How to Be a Conscious Eater

studies have confirmed the health-promoting powers of the

Mediterranean diet, and omega-3s from fatty fish like sardines

and salmon are a major part of the diet’s strong merits.

THERE ARE AT LEAST THREE BRIGHT SPOTS IN THE QUEST TO UP

YOUR OMEGA-3 INTAKE:

1 You don’t need to eat that much to reap the health benefits.

2 Many of the oily fish low on the food chain are packed full of

the good stuff without having bad stuff; humble anchovies,

in the cute little can, give you 500 milligrams of omega-3s,

which is the daily recommended amount for most people.

3 Foods other than fish contain EPA and DHA—just in smaller

amounts, like chicken and eggs—and beans, nuts, seeds,

fruits, and vegetables have alpha-linolenic acid, the third

type of omega-3 fatty acid, which your body converts to EPA

and DHA. By eating a variety of foods, you can gradually

rack up a decent log of omega-3s without eating fish.

WHAT ABOUT MERCURY?

The biggest concern with methylmercury—a toxic substance

found in some seafood, especially in waters near industrial

pollution—is damage to the brain and nervous systems of

developing fetuses. Wait, aren’t those the same parts that ben-

efit from DHA and EPA intake? Why, yes indeed. Pretty critical

parts of the body, you’d have to say. Hence all this real estate

I’m dedicating to duking out the two sides of the argument.

What’s mercury doing in our rivers and lakes and oceans?

It can get there naturally, from volcanoes, or from man-made

causes—most significantly coal-fired power plants, which

make up a significant amount of US mercury emissions into

the atmosphere.

Although current mercury intake isn’t a threat for most

adults, those with elevated risk are pregnant women, women

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