One fish you should not be eating

Unless you want to ingest a hefty dose of mercury, you should not be eating swordfish, says the current issue of The Oprah Magazine (September 2008). But for most other fish, the benefits of moderate consumption outweigh any risks. This from a landmark study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which also makes these recommendations.

• Canned albacore (white) tuna contains more mercury than canned light tuna, which is why the EPA urges women of childbearing age to eat no more than six ounces of albacore a week.
• Salmon does not contain too much mercury but it does harbor some PCBs -- these are industrial compounds -- so you'd be wise to limit servings of farmed salmon to one per month. You can enjoy wild-caught salmon four or more times per month.
• To learn more about the merits and cautions of other seafood options, check out oceansalive.com.