Below are Summary Recommendations for optimal Omega-3 & Safe Fish Intake
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- American Pregnancy Association
- If pregnant or breastfeeding, avoid fish high in mercury, such as tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico. Swordfish, shark, and king mackerel
- Eat fish low in mercury, such as salmon, tilapia, shrimp, tuna (canned light), cod, and catfish.
- It is recommended to eat a variety of fish low in mercury as well as take omega-3 supplements. However, avoiding all fish and only take omega-3 supplements, you will be missing out on other essential nutrients
- http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-health/mercury-levels-in-fish/
- Institute of Medicine
- Females who are pregnant or breastfeeding are recommended to:
- Consume seafood high in EPA and DHA concentration
- Can consume up to 6 ounces of white (albacore) tuna per week
- Can consume two 3-ounce (cooked) servings but can safely consume 12 ounces per week
- Avoid large predatory fish such as shark, tilefish, or king mackerel
- Include seafood in their diets and should stay within federal advisories.
- http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2006/Seafood-Choices-Balancing-Benefits-and-Risks/11762_SeafoodChoicesReportBrief.ashx
- Females who are pregnant or breastfeeding are recommended to:
- March of Dimes
- Pregnant and Nursing Women are recommended to:
- Consume 200 mg of DHA per day
- Eat fish low in mercury but high in DHA, such as herring, salmon, trout, anchovies, and halibut.
- Eat 8 to 12 ounces of those fish low in mercury each week
- Consume orange juice, milk, and eggs that have added DHA
- http://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/vitamins-and-other-nutrients-during-pregnancy.aspx
- Pregnant and Nursing Women are recommended to:
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are recommended to:
- Consume 8 to 12 ounces of seafood per week from a variety of seafood types
- Limit white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces per week due to high mercury content
- Avoid tilefish, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are recommended to:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Women who are pregnant are recommended to:
- Intake 200 to 300 mg of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA) to make sure there is sufficient DHA concentration in the milk
- Consume 1 to 2 portions of fish, such as, herring, canned light tuna, and salmon per week.
- Avoid predatory fish such as pike, marlin, mackerel, tilefish and swordfish.
- Take a DHA supplement if poorly nourished or follow a vegan diet.
- http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf
- Women who are pregnant are recommended to:
- Perinatal Nutrition Working Group, a program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition
- Women who are pregnant are recommended to:
- Not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish because they contain high mercury levels
- Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish lower in mercury, such as, shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
- Eat up to only 6 ounces (1 average meal) of albacore tuna per week, since it has more mercury in it than in canned light tuna.
- Do not eat more than 6 ounces (1 average meal) per week of fish from local waters and do not eat any other fish during that week.
- http://www.hmhb.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/PNWG-White-Paper3.pdf
- Women who are pregnant are recommended to:
- American Pregnancy Association
Prenatal Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Review and Recommendations
Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health
November/December 2010; Volume 55, No. 6; pp. 520–528
http://danmurphydc.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/AR-21-12-jordan-03-PED.pdf
(information about the above link: Prenatal Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Review and Recommendations Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health November/December 2010; Volume 55, No. 6; pp. 520–528)
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and the developing central nervous system (CNS) – Implications for dietary recommendations