It used to be that eating seafood and fish regularly was a pretty safe nutritional bet. Fish was packed with protein, healthy monounsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, all those good things (read more about benefits of fish oil).
Unfortunately, due to our continued poisoning of the environment and the Fukushima power plant meltdown, many fish are now loaded with unsafe levels of mercury and radiation.All fish, every single fish on this planet, have some level of mercury; however, some have much higher levels than others.
Take a look at our list of the top 15 most contaminated fish on the market today. Avoid eating these or eat them in very small quantities, unless you are an expectant mother, in which case, avoid these fish entirely. However, we will list the best fish to eat at the end of this article, too, so keep reading!.
2Swordfish
Although swordfish is hugely popular, this beautiful, tropical fish has been found to contain some of the highest levels of mercury among all larger sized edible fish. These fish contain high levels of a very strong neurotoxin called methyl mercury. This toxin can easily cross the placenta in pregnant women, and has the potential to damage the nervous system of the unborn fetus.
Recent studies have shown that excessively high blood levels of mercury can be traced to high or frequent consumption of swordfish. One study was performed in San Francisco and involved 123 subjects who eat 30 different types of fish. Those with frequent consumption of swordfish had the highest blood mercury levels that were over and above the maximum amount recommended by the National Academy of Sciences as well as the United States Environmental Protections Agency.
