green is universal

Guide to Creatures of the Sea

Posted at 11:43 AM on February 15, 2008 comments (0)

By Nicole Ohebshalom, Radiant Living Wellness

Have you glanced at an atlas recently? I was playing with one this morning and I realized how massive and important the sea is for our survival. Can you believe 72 percent of our earth's surface is the sea? It leads me to think, How are we treating the sea and its garden?

If you live in the smallest village in Asia or the busy streets of NYC, the sea's garden has been an important and essential source of food for you. The manner that we, as a society, have farmed fish has been causing our society ecological damage. The fishing industry defends fish farming as a source of cheap, high-quality protein. The feedlots these fisherman use produce chemical runoff from antibiotics, pesticides, detergents, and tons of fish feces. The good news for our health and the environment is we can easily change and protect our ocean and earth's surface through purchasing sustainable, organic, and delicious seafood.

Organizations such as Blue Ocean Institute rate fish and seafood by its abundance and ecological impact of fishing methods. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium to see what the best choice of fish is to purchase and what to avoid eating.

You have heard the caution from the news, your doctor, your friends and your mother about staying clear of the wild fish such as swordfish, shark, mackerel, and tilefish. Since they are higher up the food chain, meaning they are large carnivores fish, they contain more mercury. Mercury is an environmental pollutant that accumulates in the fish's tissue and is known to cause brain damage.

You can visit www.gotmercury.org to find out how much mercury you could have consumed. This can be some ungratifying information to digest. Here are some great and simple tips. Eat cilantro! It's that simple to release and expel the harmful toxins from your body. If you are looking to take the next step you can go on a Private Cleanse. If you do suspect mercury poisoning, you should see a doctor. All these facts have lead the FDA advising children and pregnant women not to eat large wild fish. But it's unwise to avoid fish altogether.

Why? We gain massive benefits from consuming fish. Don't fear the mercury in fish. Understand how important fish oil is for you and what's the right way to shop. Keep it simple. Avoid the big carnivorous fish and eat plenty of small, fatty ones, like the anchovy, herring and mackerel. Herbivorous farmed fish such as catfish, carp, trout, and tilapia are good choices when you want to stand clear of mercury.

Why is eating fish one of the smartest and easiest things you can do for your health? Most fish are high protein, low fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids foods. Eating fish for Omega-3 is key because our bodies don't have the ability to make this essential fatty acid and can only get it from fish. Some of the great health benefits of Omega-3 include reducing tissue inflammation, regulating blood sugar levels and fat burning, creating more happy endorphins, natal neurological development and maintaining cardiovascular health. The research linking Omega-3 fats to heart health is so strong that the American Heart Association urges healthy people to eat fish twice a week. Cold-water, oily fish like sardines, mackerel, herring, salmon, and tuna contain the most Omega-3 fats for your body. If you are not a fish eater or have an allergy, take a high-quality capsule or liquid fish oil. Consult your doctor before hand.

if you are a fish lover but not sure which fish is a good choice. Here are some healthy tips for you and the environment when selecting your fish dish.
- Herrings and Sardines contain the highest amount of Omega-3 fatty acids of all the fish.
- To get the highest amount of protein and lowest mercury when selecting a Mackerel, choose a smaller species like Atlantic, Pacific or Spanish.
- Pacific and Wild Salmon is a great choice. Alaskan Salmon is regarded as the best salmon for your health because they come from clean, well-managed fisheries
- U.S.-farmed Tilapia is a freshwater fish that is produced in less pollution compared to most foreign tilapia farms.

Am I getting you hungry? Search through some tasty recipes!
- www.eatingwell.com
- www.whfoods.com
- www.cookinglight.com

Nicole Ohebshalom, RN,CHHC, AADP
Radiant Living Wellness