 Loading the blood pressure reduces the risk of almost all fish and shellfish. They contain traces of have you ever wondered like what also mercury really does to your nervous system? You have most likely heard that eating fish twice a day week is beneficial. Is that true? A lot of people are skeptical about fish. I will talk about the best and the worst fish to consume especially if you have conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance or diabetes. Hi everyone, I am Dr. Ahmed Ergin, a metabolism specialist and your go-to endocrinologist on YouTube. Fish, particularly oily varieties, contain heart and brain healthy omega-3 fats, in addition to being a good source of protein. So fish and shellfish are essential in our healthy diet, especially for diabetic diet. So fish and shellfish, their hind protein and other essential nutrients such as the omega-3 and their low and saturated fat, and as you know a balanced diet that includes a variety that includes the fish can help with your heart and the proper growth and development of the children. So numerous nutritional benefits are there, especially for diabetics and patients with insulin resistance should all consider eating fish. Now, what's the catch? We'll get to that. The main benefit is as we said is omega-3, but let's remember what good things come from the omega-3 fatty acids. So lowering the blood pressure is important. Why? Because lowering the blood pressure reduces the risk of sudden death, the heart attacks, irregular heart rhythms and stroke. Even during pregnancy you can help your baby's vision and the brain and the nerve growth and the optimal brain development when you're eating omega-3. Now what else? The depression, the Alzheimer's disease, the oldest dementia and even diabetes may all be prevented or get better. For example, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It's different than type 2 diabetes, right? That occurs when your immune system basically assaults your healthy components in your pancreatic beta cells. Now studies show that actually consuming omega-3 fatty acids such as the oil that is found in the fish prevent developing of type 1 diabetes, especially in children and young adults. So omega-3 fatty acids have the potential to also decrease the symptoms of arthritis while also preventing the inflammation. So what else do we have? Vitamin D, right? So vitamin D is similar to steroid hormone in your body and guess what? 41% of the US population are deficient in vitamin D, either extremely deficient or somewhat deficient. Well, unfortunately there are some disadvantages to eating fish on a regular basis. So as you know the pollutants such as mercury and polychlorinated biphanels, they end up in our drinking water and of course fish as a result of the waste that we generate in our own homes and workplaces. Almost all fish and shellfish they contain traces of mercury. The risk of mercury poisoning from eating fish and shellfish is not a health concern for the majority of the people. However, some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury which may harm the nervous system which you don't want to have especially with diabetes and neuropathy problems. So the risks posed by mercury in fish and shellfish are determined by the amount of fish that you consume and also the levels of the mercury in those fish. So as a result the Food and Drug Administration as you know the FDA in the United States and the Environmental Protection Agency they are advising that women for example who may become pregnant or pregnant women already in the second or third trimester or nursing mothers and young children should avoid certain types of fish and instead eat lower mercury fish and shellfish and we'll talk about them one by one. There's also that issue of environmental impact which we sometimes cause without knowing. So unfortunately sustainability of the seafood is a problem. Many of us are perplexed when it comes to fish like what's best for me, what's good for the environment and so forth if you're environmentally conscious. Have you ever wondered like what also mercury really does to your nervous system? Most of us like are scared of things without knowing what it really does right? So but the medial mercury poisoning for example you will have symptoms if you are poisoned, you may have like inability to see clearly from a distance, you may have hearing loss, you may have hand, foot and mouth numbness, burning and tingling like pins and needles, speech and hearing problems can happen even walking can be affected. So it's all about the nervous system problems. Also look of strengthening your muscles and fatigue are common. So I have some recommendations for you before we have a deep dive into this. Number one avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. Why? Because they are very high in mercury. Number two I would say consume up to 12 ounces which is you know average a week to average meal a week of mercury free fish and shellfish. Now shrimp for example or canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish are five of the most commonly consumed mercury free fish. So consume more of those. Albuacore fish for example white tuna and some other popular fish contain more mercury than the canned light tuna for example. So when choosing your two fish or your shellfish meals per week you can eat an up to six ounces on average per meal or a little bit more maybe of albuacore tuna. Number three check your local advisories on the safety of the fish caught by the family and friends in your area in your lakes and rivers or coastal areas because you never know what advice is there if the advice is available of course and I wouldn't eat more than six ounces of that fish if it is caught in local parks and rivers etc and I would say don't eat any other fish if you don't know that they're really safe for you in that week. So also if you're feeding that fish to your child follow the same guidelines but I would say serve them definitely smaller portions. So what fish should you eat then right? What fish should you not eat at all? So let's go one by one and I'll start with the sardines. I know it's not very common but it can be found in canned form. It's very high in vitamin D and calcium and omega 3. There's a lot of nutrients in sardines. In addition to that the wild caught salmon is preferred over other fish and I would say like when I say other fish other farmed salmon for example. So the wild salmon for example contains a lot of omega 3 just like sardines and vitamins like vitamin D and very little saturated fat. So both farmed and wild fish unfortunately are still susceptible to contaminants from the water they swim in and the food they consume and the health benefits of both wild and farmed salmon though still outweigh the risk because sometimes all you can afford is a farmed salmon and I would definitely prefer that over some other high saturated fat content in other animal meats for example. Contaminant levels in the farmed salmon feeds are currently being subject to like pretty strict regulations so in recent years these changes have resulted in lower contaminants in the farmed fish as well. So you can probably now consume those a little bit more peace of mind compared to let's say 10 years ago. Now we talked about sardines but herring is also another one that is very similar to sardines and they're very oily and they have plethora of nutritional benefits. Sardines are also high in calcium and the herring they're high in iron, selenium, B12 and so forth. Despite the fact that people can consume sardines fresh they are like I said either found in canned or frozen but get them wherever you find them they're extremely beneficial and nutritional value is very high and very low contaminants and very high in omega-3. People who also eat canned sardines should check the label to see how much also extra oil or sodium they add into them so you have to be careful about that when you're buying anything canned still consume in moderation and canned tuna is typically safe to consume but still you may want to limit the content of how much you're eating because eventually it may add up. Now white tuna also known as albacore has a greater mercury concentration than the light tuna for example so you just need to make your pick there as well. Now fatty fish like tuna has fewer calories and a lot of nutrients like like the protein similar to salmon. Skipjack tuna for example has 22 grams of protein in 100 grams serving which is great and then mackerel for example is a solid white fish with a robust flavor that is often served raw as well in sashimi or sushi it also has a lot of omega-3 in them and b12 then some other forms of fish but pickled or smoked mackerel be careful may have higher salt level than the fresh mackerel so people with high blood pressure should look out for that information on the food labels before they consume there. So the fish that are smaller in size such as the Atlantic or Spanish mackerel are definitely preferable because the larger fish like king mackerel will have more mercury levels and therefore is going to be less healthy to consume. Now what else let's talk about trout so rainbow trout also known as steelhead trout and this fish is one of the best fish to eat if it is farmed carefully in the United States or in indoor circulating tanks according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. When compared to canned or the pink salmon trout has more potassium, more selenium, more vitamin b6 and more than a days worth of vitamin b12 which is important for diabetic neuropathy and so forth we discussed before. The halibut is a great tasting solid fish white fish has a mild flavor you can enjoy draw or cooked people who do not appreciate the fish but if you want to include a fish that has mild flavor definitely halibut will be in your list it has around 19 grams of protein per 100 grams of that flesh and it has a lot of potassium and vitamin d so what are the worst fish that you should never eat well number one swordfish well swordfish species are regarded from an ecological perspective because of the high quantities of mercury i would say you can swap that out with wild alaskan salmon or farmed atlantic halibut how about that there is also a lot of mercury in chilean sea bass i know it tastes great but eating it more than three times a month is definitely gonna catch up with you another one that you have to be extremely careful is the orange fish that is orange rocky sometimes they call it from a sustainability standpoint and a mercury content it is also not too great they are among the worst fish to eat they can live up to 150 years which is like a huge long time to be eating poisons from the ocean right i mean come on that's too much mercury in them instead i would say it tilapia for example that has low mercury content and it's very inexpensive number three that may be also on your watch although you may love the taste is the grouper according to the montry bay aquarium seafood watch website they list no varieties of grouper in its best option category so it's best to avoid it if you care about the environment as well instead i would try maybe bronzino and mediterranean fish grown in indoor recirculating tanks again you have to be careful about where you're buying from but they have a low mercury content and you are free to consume up to six times a month without feeling guilty there now king mackerel is also is another horrible one it is very high in mercury although it is sustainable but you have to be able to contain your portions and eat maybe not more than once a month on the other hand atlantic spanish mackerel has minimal mercury levels and extremely sustainable and i would say that would be both tasty and environmentally friendly as well so guys i hope this helped you and if it did remember to give a thumbs up subscribe and we'll see you in the next video hey guys i hope you're enjoying this channel so far and i hope you subscribed already if you didn't do it and if you did watch this video right there i think that will help you too