Junw 16, 2014 — Whenever the federal government issues advice on how we should eat, there’s never a shortage of criticism. New advice that counsels children and pregnant women to eat more fish is no exception.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental activist group based in Washington, D.C., criticized the new advice for not specifically identifying fish with rich amounts of brain-boosting omega-3 fats and minimal amounts of mercury.
Whenever the federal government issues advice on how we should eat, there’s never a shortage of criticism. New advice that counsels children and pregnant women to eat more fish is no exception. The US Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new dietary recommendation last Tuesday that tweaks — ever so slightly — the agency’s advice on fish consumption.
Instead of telling women and young children to “eat up to 12 ounces a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury,” the government now suggests they “eat 8 to 12 ounces of a variety of fish each week from choices that are lower in mercury.”
Government officials say they needed to set a minimum recommended amount, rather than just a maximum, because research suggests that the tide has turned too far against eating fish during pregnancy. Most women restrict their intake or avoid fish altogether because of concerns about mercury — found in varying amounts in all fish — which can interfere with a baby’s brain development.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental activist group based in Washington, D.C., criticized the new advice for not specifically identifying fish with rich amounts of brain-boosting omega-3 fats and minimal amounts of mercury.
Read the full story from The Boston Globe