Everyone knows that children in their developmental stages should eat more fish, but what kind of fish to give them requires careful consideration.
Recently, a research report studying three Asian families found that the children, aged 15 to 24 months, were fed fish porridge daily. As a result, the mercury levels in these children were five times higher than the normal level.
According to the *Medical Journal of Australia*, Dr. Stephen Corbet from the Western Sydney Local Health District stated that when children eat fish, attention must be paid to both the appropriate type and the correct amount. Even relatively low levels of mercury can affect a child's normal development.
Dr. Lisa Sapere, Chief Scientist of the New South Wales Food Authority in Australia, advised young parents to be cautious of seven types of fish: shark, swordfish, marlin, tuna, tilapia, tilefish, and catfish. Besides their relatively large size, these are long-lived carnivorous fish, and their mercury content is higher than that of other fish.
In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long warned against giving children large predatory fish such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish precisely because of their high mercury content.
Fish is rich in protein and promotes the rapid growth of bones and muscles. Fish are also rich in minerals like zinc, selenium, and iodine, which are essential nutrients for children's bone and muscle development and for building their immune system. Most importantly, fish high in fish oil are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and mackerel, which play a crucial role in brain development. This is because more than 60% of the brain is composed of fat, and Omega-3 fatty acids account for half of that.
Furthermore, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia are directly linked to a deficiency in Omega-3. Multiple studies have found that children with dyslexia showed significant improvement in their reading skills after supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids. Regularly eating fish high in fish oil can also help prevent children from developing asthma.
Among all fish, salmon contains the most Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids (about 2.7 grams per 100 grams of salmon). Salmon, mackerel, and tuna are also high in it. For tuna, the U.S. FDA recommends that canned tuna can be eaten 1-2 times a week, while fresh tuna should not be consumed more than once a week.