I normally expect my advice to be taken seriously. However, when my nutrition class read through their weekly meal plan and saw that I’d suggested they snack on some tasty Brazil buts, they thought it was quite amusing. And it’s amazing how long the joke ran for— “no buts this week?”, you get the idea I’m sure.

Every now and then a typo creeps onto these pages too — and last week it was in my e-mail address.

A few of you managed to work it out and still get your questions through, but for those of you that didn’t, please note that you can send your questions to: clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail.com.

Question of the week:I’ve just found out I’m pregnant and know that I should be eating fish for the good fats. But I’ve heard fish can contain mercury that could damage my baby. Is this true?

In 2003, the Atlantis Project at the then Bermuda Biological Station for Research, did identify elevated mercury levels in human foetal cord blood and in some local fish species.

Elevated levels of mercury (or methyl mercury in fish) are a concern as mercury is one of the chemicals known to harm the developing brain of the human foetus.

According to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org), the National Academy for Sciences (NAS) in the US recently estimated that each year, an estimated 60,000 children are born with an increased risk of neurological problems because of contaminated fish in the maternal diet.

Further, the NAS is concerned that aside from high-exposure cases, a broad, low-level mercury exposure may be causing an increase in the number of children who struggle at school.

Where does this mercury come from?

Mercury pollution of seawater is largely due to pollution from coal plants.

In fact, a review of mercury contamination researched by four different scientific groups and published in the Swedish environmental journal Ambio, found that three times more mercury falls from the sky today compared to 200 years ago, pre-industrial revolution. Is the news all bad? No.

As you mentioned, most fish also contain “good” fat.

The good fat in fish is also known as Omega 3 — a vital nutrient for the rapidly developing brain of the human foetus. Even better, new research suggests that the positives of the Omega 3 concentration in some fish may actually outweigh the risks of mercury contamination in pregnancy.

A paper published in the Lancet in February by Professor Joseph Hibbeln, found that of 11,875 pregnant women surveyed, those who ate less than 340g (or three servings) of fish per week, actually had more adverse outcomes.

However, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore the mercury content of certain fish, and it’s certainly advisable to monitor your intake.

The best way to handle this issue, seems to be to look for fish that tend to contain a relatively high level of Omega 3 and a relatively low level of mercury.

Wild salmon, canned sardines, smoked salmon and trout all fit into this category.

In contrast fresh/canned tuna, cod, sole, marlin and swordfish have been shown as having a relatively low Omega 3 content and relatively high mercury content. Also, generally speaking, the fish at the top of the food chain tend to have the highest concentrations of mercury — so in Bermuda, pregnant women should try and stay clear of both tuna and Wahoo.

Unfortunately, most of this data comes from the US and the UK and it’s hard to find up-to-date Bermuda statistics.

Since the Atlantis project in 2003, more research is underway into the mercury content of fish from local waters, but according to the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, the data isn’t available as yet.

As soon as the Bermuda specific data is available (hopefully by the end of the year), I’ll pass it on to you.

However, in the meantime, you’d be best to follow the following guidelines from the Environmental Working GroupB>

Avoid if pregnant: Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, Tilefish, Tuna steaks, Canned tuna, Sea bass, Gulf Coast Oysters, Marlin, Halibut, Pike, Walleye, White croaker and Largemouth bass.

Eat no more than one serving per mon <$>Mahi Mahi, Blue Mussels, Eastern Oyster, Cod, Pollock, Great Lakes, Salmon, Gulf Coast Blue Crab, Catfish and Lake Whitefish.

Lowest in Mercury (so aim for up to three servings a week*): Mid-Atlantic Blue Crab, Croaker Fish Sticks, Flounder, Haddock, Trout, Salmon (preferably wild) and Shrimp.

(* If you find it hard to get these kinds of fish in Bermuda, try a top-quality fish oil supplement, which will have been screened for mercury contamination (see the staff at Rock On or Down to Earth.)

Also remember that nuts and seeds tend to have a good Omega 3 content t

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291-4725 or clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail.com.