This is a health dilemma you’ve probably heard about at some point—particularly if you’ve ever known a woman who’s pregnant.

It’s a real problem: eat more fish because of the high-quality protein and the healthiest of omega-3 fats . . . or avoid eating fish because of widespread mercury pollution.

There are so many conflicting reports, it’s hard to know what to think. Case in point—the New York Times just came out with this front-page story . . .

Random testing of tuna sushi found mercury levels so high that eating just six of those tiny pieces of raw fish a week would put you over the EPA’s limit. Yet the American Heart Association currently recommends a much larger 6 ounces of fish twice a week for optimum heart health.

Some have recommended farm-raised fish because of fear of mercury in fish caught in the ocean. But this exposes another problem…

Farm-raised fish are fed soy and grain instead of their natural diet of shrimp and plankton, which makes their meat far less nutritious than their wild-caught cousins. What’s more, fish “farms” are just shoreline “pens,” which means the trapped fish absorb toxic chemicals in ground water and “run-off,” including PCBs, dioxins pesticides – and mercury.

You don’t have to take my word for it. A recent study found that wild-caught fish in general have lower levels of dangerous toxins than farm-raised fish. (By the way, most of the fish you’ll find in supermarkets and restaurants these days are farm-raised.)

Here’s what I do: I mostly stick to smaller fish that are lower down on the food chain. Because they don’t generally eat other fish, fewer toxins get stored in their flesh. It’s the big, deep-sea fish like tuna, swordfish, and grouper that have the highest mercury levels.

I eat larger fish less frequently, select wild-caught only, and favor Pacific over Atlantic fish (they’re usually exposed to fewer toxins). I also take one tablespoon of cod liver oil per day that has been tested and found to have less than one part per billion of mercury or PCB’s.

You can also enjoy other kinds of seafood besides fish without running the risk of poisoning from chemicals and other pollutants. Just make sure you know the source.

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