your children need, such as protein and people with a weakened immune system should not eat raw omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients are important for good fish or shellfish, including refrigerated smoked fish, sashimi health. There are plenty of options you can choose from such and sushi dishes. Raw or undercooked fish may contain as salmon, pollock, and tilapia. bacteria or parasites that can lead to food poisoning and if you are pregnant, this can affect the baby. MERCURY IN FISH Most fish and shellfish contain small amounts of mercury that SUSTAINABLE is safe to eat. Large fish, such as marlin and shark, that live SEAFOOD for a long time and eat other fish can contain higher mercury The seafood we eat and how levels. Eating too much fish that are high in mercury can be we fish or farm matters. harmful, especially for: Support sustainable seafood • Women who could become pregnant choices to protect wild fish stocks and their homes. • Pregnant and breastfeeding women • Children Visit seachoice.org to learn • A fetus and baby are the most sensitive to high levels of about organizations that provide seafood recommendations mercury, which may lead to problems with learning, for consumers and businesses in Canada. When possible, walking and talking. choose fish products with the Ocean Wise sustainable label. Use the information in this guide to choose a variety of fish that are low in mercury to get the most benefits and lower health risks. SAFE TO EAT EVERY DAY LOW MERCURY LEVELS
For children: Basa Salmon Safe to eat once a day* Crawfish (Atlantic, Chum, Sockeye, For women and teenage girls1: Milkfish Steelhead, Pink, canned) ♥ Safe to eat twice a day* Octopus Shiner Pollock, Alaska ♥ Silver Pomfret For men, teenage boys and women 50+: Squid Unlimited meals* Tilapia
SAFE TO EAT SOMETIMES MEDIUM MERCURY LEVELS
For children: Haddock Sea Bass Safe to eat 1 or 2 times a month* Halibut, Pacific ♥ Sea urchin For women and teenage girls1: Herring ♥ Shrimp/Prawn Safe to eat once a week* Kamaboko Skate Kingfish/King Mackerel Smelt ♥ For men, teenage boys and women 50+: /Spanish Mackerel ♥ Snapper (Red) Safe to eat 3 times a week* Lobster Sturgeon Mackerel, Atlantic ♥ Trout (Lake, Rainbow) ♥ Perch Tuna Anchovy ♥ Cod, Atlantic or Pacific Mussel (Albacore Arctic Char ♥ Crab ♥ Oyster ♥ /White, yellowfin, Barracuda Croaker Pickerel/Walleye light, skipjack) ♥ Bass (Striped) ♥ Dolphin fish/Mahi Mahi Pike/Jackfish Turbot Black Cod/Sablefish /Dorado Porgy/Bream Wahoo/Ono Buffalo Eel Sailfish Whelk Capelin ♥ Flounder/Sole Salmon (Chinook) ♥ Whitefish, Lake ♥ Catfish Grass Carp Sardine ♥ Whiting Clam Grouper Scallop
AVOID OR EAT RARELY HIGH MERCURY LEVELS
For children: Bigeye Tuna Shark Eat less than once a month Dogfish (Spiny) Swordfish For women and teenage girls1: Escolar/Snake Mackerel Tile Fish Eat less than once a month Halibut, Atlantic Patagonian Toothfish Kingklip/Cusk-eel /Chilean Sea Bass For men, teenage boys and women 50+: Marlin Eat less than once a week Orange Roughy
= Fish is one of many protein foods in * Canada's Food Guide. According to Health Canada, protein foods should take up one quarter of your plate.
Calculations for this guide are based on 75 grams of fish per meal, which is about a quarter of your plate ♥ = High omega-3 fatty-acids (Good for your heart) “Children” = 12 years of age or under Image source: Canada.ca/FoodGuide 1Includes people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or who could become pregnant.
Last updated June 2020