Chambers of Shrinking Witches

One of the most important fats to have in your diet is the Omega-3 oil, found primarily in fish. This oil has been shown to help prevent cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's and much more.

The Atkins diet and other low carb diets promote taking omega-3 vitamins daily to ensure you get a good amount of these critical nutrients. If you do so, be sure to read the label carefully. Omega-3 is not the critical ingredient - it is the DHA and EPA found in Omega-3 fish oils that studies point to as the healthy component.

From the Harvard website:
"One recent large trial found that by getting 1 gram per day of omega-3 fatty acids over a 3.5 year period, patients who had previous suffered heart attacks could lower their risk of dying from heart disease by 25 percent."

From Perdue.edu website:
"Purdue University researchers have found that boys with low blood levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids, have a greater tendency to have problems with behavior, learning and health consistent with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or (ADHD)."

USAToday reported that a study of almost 15,000 women found "Those who ate no seafood, the key source for omega-3 acids, had nearly twice the rate of depression as women who ate about 10 ounces of fish daily."

The USDA now recommends people eat at least 2 servings of fish a week.

While eating fish is important, be sure not to eat fish with high mercury content. The mercury you ingest could be far worse than a lack of omega 3 could be!

Eating Low Mercury Seafood and Fish

It's very important to eat a good quantity of fish for the omega oils they provide. Fish are also usually zero carb, making them perfect for a low carb / Atkins diet. However, watch out for mercury!

Mercury is a heavy metal that exists in all seafood (not in freshwater lake fish). Some types of fish tend to absorb mercury more readily than others. You should in general try to stay with low mercury level fish, eating these fish twice a week. Keep the higher mercury level fish for only once a month or once every two month consumption.

Note that the mercury tends to gather in the fat of the fish, so avoiding the fat can help somewhat. Also, smaller fish tend to absorb less mercury than larger ones.

Low Mercury Levels
Atlantic Mackerel
Atlantic Salmon
Brook Trout
Cod
Flatfish
Flounder
Haddock
Herring
Alaskan Salmon
Landlocked Salmon
Canned Tuna

Medium Mercury Levels
Brown Trout
Halibut
Lake Trout
Mackerel
Striped Bass
Tuna Steak
White Perch

High Mercury Levels
Bass
Pickerel
Shark
Swordfish

Mercury can cause nervous system disorders in adults, and can cause permanent damage in children. Pregnant and nursing mothers must be cautious about their mercury intake. For pregnant women, most doctors suggest guidelines of only eating a can of tuna a week, for example.

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