The American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice weekly to help reach the recommendation of consuming 1.1 grams of omega-3 fats a day. Although fish is a great source of these healthy fats, you have to be careful about ingesting too much mercury, especially if you’re pregnant. Expecting moms should stick to types of fish that have mercury levels of 1 part per million (ppm) or lower. The rest of us can safely consume fish with mercury levels that average 5.5 ppm. So take a look at the chart below to see where the fish you eat falls on the spectrum.
| Mercury in parts per million (ppm) | Omega-3s in grams per 3 oz. serving | |
| Canned Tuna | .12 | .17 – .24 |
| Shrimp | below the level of detection | .29 |
| Polluck | .06 | .45 |
| Salmon | .01 | 1.1 – 1.9 |
| Cod | .11 | .15 – .24 |
| Catfish | .05 | .22 – .3 |
| Clams | below the level of detection | .25 |
| Flounder or Sole | .05 | .48 |
| Crabs | .06 | .27 – .4 |
| Scallops | .05 | .18 – .34 |
Adria Ali
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