March on Mercury - Have Your Sushi and Eat it Too - KidSafe Seafood Recipes

March On Mercury 
Mercury in seafood has been a hot topic for the news media lately, and now this debate has moved on to sushi, an increasingly popular finger food that many children love.

KidSafe Seafood, a SeaWeb program, dedicates our March e-newsletter to helping parents eliminate mercury from their family's diets. With KidSafe Seafood Best Choices, you can have your sushi and eat it too. So, put your best foot forward and join our march against mercury. And please share this e-newsletter with friends and family to let them know that you are thinking about them and wish them good health.

Mercury Q and A with Tim Fitzgerald of the Environmental Defense Fund
Mercury in the Food Chain
Sushi Buyer's Guide
History of Sushi
Inspiring Asian Activities
Sayonara, Mercury! Host a Sustainable Sushi Party

* Lemon-mint Tea
* Boiled Edamame Beans
* Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Sushi Roll
* Imitation Crab Roll
* Green Tea Soy Ice Cream with Garnish
* Shopping List and Party Planner
   
Mercury Q and A with Tim Fitzgerald of the Environmental Defense Fund
Photo from edf.org

Tim Fitzgerald, Environmental Defense Fund Scientist, analyzes the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture operations to provide information about eco-friendly seafood choices, often in collaboration with other conservation organizations such as SeaWeb's KidSafe Seafood program. Fitzgerald researches the occurrence of mercury, PCBs, dioxins and pesticides in fish as a means of educating consumers and policymakers about the health risks associated with the consumption of contaminated seafood. Fitzgerald is a frequent speaker on conservation and human health issues concerning the U.S. seafood market. 

Q: What is mercury and where is it found?
A: Mercury is a highly toxic metal that is both naturally occurring and introduced to the environment by industrial processes. Coal-fired power plants account for two-thirds of global mercury emissions. 

Q: How does mercury get into our seafood?
A: After it enters the atmosphere, mercury falls to the ground and enters bodies of water. There, it is converted by bacteria into methylmercury, the form that accumulates in fish and poses a risk to human health. 

Q: What are the major risks and potential effects of eating seafood that is high in mercury?
A: Mercury targets the nervous system and kidneys. Children exposed to mercury before birth may exhibit problems with mental development and coordination, including how they think, learn and problem-solve later in life.  

Mercury exposure can also harm adults. Symptoms can include numbness, burning or tingling of the extremities, fatigue, weakness, irritability, shyness, loss of memory and coordination, tremors and changes in hearing and blurred vision. 

Q: Who is most susceptible to mercury?
A: Developing fetuses, infants and young children are at the highest risk from mercury exposure, since their brains and nervous systems are still forming. Fetuses can absorb mercury directly across the placenta, and nursing infants can get it from their mother's breast milk. This is why it is so important for women of childbearing age to minimize their consumption of fish with high mercury levels.

Q: What seafood is safe for pregnant mothers and children to eat?
A: It's best to focus on small fish that are lower on the food chain. Anchovies, Arctic char, Atlantic mackerel, wild Alaskan salmon (including canned), sardines and farmed trout are all low in mercury and great sources of omega-3.

Q: If a person or child is tested and has a high level of mercury in their body, how long will it take for them to return back to having safe levels of mercury in their body?
A: The good news is that mercury levels in your body will gradually decrease over time, assuming you don't eat any more mercury-contaminated fish. You should start to see a difference in a few months.  

Q: What are some of the other toxic pollutants that are found in certain seafood and what are their effects?
A: Mercury is the most prevalent environmental pollutant found in seafood, but there are others that can be a problem too. PCBs, dioxins, pesticides and flame-retardants (PBDEs)-probable human carcinogens-have all been found at elevated levels in commercially available fish. They tend to be a more localized issue, so the best way to avoid exposure is to check recreational fishing advisories before eating locally caught fish. 

Q: What is the best way to avoid environmental pollutants in seafood?
A: Here are three easy ways to minimize your exposure to seafood contaminants:

1.  Carry a seafood guide that lists healthy and eco-friendly options, like Environmental Defense's Seafood Selector and the KidSafe Seafood Best Choices Chart.

2.  Eat fewer large, predatory fish like swordfish, shark and tuna, which are likely to be highest in mercury and other toxins. Instead, choose smaller fish that are lower on the food chain, like canned salmon, sardines, catfish and farmed shellfish.

3.  Eat a variety of fish. Just like you wouldn't invest all your money in one stock, mixing up your seafood choices lessens your risk of excessive mercury exposure from one highly contaminated species.
 
Mercury in the Food Chain
Information from the Natural Resources Defense Council Web site at NRDC.org
Graphic from the Environmental Defense Fund Web site at edf.org 

Chlorine chemical plants and coal-fired power plants are the two of the largest sources of human-caused mercury contamination on our planet. Mercury is used as a catalyst in the chlorine manufacturing process, and mercury is also found in coal, where it escapes in untreated smoke from coal-fired plants. Many countries rely on these chemicals for fuel or other commodities, which makes it hard to combat mercury contamination. 

Coal-fired power plants provide China with 75 percent of its energy. And, in some countries, mercury is used to mine gold. Also, mercury is commonly found in electrical switches, batteries and measuring devices like thermometers.
In developed countries, many plants have already shifted to cleaner technology that drastically reduces the output of mercury into the atmosphere. However, some countries, such as China and India, don't have the environmental standards to force plants to add the more expensive, cleaner technologies to reduce mercury output. Because mercury can travel long distances in the atmosphere, this affects everyone on the planet. Mercury released into the air in China, for example. can find its way to any place in the world.

For more information, visit the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Sushi Buyer's Guide  
Photo from homepage 3.nifty.com

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should be especially careful about eating sushi. Many of the fish chosen for sushi are the top predators in the fish food chain. In other words, because they eat other fish that can contain mercury, they can accumulate high concentrations of mercury in their bodies. This list highlights sushi choices highest and lowest in mercury.

History of Sushi
Information adapted from eatsushi.com and sushifaq.com
Photo from growabrain.typepad.com

Sushi came from very basic beginnings. During the seventh century, Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar brought a method of long-term fish storage to Japan that relied heavily on rice. The fish were packed in rice from two months to a year. As the fish fermented, the rice produced lactic acid, which then pickled the fish. Unfortunately, the rice was soppy and sour. So, it was cast aside as a waste product.

The slow pickling process was eventually replaced by a more updated method that kept the rice edible. Around the 17th century in Japan, rice wine vinegar was added to the fish and rice combination. The vinegar accentuated the sourness of the fermented rice, leaving a very palatable ball of rice after the fermenting process. The vinegar also drastically shortened the fermentation process to a matter of days instead of months or years.

During the 1820s, a man named Hanaya Yohei started placing a piece of fresh fish atop an oblong shaped piece of seasoned rice, which is referred to as "nigiri" and still wildly popular everywhere sushi is eaten.

Today, sushi continues to evolve, and sushi restaurants can be found in around the world. The taste and health benefits of sushi ensure its place as a staple of many people's diet for years to come. Children love dipping the bite-sized pieces in soy sauce and popping them into their mouths. They also have fun eating them with chopsticks. It's a great way to introduce lean proteins like seafood into their diets.

Inspiring Asian activities 
Photo from picasaweb.google.com

Fun, beginner-level origami from origami.com
* Create a boat
* Create an elephant
* Create a fox

Tai Chi classes are great for people of all ages, grandchildren to grandmothers. Find a Tai Chi instructor near you.

Sayonara, Mercury! Host a Sustainable Sushi Party
Photo from allrecipes.com 

You can have your sushi and eat it too. Below, KidSafe Seafood has designed a multi-course meal that is delicious, sustainable and easy to prepare.

* In-depth text tutorial on how to make sushi rolls
* Video tutorial from YouTube.com on how to make California sushi rolls

Recipes:
* Lemon-mint Tea
* Boiled Edamame Beans
* Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon Sushi Roll
* Imitation Crab Roll
* Green Tea Soy Ice Cream with Garnish
* Shopping List and Party Planner

SeaWeb Quick Links:
If you would like some more recipes to make in your galley at home,
please check our Web site recipe section 

To enjoy other SeaWeb newsletters, log into your account

Visit SeaWeb's Web site if you have forgotten your password