With healthy living comes health dietary selection coupled with a fitness program. For those individuals seeking a top quality meal, with vital nutritional value, tuna fish is a simple and, yet, vitally important food choice . Selected by millions of American each week, through the support of nutritionists, many parents have made this tuna fish the seafood selection of the regular family meal planning. As parents, understanding the vital nutrition tuna fish brings to the family meal as well as the potential health risks, will ensure children are provided with the nutritional value without health complications of regular tuna fish consumption. Let’s first examine what the nutritional value of tuna fish really is.
Tuna fish are found in waters all over the world. Packed with extremely low levels of calories, tuna fish is a primary source of protein and Omega fatty acids, both required for vital organ function. Containing all of the nine essential fatty acids, tuna fish is the only fish product which provides for the full daily recommendation allowance of protein intake. In addition to the protein, Omega, found in tuna fish, is required for vital organ function and is essential to improving immune system responses while working to promote a healthy cardiovascular system. For this reason, many American families have encouraged the regular consumption of tuna fish as part of the family meal planning.
In addition to the added health value, in terms of Omega and protein, tuna fish also provides for a low cholestrol meal option. With very little sodium content, fresh tuna fish adds value to individuals who suffer from hypertension or edema. Unfortunately, with families consuming significant quantities of tuna fish each week, research has revealed the excessive consumption may lead to negative health implications in children. For this reason, parents should become vitally aware of the recommendations for consumption levels as well as the health risks.
In terms of a child’s dietary health, tuna fish provides a healthy meal option with substantial protein and Omega, when consumed at less than 12 ounces per week. Unfortunately, tuna fish, when consumed at levels in excess of 12 ounces per week, may expose a child to health complications attributed to mercury poisoning. Let’s examine the basis of this finding.
Tuna fish acquire mercury through the industrial toxicity of the air we breath. This same toxicity contaminates the waters in which tuna fish thrive. Through the water, fish consume mercury and then pass it back to the human population through our tuna fish consumption. For this reason, of particular concern is the consumption of mercury, through tuna fish, by women who are pregnant and by young children. With excess exposure to mercury, through a significant consumption of tuna fish, children may develop damage to the central nervous system. So, what is the recommended health consumption of tuna fish?
For pregnant women and children, the FDA recommends consumption of tuna fish, due to the risk of mercury related neurological disorders, be limited to no more than 12 ounces in one week. Fortunately, when consumed in quantities in excess of 12 ounces per week, central nervous system damage, in all likely, will not occur unless this excess consumption continues week after week. For individuals with mercury poisoning, common central nervous system symptoms might include decreased peripheral vision, numbness of feet and hands, memory loss and rash. When symptoms persist, consultation with the child’s pediatrician may be necessary at which point the condition can be diagnosed through blood and urine samples.
When diagnosed with mercury poisoning, the child may be referred to a neurologist first to assess the degree, if any, to which the child has been affected. Based on the findings of the neurological examination, the child may require further treatment. For many children, however, the simple elimination of tuna fish, from the diet, will provide the body with an opportunity to naturally recover from the affects of the tuna fish mercury poisoning.
For more information on the dietary features of tuna fish, visit. www.atuna.com.
