What about canned tuna? I am pregnant and I don’t eat There are different types of fish. Should I take an omega-3 canned tuna. Read the label and fish oil supplement? Health Canada recommends eating at least two choose “light” tuna because it is It is not known how much you Canada’s Food Guide Servings of fish each week that A Guide To Eating Fish For low in mercury. Choose “white” would need to take to help the are high in omega-3 fats and low in mercury. or Albacore tuna less often. development of the fetus. If you See Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide at Women, Children choose to take supplements, read What about salmon? the label carefully. Look for www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide. and Families Salmon is a fish that provides a those that say they have been lot of omega-3 fats and is low in tested for contaminants. You mercury. However, there are may also look for omega-3 some concerns: supplements that are made from • low levels of other pollutants, marine plant sources. Fish liver such as PCBs, found in the fat oil contains high levels of of farmed salmon Vitamin A which may cause • transfer of disease and parasites birth defects. from farmed to local wild salmon Can I eat sport fish? • pollution and waste from Sport fish are fish caught in local salmon farms lakes and rivers. Some of these • stress on fish stocks used to fish may not be safe to eat. If feed farmed salmon you eat sport fish, check the Guide to Eating Ontario Sport Wild salmon is lower in PCBs Fish at www.ene.gov.on.ca/ and has fewer ecological envision/guide/index.htm or concerns than farmed salmon. phone 1-800-820-2716 to get a Most canned salmon is wild. To free copy. lower the amount of pollutants in salmon, remove the fat and What about the environmental skin before cooking. Grill, broil impact of eating fish? or barbecue your fish so that the Toronto Public Health supports extra fat can drip off. food production that is sustainable. Poor fisheries What about raw fish? management can result in Health Canada recommends habitat damage, threats to other that pregnant women avoid aquatic life and overfishing. eating raw fish and raw shellfish. For more information on They may carry bacteria that can making the best environmental fish choices refer to cause serious illness. www.seachoice.org. Eat a Variety of Fish Is fish good for me? Can I safely eat fish? For more fish information please visit: w ww.toronto.ca/health Yes. It is an excellent source If you are pregnant or of protein and many other breastfeeding, or could become = A serving size may not be the same size as the portion you eat in a High omega-3 fats (Good for your heart) nutrients. Fish contains the pregnant, you can still enjoy the meal. One Canada’s Food Guide Serving is 75 grams or 2.5 ounces or = Fish that may be caught or farmed in a way that is harmful to the omega-3 fats DHA and EPA. benefits of eating fish if you about half a cup. environment (www.seachoice.org) choose carefully and eat a DHA helps the brain, eyes and variety of fish. You can also give nerves of the fetus and child fish to your children as long as Safe to Eat Every Day (Very Low Mercury) Safe to Eat Sometimes (Medium Mercury) develop. Pregnant or you avoid or rarely feed them • 1 serving* a day for children • 1-2 servings* a month for children breastfeeding women, or fish high in mercury. Use this • 2 servings* a day for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding • 2-4 servings* a month for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding women who could become guide to help choose fish for or who could become pregnant, including teenage girls or who could become pregnant, including teenage girls pregnant, should eat fish to you and your family. • Unlimited servings* for men, teenage boys and women 50+ • 4 servings* a week for men, teenage boys and women 50+ get DHA. EPA is an omega-3 Black Pomfret Redfish fat that helps prevent heart Basa Pollock Catfish Sablefish (Black Cod) disease. Capelin ♥ Salmon, Canned Halibut Skate One Canada’s Food Kamaboko (Fish Cake, ♥ Salmon (Chum, Coho, Pink, Jackfish Snapper (Various Species) Are there risks to eating fish? Guide Serving is 75 Processed White Fish) Wild Pacific) ♥ Kingfish (King Mackerel, ♥ Trout (Lake, Various Species) Yes. Fish may contain mercury. grams or 2.5 ounces or Milkfish Sea Urchin Spanish Mackerel) Tuna steak (Skipjack, Southern Large fish that live a long time about half a cup. Octopus Silver Pomfret Lake Whitefish Yellowfin) and eat other fish contain the Oysters Tilapia Mahi Mahi (Dolphin Fish) Tuna, Canned White (Albacore) most mercury, which builds up Perch Whiting in the tissue of the fish. When Safe to Eat Often (Low Mercury) we eat these fish, the mercury • 2 servings* a week for children Eco Unfriendly builds up in our bodies. • 4 servings* a week for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or who Atlantic Halibut Grouper could become pregnant, including teenage girls Bluefin Tuna Steak Red Snapper If you are pregnant or • Unlimited servings* for men, teenage boys and women 50+ breastfeeding, or could become pregnant, you should avoid or ♥ Anchovies (Fresh/Frozen) ♥ Sardines Avoid or Eat Rarely (High Mercury) rarely eat fish that are high in ♥ Arctic Char Sea Cucumber mercury. The fetus and infants ♥ Atlantic Mackerel Shiner • Less than 1 serving* a month for children exposed to high levels of Clams Smelt (Atlantic, Lake) • Less than 1 serving* a month for women who are pregnant, Sole (Dover, Petrale) mercury may have problems Grass Carp breastfeeding or who could become pregnant, including teenage girls ♥ Herring Squid with learning, walking and • No more than 1 serving* a week for men, teenage boys and women 50+ Mussels (Blue) ♥ Trout (Rainbow) talking. Porgie Tuna, Canned Light (Skipjack, Barracuda Tilefish ♥ Salmon (Chinook, Sockeye, Tongol, Yellowfin) Buffalo Tuna steak (Various Species, Steelhead) ♥ Escolar (Snake Mackerel) Bigeye) Marlin Eco Unfriendly Pickerel (Pike, Sauger, Walleye, = Not high in mercury but high Yellow Pickerel, Zander) in PCBs Atlantic Cod ♥ Salmon (Atlantic, Farmed) Flounder Scallops Eco Unfriendly Haddock Shrimp/Prawns Orange Roughy Shark Sea Bass Swordfish .