Last month, the Federal Advisory Panel re-evaluated the food pyramid. The panel’s now saying Americans should increase the amount of fish they eat to two servings a week. But sorting through the various recommendations on how to avoid some contaminants in fish can be tricky. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports on a group of doctors, who say their new guide will help clarify the concern about mercury in fish:
Transcript
Last month, the Federal Advisory Panel re-evaluated the food pyramid. The panel’s now
saying Americans should increase the amount of fish they eat to two servings a week.
But sorting through the various recommendations on how to avoid some contaminants in
fish can be tricky. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lisa Ann Pinkerton reports on a
group of doctors, who say their new guide will help clarify the concern about mercury in
fish:
Health officials continue to warn citizens about the dangers of mercury in fish. The EPA
indicates that eight percent of women of child-bearing age have elevated unsafe mercury
levels. Exposure early in life can damage the nervous system, leading to a variety of
learning disabilities.
Susan Marmagas is with the Physicians for Social Responsibility. She’s traveling the
country promoting a new wallet-sized guide to help consumers make informed choices.
She says the guide is stricter than federal guidelines.
“What we said is let’s make a very clear guide so that people can continue to eat fish as a
part of a healthy diet, but fish that are low in contaminants.”
Marmagas says the guide encourages the consumption of small fish, like tilapia and
halibut. These fish are at the bottom of the food chain, and therefore contain less
mercury.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Lisa Ann Pinkerton.