Beware Toxic Fish
There are many people in the UK who are not aware of the dangers of eating fish. Fish used to be one of our healthiest foods, but tragically this is no longer the case. Almost every fish that is tested contains mercury, dioxins, PCBs, pesticides, flame retardants and other dangerous industrial chemicals. Pollution contaminates the waterways and oceans and thence the fish and those who eat it.
Mercury is more poisonous than any other metal except plutonium (foetuses are particularly vulnerable). It can interfere with any process or organ in the body as it is poisonous to all cells and spreads throughout the whole body. It especially accumulates in fatty tissues such as the brain. The risks of mercury contamination outweigh any benefits you may receive by eating fish.
Generally speaking the larger, older fish, higher up on the food chain, are more contaminated. Mammals that survive largely on fish are gravely affected. Killer whales are now the most toxic mammals and one in fifty female polar bears in the Svalbard Island, Norway, now have both male and female sexual organs, researchers say this is directly linked to pollution. Canadian Inuit mothers, have seven times more PCBs in their breast milk than women in the country's largest cities. They are advised either, not to nurse their babies, or, not to eat meat from the hunt.
Even the California Department of Health Services is warning against the dangers of mercury in fish. I took the above photo at the fish counter in my local supermarket in Los Angeles. You find similar warnings on restaurant menus there which have been around for some years now.Sadly, I recommend that you avoid, or at least, greatly minimise eating fish, this includes both farmed fish and wild fish, especially tuna and swordfish.
Supplements
When not eating fish it is vital to use fish oil supplements as fish oil is still the best source of Omega 3 which is absolutely essential to the body’s functioning. Most brands are filtered for the toxins – though some are more rigorously filtered than others, so choose your brand with care, the cheapest will probably not be the best!
Additionally, it is important to support our body’s ability to detoxify the many toxins it encounters with the following supplements:
- NAC
- Garlic capsules
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
- Indole 3 Carbinole
- Milk Thistle
- B vitamins
- Cruciferous vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choi, etc.
- Allium vegetables: garlic, onions, shallots.
- Green and black tea.
- Berries and grapes (including red wine).
- Herbs & spices: rosemary, basil, turmeric, poppy seeds, cumin, black pepper.
Calculate your mercury exposure at www.gotmercury.org
