Cover: Title: Enjoy fish and keep your family safe

[Picture of Latino Family eating fish]

 Page 1

The benefits of fish for your health
Eating a variety of fish, including fish that you already know and buy at the store (like tilapia, salmon, catfish, sardines and canned chunk light tuna), helps you stay healthy.

[Picture of Fish Counter]

Fish:

• Is a good source of low-fat protein
• Is high in healthy vitamins and minerals
• Contains Omega 3, a nutrient that is good for your health
• Omega 3 is good for the development of the baby's brain and eyes while inside the mother's belly
• Omega 3 also helps keep your hearth healthy

 Page 2

Fresh water and ocean fish
Some of the fish that you eat may come from friends and family who catch their own fish locally (in lakes, ponds, rivers, small streams or the ocean). This add variety to your diet and it is free food, but you have to be careful.

In North Carolina there are some fresh water and ocean fish that can be bad for women's and children's health. These fish do not smell or taste different. They also do not look sick.

[Picture of man fishing at a lake]

 Page 3

Women and children should never eat the following fish that come from local waters:
(Pictures of the following fish with corresponding name underneath)
"NO" sign in upper left corner

Catfish (picture)
Largemouth bass (picture)
Shark (picture)
Bowfin (picture)

For more information, visit
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/espanol/salud/fish.htm

Page 4

Why shouldn't I eat certain fish?

All fish have some mercury. Mercury is a metal which can be toxic to your health in high quantities. Mercury is released into the air by industrial pollution. Mercury falls in water and land, especially when it rains.

[Drawing of mercury cycle]

Once in the water, mercury accumulates in fish when they eat plants and other fish contaminated with mercury. Some types of fish have more mercury than others. The bigger the fish, the greater the amount of mercury. For this reason, it is important to avoid some fish and eat others in moderation.

For more information, visit : http://www.epa.gov/mercury/espanol.htm

Page 5

In large amounts, mercury is bad because :

• Harms a baby's brain as it grows in the mother's belly
• Can cause problems with a child's speech, memory and behavior
• Can cause premature birth

[Drawing of pregnant woman eating fish and mercury going to her fetus]

There is not way to remove mercury by cooking fish. The best strategy is to avoid fish with high levels of mercury.

You don't have to give up eating fish. Just eat safe fish!

Page 6

To keep your family safe and healthy

["Yes" sign in upper right corner]

You already know the benefits of eating fish and everyone in your family should continue to eat some fish to maintain good health. To keep your family safe:

• Eat a variety of fish, including fish that you already know and buy at the store like:
  • Tilapia
  • Salmon
  • Catfish (farmed)
  • Canned sardines
  • Canned "chunk light" tuna
• Be sure that women and children never eat fish that are high in mercury like those listed on page 3.
• Check local fishing rules about the size of fish you are allowed to keep. In general, it is better to eat the smallest fish allowed.

[Picture of Bluegill fish with ruler underneath]

Back cover

What amount of fish is safe to eat?

• Eat up to two portions of fish a week. A cooked portion is a fourth of your plate.

[Picture of a plate with fish, 1/4 rice and 1/2 salad and tomatoes]

• Children should eat a smaller portion than an adult. Use a smaller plate for children.

NCHSF logo
Nutrition branch logo
CEHI logo

This project was supported by Award Number P42ES010356 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The content described is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or the National Institutes of Health.