August 8, 2008
The Environmental Working Group has developed an instant calculator to determine the maximum amount of tuna you can eat in a week to stay within the FDA’s health standards for mercury intake (http://www.ewg.org/tunacalculator). You just enter your weight (nobody’s looking) and sex.
For example, a 100-pound girl should eat no more than 3.1 ounces of albacore tuna (half a can) in a week, or 9.1 ounces (one and a half cans) of light tuna. That’s assuming she ate no other seafood, and that every can has an average amount of mercury.
For women of childbearing age and children under age 5, the EWG suggests eating no Alabacore at all. It also provides links to such news stories as:
n A report on research indicating that the omega-3 fatty acids from seafood are indeed “brain food” - important for fetal brain development, as indicated by a striking comparison of babies whose mothers ate seafood while pregnant vs. those who ate little or none. (http://www.ewg.org/node/21387)
n And an article suggesting “Sustainable Fish That’s Safe to Eat” (http://www.ewg.org/node/26940)
The Environmental Working Group (http://www.ewg.org) is a nonprofit led by a team of scientists, policy experts, lawyers, and database crackerjacks who “pore over government data, legal documents, scientific studies, and our own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions.”
Other quick-search databases on the EWG website include:
n National Tap Water Quality Database
Analysis of tap water in 42 states by zip code/community water system.
(http://www.ewg.org/sites/tapwater/yourwater/)
n Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Scroll down to the worst-to-best ranking of [non-organic] veggies & fruits - all assuming a good washing. Note the worst 10 & best 10.
(http://www.foodnews.org/index.php)
n Skin Deep: A Cosmetic Safety Database
Detailed analysis/safety rating of ingredients in more than 25,000 personal care products.
(http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/)
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Note: This information is generic and is not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure any illness, condition, or disease. It is very important that you make no change in your healthcare plan or health support regimen without researching and discussing it in collaboration with your professional healthcare team.
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