Fit4LifeCenter  

Have you ever visited the ocean or a lake and noticed how disgusting the water is? If someone dared you to take a big gulp of the murky, fetid, and sewage-laced water, would you do it? Probably not, because you wouldn’t want to catch a disease, or ingest any toxic run-off from some industrial factory. Well, if you happened to be a fish, you wouldn’t have a choice. In the past 100 years or so, humans have managed to basically poison our earth’s waters with man-made chemicals and other earthly toxins.

Whether it’s from oil tanker spills, toxic sludge from manufacturing companies, or just good ol’ Larry changing his car’s oil and letting it wash down the drain, our planet’s water systems are now loaded with dangerous waste products. In turn, the fish that live in these waters absorb many of these toxins into their bodies. Once they have fattened themselves up with a steady diet of harmful chemicals, humans around the world catch the fish and enjoy them for supper.

The sad thing is that fish is one of the healthiest foods we can eat. Packed with lean protein and essential fatty acids (Omega-3), fish is vital part of any nutritious diet. It is therefore important to learn which fish are the safest to eat, and which fish should be avoided altogether. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the fish that contain the lowest amount of the heavy metal mercury are crab, crawfish, spiny lobster, oysters, pollock, salmon, sardines, scallops, shrimp, tilapia, freshwater trout, and canned light tuna. Every other type of fish has either moderate and high amounts of mercury.

If you have children, you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant, it is very important to monitor your intake of fish. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin which can cause lasting damage to your children if over-consumed. It’s a shame that this topic even needs to be discussed, but unfortunately the industrialization of our planet has led to some terrible side-effects. The good news is that, as an informed consumer, you can still protect yourself and your family as much as possible.

Doctor Thomas Bynes, a Cedar Park Chiropractor, has over 11 years of clinical experience in providing gentle Chiropractic care, Trigger Point muscle pain relief, nutritional counseling, dieting advice, and exercise training. In 2009, Dr. Bynes published the detailed weight loss and wellness book “Sinner to Thinner,” a one-stop resource for healthy living, available at Amazon.com.

Dr. Bynes specializes in light, non-force muscle and tendon treatments, which are wonderful for kids with pain and women with pregnancy pain. Each week at The Crossings Wellness Spa in Austin, Dr. Bynes presents a nutrition and weight loss lecture, as well as bi-weekly lectures at Fit 4 Life Wellness Center. For more information, or if you are trying to find a Chiropractor in Cedar Park, please visit www.Fit4LifeCenter.com or call 512-250-8118.