My daughter just recently started loving tuna fish. I know that tuna has high levels of mercury but does anyone know how much tuna per week is safe? My daughter also eats fish sticks, which are made from Pollock, which I believe is a lower mercury fish. Can I give my daughter tuna twice a week in addition to the fish sticks? I looked online and almost everything I read was horrible, like children under a certain age should avoid albacore tuna completely. I'm not sure if I should believe anything I've read, but I just want to be sure and see if anyone else feeds their young children tuna. My daughter is a pretty picky eater, but the fact that she at least is willing to eat fish is great and I don't want to take that away from her. Thanks in advance for your responses.
My kid has eaten tuna all her life. She used to go through phases where she wanted the same food all the time, and ate tuna every day for several months. It never did her any harm.
My daughter also likes tuna. I asked the doc when she was 4 about it with the mercury content. Albacore tuna has a higher mercury than the regular light tuna so I avoid that one altogether. As for fish sticks and fillets, I was told that unless she had multiple servings every day, it was not a problem. It was actually a good thing. I looked at the FDA website and got this:
•Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
It also mentioned that fish sticks and fllets are usually made from low mercury fish. The recommendation for albacore tuna is 6 ounces per week but I think this was based on adult consumption.
My daughter's pediatrician said it was safe to give my girls tuna 2x's per week. Tuna may contain mercury but it may not. Since there is no way for you to know, you limit their intake.
(FYI...my daughter who used to love tuna and would have eaten it everyday if I allowed, wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole today).
What does your doctor say?
First ask your Dr.
My opinion is to do just like everything else that we eat... MODERATION is key. You wouldn't eat tuna 3x/day 7 days a week just like you wouldn't eat pizza a the same rate.
The internet has so much negative hype on things that it is not a reliable source of info due to all the BS that is out there. Your Dr or a nutritionist would be the best bet to get solid answers.
Use common sense guidelines.
I agree if you have a picky eater, let her eat what she likes when you find something relatively healthy.
Good luck.
The bigger the fish (generally) the older it is and more time mercury has had to build up in it's system. The albacore is a larger older tuna than the cheaper smaller canned tuna which has less mercury.
Still, the younger the child, the more it will affect her development, I would limit saltwater fish to once a week.
But there are 'clean' fish available. Try farm raised catfish. It is freshwater, very sustainable, and eco-friendly. The farm raised has a slightly sweet flavor.
I've heard twice a week is okay. If it's going to make you worry, keep it to two times a week or less.
I have to say that many many many people were raised eating tuna out of a can, in casseroles, and in Tuna Helper. We are pretty much fine and my kiddos are fine.
Every single food you put in your mouth can have a report that says it's poison for your body. I truly don't think tuna is bad for you. Seriously, if it was bad the USDA would take it off the shelves and tunas all over the world would grow and abound.
It's a tough question about fish in general. Farm raised are sometimes worse than wild caught because they are, in some countries, raised in pools subjected to sewage and toxic waste. Wild caught fish can be over-fished and contribute to the decline in overall numbers. I'd look as much at the processing and additives in fish sticks as at the type of fish. A lot of families make their own versions with a light and young fish (less mercury, as others have said below) with a quick dip in beaten egg and then a roll in whole wheat or panko bread crumbs, then quick-fried in some olive or canola oil (just to crisp up the outside) and then finished in the oven if you don't want to fry them the whole way. My neighbor makes fish tacos for her kids all the time and they eat them up. You might also see if your daughter will eat grilled fish - it's great weather now for grilling.
fish is such a dilemma, isn't it? i hate the idea of endangering the big food fish by doing wild caught, even above and beyond the mercury issue. but farmed fish are generally so sick (or pumped full of antibiotics) that they don't make a great choice either.
light tuna is lighter in mercury, but blick. the only kind i like is albacore.
tuna has a lot of positives, and i'd definitely keep it on the menu. if she's happy with fish sticks, maybe do those twice a week and tuna once?
khairete
S.
