HEALTHY SOURCE OF FISH – Yippee!

Before I get any further, Vital Choice offers a healthy source of fish so that you don’t have to spend hours and hours researching where to actually buy healthy fish, then wonder if the fish that you bought at Whole Foods for $10,000 per pound is EVEN WORTH it.

Click here to check out Vital Choice options.

Omega-3 fatty acids lower your risk of heart disease mainly by lowering triglycerides (which come from carbohydrates & sugar) and by mitigating overly abundant inflammation.

You can get omegas in a number of foods, but if you are low in omega-3 (get a blood test to find out), then you should replace with ideal sources.  You can find these omegas in a variety of sources, including some vegetarian sources like spinach, mustard greens, wheat germ, walnuts, flaxseed (not a fan of flax despite its popularity), soybean (not a fan of) and canola oil (not a fan of), and even pumpkin seeds. But the very best source is fish.  However, not all fish are created equal.  Below is a handy chart that will help you choose fish with the highest omega-3 content.

Type of fish	Total omega-3 content per 3.5 ounces (grams)
Mackerel	2.6
Trout, lake	2
Herring	1.7
Tuna, bluefin	1.6
Salmon	1.5
Sardines, canned	1.5
Sturgeon, Atlantic	1.5
Tuna, albacore	1.5
Whitefish, lake	1.5
Anchovies	1.4
Bluefish	1.2
Bass, striped	0.8
Trout, brook	0.6
Trout, rainbow	0.6
Halibut, Pacific	0.5
Pollock	0.5
Shark	0.5
Sturgeon	0.4
Bass, fresh water	0.3
Catfish	0.3
Ocean perch	0.3
Flounder	0.2
Haddock	0.2
Snapper, red	0.2
Swordfish	0.2
Sole	0.1

Source: The Health Effects of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Seafoods


The other aspect of consuming fish is getting a healthy fish.  Mercury is the big player here and should be avoided as much as possible.  There are various ways of testing mercury, but one of the best tests out there currently is from Quicksilver Scientific. Their Mercury Tri-Test should be done in conjunction with the their Blood Metals Test.  It is around $300 for both tests (they do not accept insurance).  Categorically though, below is a list of the fish to avoid with the mercury content in popular fish.  Note the “average” versus the “Atlantic” versus the “Pacific” amounts of mercury for each type of fish.  I find the differences fascinating.  That’s why Vital Choice might be worth it.

Species Domestic Samples	FDA Average	Atlantic, Pacific Catch
Anchovies	0.04	ND, 0.04
Cod	0.1	0.06, 0.11
Crab	0.06	0.26, 0.15
Flounder	0.05	0.08, 0.07
Halibut	0.25	0.25, 0.28
Herring	0.04	0.04, 0.14
Lobster	0.17	0.28, 0.17
Mackerel	0.15	0.22, 0.09
Mussels	ND	0.08, 0.03
Oysters	ND	0.07, 0.06
Perch (ocean)	ND	0.08, 0.08
Pollock	0.06	0.02, 0.06
Salmon (fresh)	0.01	0.13, 0.04
Salmon (canned)	0.05	ND, 0.04
Scallops	0.05	0.01, 0.04
Shark	0.99	0.75, 0.80
Shrimp	ND	0.04, 0.03
Snapper	0.19	0.28, 0.25
Swordfish	0.98	0.98, 0.98
Tilefish	1.45	1.45, ND
Tuna (fresh/frozen)	0.38	0.28, 0.24
Tuna/albacore (all forms)	ND-0.76	0.47, 0.17
Tuna/yellowfin (all forms)	ND-0.76	0.31, 0.06

Data Source: Sunderland EM. (2007). Mercury exposure from domestic and imported estuarine and marine fish in the U.S. seafood market. Environ Health Perspect 115:235-242. Note: "ND" in the above table stands for "no data".

Watch the video below and, as always, feel free to pass this along!

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other health care professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging.

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other health care professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Baddest Waters (next blog… Bad-Ass Waters)

Last blog was about some safe and healthy water system options and how Alkaline Water is a Fraud.  Some people had questions about ‘alkaline’ versus ‘alkalinity’.  Alkaline doesn’t matter.  Alkalinity is what COUNTS when it comes to healthy water.  Rather than get into all that, here is an article by Dr. Sircus and water expert Robert Slovak who sum up exactly what I had intended to convey.

Now for this week…  Let’s look at some of the more dangerous zip codes in Southern California when it comes to certain metals being found in the drinking water.  (Hint: good idea to use water filtration systems in these zip codes). Anyone heard about Flint, Michigan’s water situation recently?!!!  For those living under a rock google it for a plethora of articles.  What about your zip code’s water supply?  How does it stack up?

Most information in the rest of this article can be seen at this interesting website with water contaminant stats included for 239 zip codes in the U.S.  Keep in mind that this is ONLY listing metal contaminants and is not including fluoride, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pharmaceuticals, etc.

EPA limits of Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, Cadmium, Aluminum & Copper

• Lead: 15 ppb
• Arsenic: 10 ppb
• Mercury: 2 ppb
• Cadmium: 5 ppb
• Aluminum: 500 ppb (other agencies: 50 ppb)
• Copper:  1300 ppb

The EPA notes on its "Table of Regulated Drinking Water Contaminants" that excessive concentrations of toxic elements can cause serious damage to humans:

• Arsenic has been shown to cause "skin damage or problems with circulatory systems, and may have increased risk of getting cancer".
• Cadmium has been linked to "kidney damage".
• Copper: "Short term exposure to copper has been shown as a possible cause of gastrointestinal distress; Long term exposure to copper has been linked to "liver or kidney damage".
• Lead poisoning in infants and children has been shown to cause "delays in physical or mental development; children could show slight deficits in attention span and learning abilities." In adults, lead poisoning has been linked to kidney problems and/or high blood pressure."
• High Mercury concentrations in drinking water can lead to "kidney damage".

Zip code highlighted in this color is a multiple offense zip code.

Yellow highlights are Los Angeles zip codes

ALUMINUM RESULTS

The EPA limit for Al in drinking water is 500 ppb, though the EPA does not consider Al to be a contaminant of concern in municipal water systems. Interestingly some agencies recommend Aluminum be less then 50 ppb.  Because high Al may be indicative of poor overall water quality or industrial contaminants, here are some of the highest Al results and are areas that may merit further study:

• Zip code 90066: 198.40 ppb (Culver City area)
• Zip code 90403: 171.13 (Santa Monica)
• Zip code 91506: 114.05 (Burbank)
• Zip code 92501: 106.02 (Riverside)
• Zip code 92656: 130.95 ppb (Mission Viejo – Laguna Hills just south of L.A.)

COPPER RESULTS

The EPA limit for Cu in drinking water is 1300 ppb. No Southern California zip codes exceeded even 90% of the EPA limit.

ARSENIC RESULTS

The EPA limit for As in municipal water is 10 ppb. None of the analyzed samples exceeded the current EPA limit of 10 ppb.  The highest in Southern California zip codes are:

• Zip code 90066: 4.63 ppb (Culver City area)
• Zip code 92124:  11.30 ppb (San Diego where the 15 & 52 intersect)

CADMIUM RESULTS

The EPA limit for Cd in municipal water is 5 ppb. The highest in Southern California zip code is:

• Zip code 92124:  3.09 ppb (San Diego where the 15 & 52 intersect)

MERCURY RESULTS

The EPA limit for inorganic Hg in municipal water is 2 ppb. All Southern California zip codes showed 0.00 ppb for Hg.

LEAD RESULTS

The EPA limit for Pb in municipal water is 15 ppb.

• Zip code 90066: 8.12 ppb (Culver City area)
• Zip code 92103: 51.10 ppb (San Diego – between Old Town & Hillcrest)
• Zip code 92124: 5.15 ppb (San Diego where the 15 & 52 intersect)

Interestingly, zip code 85086 (North of Phoenix, AZ) measured 120.60 ppb = SCARY!  And another sample from zip code 94566 (Pleasanton, CA) revealed lead at 16.03 ppb.

Again, these tests are just for metals/metalloids and do not account for volatile chemicals like chlorine, chloramines, VOCs (DBPs like THM’s), SOC’s (pesticides, herbicides), tastes & odors, pharmaceuticals, or fluoride.

If you want to test your home water, then National Testing Laboratory (NTL) = cheap & good.  Here’s their website: http://www.ntllabs.com/.

Enjoy the video below, and as always, feel free to pass it along!

Medical Disclaimer: Information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. The information is a result of years of practice and experience by Yoshi Rahm, DO. However, this information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other health care professional, or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging.

Do not use the information provided in this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other health care professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.

Information provided in this article and the use of any products or services related to this article by you DOES NOT create a doctor-patient relationship between you and Yoshi Rahm, DO or any other physician featured in this article. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.