Here fishie, fishie, fishie

I talk a lot about eating fish for Lyme.  Here’s a little bit about why!  Fish is one of the highest quality proteins you can get – and it is pretty clean, not typically pumped so full of antibiotics, corn, and manure.   It is also a more alkaline option, helping reduce the acidity in your body’s environment.  The more acidic your insides, the more prone to pain it’s going to be. 

I know fish is more expensive, but any way you can, eat fish!  Sardines are a great, cheap option.  It really ought to be wild-caught (this means caught out in the wild, at sea).  The converse is farmed (this means raised off-shore in a huge netted cage and fed corn and antibiotics).  Many people are also concerned about mercury-levels in fish and for good reason.  Mercury is a heavy metal that accumulates in the body and can wreak havoc on your neurological system (sound familiar, Lymies?).   When it comes to mercury-free fish, there are two things to consider.  1) The smaller the fish, the better.  The rationale behind this is based on a process called biomagnification.  The higher you get up the food chain, the more concentrated the mercury becomes.  Example: sardines are eaten by the bigger halibut, who are eaten by the bigger tuna.  So that tuna has all the mercury in the sardine and in the halibut.  The other thing to consider, 2) the type of fish.  There are some fish species that are more likely to have higher levels of mercury in them.  Here is the list (it’s very pretty and short, even though the link to it isn’t):  http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=c_jP2Qoe22psVM:&imgrefurl=http://www.facebook.com/note.php%3Fnote_id%3D237253729646499&docid=tOiysI-6otYqNM&imgurl=http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/254772_249463321742545_109805375708341_796591_6097407_n.jpg&w=698&h=448&ei=RsRTT-i8NoTxggfF8unADQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=170&vpy=159&dur=182&hovh=180&hovw=280&tx=169&ty=107&sig=107436883524958436492&page=1&tbnh=115&tbnw=179&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

So while it’s best to get fish that has the least amount of mercury, don’t forget that there are more sources of much higher exposure to mercury.  Consider that the World Health Organization says that the highest risk of mercury exposure to humans is dental amalgam (those silver-looking fillings for cavaties) "exposing the concerned population to mercury levels significantly exceeding those set for food and for air." Here's link to what the WHO has to say. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/medicalwaste/mercurypolpaper.pdf

My take is that you should do your best to eat fish less contaminated by mercury, but not to fret too too much.  Especially if you have amalgam fillings (like me).  Those are exposing you to much more mercury on a much more consistent basis than fish.  To get your amalgam fillings removed, you need to find a dental office that specializes in this, as your regular dentist office probably doesn’t.  And they will probably tell you that dental amalgam is not a source of mercury exposure since that’s the American Dental Association’s stance.  (Hmmm, an American association telling you that you don’t have to worry, it’s not real?  Why, you don’t say…)

Now back to fish.  Aside from being an all around good protein, fish is also rich in fatty acids that your body needs for many functions – from immunity to good, healthy skin to brain function.  It’s just a high quality, nutrient-dense food, a much better option than beef or even chicken.  Plus, Jesus ate a lot of it.  So that’s gotta be a good thing – the food of the Gods then, right?  (Hehehe)

I’m not a huge fan of the taste of fish – and most people probably aren’t either.  The key is: lots of lemon juice, lots of pepper, and a new one I just discovered – lots of dill.  Or you can start with smoked fish – smoked fish is soooo yummy, probably because it doesn’t taste much like fish anymore.  Also, eat fish with a side dish you like – like steamed broccoli or something.   Having a solid side dish of veggies that you know you like is really good for the in-between bites of fish.  Sauteed onions is great, if you like onions – the taste is so strong, it will really help mask the fish taste. 

I wrote a haiku in honor of fish.

The scaly fish swims.

Cold, clear, crisp water flows fast.

Nature feeds me well.

(Hahhahaha…I’m just tickled with my haiku attempt.)