Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy

How Long to Detox From Fish Before Pregnancy?

How many months does it take to clear 99% of the mercury and other industrial toxins from one’s body, and what role might our fat stores play in holding on to fat-soluble pollutants?



 How many months does it take to clear 99% of the mercury and other industrial toxins from one's body and how might our fat stores play a role in holding on to fat-soluble pollutants?

Mercury vs. Omega-3s for Brain Development (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/mercu...) is the study about balancing risks and benefits.

I explored how long it takes to get rid of some of the other pollutants in How Fast Can Children Detoxify from PCBs? (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-f...) PCBS are found most concentrated in fish and eggs (Food Sources of PCB Chemical Pollutants, http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-...), which may be why there're lower levels of Industrial Pollutants in Vegans (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/indus...). I wonder if this helps explain the remarkable findings in Eggs and Diabetes (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-...).

The fact that we can still find DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-i...) decades after the pesticide was banned speaks to the persistence of some pollutants. There's a shortcut for moms, but it's The Wrong Way to Detox (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-w...).

More on the risks of mercury can be found in these videos:

• Fish Intake Associated With Brain Shrinkage (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-...)
• Hair Testing for Mercury Before Considering Pregnancy (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/hair-...)
• The Effect of Canned Tuna on Future Wages (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-e...)
• Nerves of Mercury (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/nerve...)
• Fish Fog (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-fog)

Have a question for Dr. Greger about this video? Leave it in the comment section at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/how-l... and he'll try to answer it!

Mercury in Fish

Artificially dyed Salmon

Unraveling food industry lies - Your salmon and meat are artificially dyed to look more appealing

There is a reason why those radiant, pink salmon filets and juicy, golden chicken breasts in the meat case at the grocery store typically appear unusually appetizing -- but it often has nothing to do with the natural colorings of these animals' flesh. It might come as a surprise to many readers, but conventional salmon, chicken, and various other meats are often artificially dyed to give the illusion that they are healthier and more nutritious than they really are.


Ironically I post this the day after eating a meal with salmon last night...and after eating it, I decided to remove fish and shrimp from my diet as well (removing the last of the animal products I currently consume).  I want to avoid additives as much as possible, and fish is next on my list to remove. Look out for tomorrow's blog on animal proteins.

It turns out that 95 percent of the Atlantic salmon sold in stores is farm-raised, and that the vast majority of this farmed salmon is artificially dyed to look more similar to wild salmon. Pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-La Roche is a major producers of pink dyes specifically used in farmed salmon pellets, also known as processed salmon food, which obviously turns salmon flesh more pink.

But instead of being composed of the natural salmon antioxidant astaxanthin (http://www.naturalnews.com/Files/Astaxanthin.pdf), the deceptive pink color found in farmed salmon is nothing more than a synthetic color chemical known as "Carophyll" that is designed to look like astaxanthin and other natural salmon colorings. Hoffman-La Roche and others actually have a salmon color chart known as "SalmoFan" that allows salmon farmers to pick the shade of pink they want added to their salmon food, much in the same way that one would pick a wall paint color using color tiles at the hardware store. (http://www.puresalmon.org/human_health.html)

For those with a trained eye, it is fairly obvious that farmed salmon is not the same as wild salmon, as the former is typically a duller pink color and lacks the vibrant rose color that is characteristic of wild salmon. But if it were not for the artificial color additives chosen from the SalmoFan, farmed salmon would likely not even be pink at all, but rather a disgusting gray color that nobody would dare purchase.

Farmed salmon, after all, are subjected to unnatural, cramped environments in which they are not allowed access to the open sea. Such environments create excess waste, and subject salmon to high amounts of toxic chemicals. Farmed salmon also contains far lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients compared to wild salmon.

Conventional chicken often dyed yellow, gold

Just like consumers would refuse to buy gray salmon meat, they also would never touch gray chicken meat. So to make inferior, factory-farmed chicken look like high-quality, pasture-raised chicken, many large-scale chicken producers add various dyes and additives to chicken feed to make their meat appear more yellow and golden.

It is hardly surprising that highly-processed foods like cookies, crackers, snack mixes, cereals and chips contain numerous additives, colorings, and other chemicals. But most people do not expect that the meats they purchase have undergone the same chemical alterations, as it is generally assumed that meat is meat, and that it is all the same.

This is why it is important that you know where your meat comes from, and whether or not the animal feed used to produce it contained artificial additives or coloring chemicals. When buying fish, stick with wild varieties rather than farmed, and select organic, grass-fed, pastured meats of other varieties whenever possible.

To learn more about food secrets, be sure to check out the FREE NaturalNews report, 25 Amazing (and Weird) Facts About Food: http://www.naturalnews.com

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Q	How Can You Tell If Salmon Is Really Wild? I read that The New York Times has reported that farmed salmon is being passed off as wild salmon, even in some pretty fancy stores at very fancy prices. How can I tell whether the salmon I'm buying is wild or farmed?
A	Answer (Published 9/13/2005)
The New York Times story (published on April 10, 2005) certainly is a cautionary tale. For those of you who didn't see it, the Times sent a reporter to buy wild salmon at eight stores in the city. Some of the fish sold for as much as $29 per pound. The Times then had the salmon tested and learned that six of the eight pieces of fish purchased were farmed, not wild. It appears that the suspicions of the food writer at the Times were raised by the fact that so much wild salmon was on the market during the off-season (from November to March) when the fish is not widely caught. Wild salmon is almost extinct on the East Coast and, the Times reported, West Coast wild catches are restricted by quotas. As a result, 90 percent of the salmon sold in the United States is farmed. Unfortunately, farmed salmon has been found to contain residues of PCBs and other toxic contaminants, as well as residues of antibiotics and other drugs. The tests performed on the salmon purchased by the Times measured the amount of food coloring added to farmed fish. (Without this, the flesh of farmed salmon would be white.) You can't tell at a glance whether fish is wild or farmed - they look alike although they taste different. And consumers certainly can't be expected to have fish tested to find out whether or not it is farmed or wild. You're better off assuming that salmon sold as wild during the period from November to March really is farmed. I recommend eating wild Alaskan salmon because it is delicious and a good source of health-protective omega-3 fatty acids. However, you can get the same fatty acids from other cold water fish including mackerel, sardines, herring, and black cod. If you want wild salmon, you can order it online from one of my favorite sources, Vital Choice Seafood (www.vitalchoice.com). The wild Alaskan salmon available from this source is flash-frozen when caught. If wild Alaskan salmon is too pricey for your food budget, you can buy canned sockeye (red) salmon in the supermarket; it's all wild. It will give you the same omega-3 fatty acids found in fresh or frozen Alaskan wild salmon. Otherwise, all you can do is buy from trusted sources and ask them how they make sure their fish is really wild. Andrew Weil, M.D.

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From Pure Salmon Campaign

Farmed Salmon and Human Health

In 1999, the World Health Organization raised food safety concerns over fish farming, including salmon,1 warning that this growing practice posed risks to public health. Artificial coloring, toxic by-products, and cancer causing contaminants have all been found in factory farmed salmon. The United States currently imports approximately 200,000 tons of farmed salmon annually,2 but very little of it is ever tested for diseases or chemical contaminants. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considered testing farmed salmon for antibiotics, pesticides, or possible carcinogens—all of which are used by many overseas salmon farms—those plans are on hold.3

---

Artificial Color

	Farmers use a "SalmoFan" chart to choose the color for their salmon. Colorants, added to the food, can account for up to one-third of total feed costs.

Industrial salmon farms use artificial color to make farmed fish—whose flesh is typically grayish white—appear a more appetizing “salmon” pink. Market research found that consumers “buy with their eyes” and put a premium on color. Since 1982, the use of artificial coloring in farmed salmon has more than tripled.4 One of the most commonly used dyes, Canthaxanthin, has been linked to human eye defects and retinal damage.
In 2003, the European Commission ordered salmon farmers to sharply reduce the use of Canthaxanthin,5 and most countries, including the U.S., require labels to identify farmed and dyed salmon as such. Yet, fish are occasionally sold without labels: Safeway, Kroger, and Albertsons were sued in 2003 for failing to identify artificially colored, factory raised salmon.6

Harmful Chemicals

Industrial salmon operations use a number of other chemicals to raise marketable fish. All of these pose known and potential risks to human health. These substances include oxytetracycline, an antibiotic that may lead to antibiotic resistance.7 Similar to the controversial use of antibiotics by the poultry and livestock industries, factory salmon farms must prevent fish from infecting one another with diseases. Because of the high prevalence of drugs on salmon farms, unwary consumers may ingest untold amounts of antibiotics. 

“Malachite green,” a fungicide, was banned internationally in the 1990s, but still illegally used in some salmon hatcheries and for juvenile fish. Scientists have found that exposure to malachite green may raise the risk of cancer, cause genetic mutations, and harm the human reproductive system.8

Contaminants like dieldrin, dioxins, toxaphene, and PCBs are often found in food and nutritional supplements manufactured for aquaculture. Because of this, farmed salmon have higher concentrations of toxics than wild salmon.9  Although the U.S. EPA recommends eating salmon no more than once or twice a week, a 2004 study by independent researchers found much higher levels of toxic contaminants in farmed salmon than previously thought. These scientists recommended as little as one serving of salmon per month.10

Lower Nutritional Value in Farmed Salmon vs Wild

A close reading of supermarket labels shows that some wild salmon, high in “heart-healthy,” Omega-3 fatty acids, contain less than 1 percent fat. In contrast, factory farmed fish can be as high as 27 percent fat and contain 15 percent less protein. Despite efforts by governments and international agencies to limit antibiotics, harmful chemicals, and toxic substances in farmed salmon, the danger persists. Millions of fish—raised in close confinement, eating an unvaried artificial diet, and constantly exposed to their own wastes—mean inevitable exposure to harmful chemicals.
These compounds accumulate in the tissues of salmon and are passed on to humans. People who regularly eat farmed salmon face a higher, though still poorly understood, risk of retinal damage, cancer, resistance to antibiotics, and harm to reproductive and other organs.

Omega-3s & Leukemia

To add to yesterday's blog, here is more wonderful information about Omega-3.

Scientists from the medical sciences division at Penn State University have discovered that a compound in fish oil appears to target leukemia stem cells and could lead to a cure for the disease. The compound is a natural extract from EPA, the Omega-3 fat component found most commonly in fish and fish oil supplements. Known as delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3, the molecule is shown to target and kill the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, a common form of the disease. Extensive research from past studies has shown that Omega-3 fats are critical to cardiovascular and brain health. This new evidence supports the regular intake of EPA omega-3 fats to selectively kill leukemia-causing stem cells that could prevent and possibly even provide a cure for this devastating disease.

The research, currently being conducted on mice that exhibit metabolic characteristics similar to humans, shows that some metabolites of Omega-3 have the ability to selectively kill the leukemia-causing stem cells. Scientists determined that D12-PGJ3 kills cancer-causing stem cells in the mice's spleen and bone marrow. Specifically, it activates a gene known as p53 in the leukemia stem cell that programs the cells own death in a process called apoptosis.

Omega-3 Fat Compound Shown to Kill Stem Cells Necessary for Leukemia Development

The p53 gene is a well known "tumor suppressor gene that regulates the response to DNA damage and maintains genomic stability", noted lead study author Dr. Sandeep Prabhu. The D12-PDJ3 compound kills the leukemic stem cells (leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells); this is an important step to prevent the development and division of white blood cells that can be used to propagate new cancerous tissue.

Current drug therapies are ineffective as they only attempt to keep the number of leukemia cells low, and they carry many dangerous and sometimes fatal side effects. Drug therapy for leukemia patients fails to completely cure the disease because it does not target the source of new leukemia stem cells. Current treatments are unable to kill the leukemia stem cells and fall short of providing an effective cure for the disease.

The Omega-3 EPA fat compound D12-PDJ3 targets regeneration of white blood stem cells, an essential step necessary to cure leukemia. The authors noted there were no side effects from administering the natural fat compound. Researchers from Penn State indicated that the compound would shortly move to human trials, with similar results anticipated. Long chain omega fats have been documented to promote human health and prevent chronic illnesses ranging from heart disease and dementia to metabolic syndrome and stroke. EPA fat compounds (500 mg per day) may help prevent and treat leukemia and other cancer lines dependent on stem cells to replicate and metastasize.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111222103112.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-12/ps-fom122211.php
http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/news/Fish-Oil-May-Hold-Key-to-Leukemia-Cure.html
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/could-compound-fish-oil-cure-leukemia

About the author:
John Phillip is a Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your Free 48 page copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.

Wild Red Salmon (Sockeye)

"Finally, You Can Enjoy Safe & Delicious Fish"

Dr. Mercola has finally found a safe and delicious source for one of the most nutritious foods on earth -- wild red salmon -- and it is now available here.

Anyone who has read his free health newsletter knows he have vigilantly warned against eating any type of fish from any water source, as virtually all fish these days contain dangerously high levels of mercury and other toxins. He is not alone, as many expert physicians, health organizations and even government agencies have posted similar warnings. 

But meanwhile, he has just as vigilantly been searching for a truly clean source of fish; without the major health risks posed by their toxicity, fish would be among his absolute most recommended foods for their outstanding nutritional benefits including very high levels of omega-3 with DHA and EPA, which most people are desperately lacking in their diets but which can help people optimize their weight and prevent disease, among other benefits listed below.  I personally love fish, so I'm happy to add it back to my meals. 

So the good news is worth repeating: after research that included him testing the salmon through an independent lab, and of course tasting the salmon in a variety of recipes, he can now confidently and enthusiastically recommend the Vital Choice brand of wild red salmon to us. 

 You Will Benefit Immensely from Vital Choice Salmon   

Vital Choice Wild red salmon portions, filets, smoked salmon, kosher sliced lox, and canned salmon are all available, and their many major benefits to you include:

·       The ONLY safe fish Dr. Mercola has discovered!

·       Far higher in essential omega-3 with EPA and DHA than any other food, and among the highest of all fish, meaning Vital Choice salmon will:

o   Aid in losing weight as omega-3 helps the body process fat

o   Increase your daily energy levels so you get more done and don't feel tired all the time

o   Greatly help prevent diseases such as cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer's and more

o   Help pregnant women avoid premature birth and low birth-weight

o   Reduce the risk of hyperactivity in children

·       High in astaxanthin and other antioxidants, which help you live longer

·       An excellent source of protein

·       Outstanding for healthy, younger-looking skin

·       Free of antibiotics, pesticides, synthetic coloring agents, growth hormones and GMOs

Harvested With Conscience from the Purest Waters on Earth

After hatching in their natal rivers, the Alaskan salmon swim upstream to very remote and pristine fresh water lakes where they feed and grow for 1-3 years before migrating out to the Bering Sea. Working closely with a native Alaskan tribe, Vital Choice takes all measures to ensure the salmon are sustainably harvested during their migration.

The Vital Choice salmon -- unlike the low-grade (and toxic) salmon you will find in most stores -- is then "flash-frozen," an advanced and completely safe technique that immediately captures the fresh-caught flavor of the salmon while preserving its firm texture and rich color. The canned salmon, meanwhile, is also immediately packaged using advanced techniques that require absolutely no freezing, ensuring its freshness and fantastic taste.

Absolutely Delicious -- and SAFE -- Salmon

Whether you prefer the wild red filets, smoked salmon, lox, canned salmon, or a variety of these, Dr. Mercola highly encourage us to try this truly mouth-watering, highly nutritious and safe salmon, and to make it a regular part of our diet. As you know by now, nothing matters more to our health, optimal weight, and well-being than what you put into your body, and this is truly some of the best food on earth for you.

The canned salmon makes a far superior addition to any recipe calling for tuna, as it is far safer, and contains ten times the calcium and four times the omega-3s present in canned tuna!

The salmon filets, smoked salmon and lox will be delivered to you flash-frozen and vacuum-sealed, to ensure absolute quality and the freshest taste.

Yes, this salmon costs more than what you'll find in conventional grocery stores due to its harvesting methods and location (which lead to its purity and fantastic taste), but then again if you can even find wild red salmon lab-tested to ensure its safety in some specialty store, you will see these Vital Choice brand costs less. 

Finally, you will notice that Vital Choice also offers organic blueberries (in case you need an organic blueberry source). These blueberries, from Eastern Canada, are smaller and sweeter than the typical store-bought blueberries, and are an ideal complement to salmon. Blueberries, of course, are one of the most potent antioxidant foods on the planet, and they are low in sugar so they won't stimulate severe insulin swings. (I eat them in my smoothies every morning...yum!)

Mercury in Fish

Poison #1: Mercury in Fish

Dr. Oz said that mercury is found in just about every single fresh water fish.  Mercury attacks your brain and your body’s nervous system.  Here are symptoms of Mercury Poisoning:

Mercury Poisoning Symptoms:

- Fatigue

- Headache

- Trouble Thinking

- Tremors

- Unsteady Gait

Dr. Jane Hightower calls these Mercury Poisoning Symptoms “Fish Fog.”  A lady was on the Dr. Oz show and said that she got mercury poisoning from just have 2 servings of fish a week and she got Neuropathy and could not feel her fingers.  Dr. Oz said that sushi grade tuna has the highest level of mercury of the fish that he tested, and salmon had the lowest levels of mercury because salmon fish tend to be younger fish.

Fish Lowest in Mercury & Highest in Mercury

Dr. Oz said that herrings and sardines have much less mercury than other fish.  The fish that are highest in mercury levels are Ahi Tuna, Swordfish and Tilefish.  He said it takes 6 months of not eating any fish to get the mercury out of your system.  Also, another interesting fact, chunk light tuna (the cheaper tuna fish in a can) has less mercury than the more expensive albacore tuna fish! 

EWG’s Fish List
What Women Should Know About Mercury In Fish

Avoid If Pregnant

Shark

Swordfish
King mackerel
Tilefish
Tuna steaks
Canned tuna
Sea bass
Gulf Coast Oysters
Marlin
Halibut
Pike
Walleye
White croaker
Largemouth bass
Albercore
American Eel
Bluefish

Eat No More Than One Serving From This List below Per Month

Mahi mahi
Blue mussel
Eastern oyster
Cod
Pollock
Great Lakes salmon
Gulf Coast blue crab
Channel catfish (wild)
Lake whitefish

Lowest In Mercury

Blue crab (mid-Atlantic)
Croaker
Fish Sticks
Flounder (summer)
Haddock
Trout (farmed)
Salmon (wild Pacific)
Shrimp *

* Shrimp fishing and farming practices have raised serious environmental concerns.
** Farmed catfish have low mercury levels but may contain PCBs in amounts of concern for pregnant women.