Fish Sticks: The Processed Disappointment
Let’s be honest—fish sticks aren’t really fish at all. They’re more like a processed food product that happened to meet fish at some point in its journey. Most fish sticks are made from whitefish like cod, which can be healthy until they’re drenched in oil and fried. The breading and frying process absorbs calories and fats that completely cancel out any nutritional benefits the original fish might have offered. Fried foods absorb the calories and fats in the oil they were fried in, both of which are bad for your waistline and heart. Think of fish sticks as the fast food of the seafood world—convenient, yes, but nutritionally barren. When you’re looking for heart-healthy omega-3s, you’re basically getting a tiny fraction of what you’d find in actual fish.
Shrimp: High Protein, Low Omega-3
Shrimp is the number one most consumed seafood in the US and is rich in iodine, which supports your metabolism-running thyroid hormones. Here’s the thing about shrimp though—while it’s a fantastic source of lean protein and won’t spike your mercury levels, it’s basically omega-3 deficient. Unfortunately, you won’t get many heart-healthy, immunity-boosting omega-3 benefits from shrimp. It’s like buying a sports car that looks great but has no engine—sure, it’ll fill you up with quality protein, but you’re missing out on those crucial fats that make fish so special for your heart and brain. A pregnant woman would have to eat 15 to 20 servings of shrimp per week to get the omega-3 fats she needs, though these types of seafood are still nutritious and good sources of protein.
Cod: The Steady Performer
Cod is like the reliable friend who shows up to every party but never steals the spotlight. This flaky white fish is a great source of phosphorus, niacin, and vitamin B-12, with a 3-ounce cooked portion containing 15 to 20 grams of protein. Atlantic cod contains 82 calories, 0.7 grams fat, 0 grams carbohydrate, and 18 grams protein per 100-gram serving. While cod won’t wow you with omega-3 content, it’s a solid choice for lean protein without the mercury concerns that plague larger fish. Cod is among the safest fish for pregnant women, being low in mercury (under 0.1 parts per million) and rich in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Think of cod as the nutritional equivalent of a dependable sedan—it’ll get you where you need to go without breaking the bank or your health.
Yellowtail: The Contamination Concern
Yellowtail, also known as amberjack, are high in omega-3 fatty acids, but they often feed on wild fish even while being farmed, meaning they can accumulate high amounts of dangerous contaminants. This fish is sometimes listed on sushi menus as “Hamachi” or “Buri,” with farmed yellowtail described as “Hamachi” in Tokyo cuisine. While yellowtail does pack decent omega-3s, it’s caught in the middle of the health versus risk debate. The fish’s diet and farming conditions make it a bit of a wild card when it comes to what you’re actually getting on your plate. Because of its high mercury levels, you’d do best to eat this fish as often as you vacation. It’s like playing nutritional roulette—you might win big with omega-3s, or you might end up with a side of contaminants you didn’t order.
Catfish and Tilapia: The Budget-Friendly Duo
Both tilapia and catfish usually have low microplastic and mercury contents, which is why the FDA recommends these fish as two of the safest options. These fish are the budget-friendly options that won’t break the bank or your mercury meter. They’re like the economy cars of the fish world—reliable, affordable, and safe, but don’t expect premium performance in the omega-3 department. A pregnant woman would need to eat 15 to 20 servings of catfish per week to get adequate omega-3 fats, though these types of seafood are still nutritious and good sources of protein. Both fish are farmed in controlled environments, which keeps contamination levels low but also means they’re not swimming around accumulating those beneficial omega-3s from wild algae and smaller fish. If you’re on a tight budget and want safe protein, these are solid choices.
Halibut: The Grandmother Fish
Halibut is what nutritionists call “eating a grandmother fish” because they can live a long time and often contain high levels of mercury and plastic residue, with the oldest recorded halibut being 42 years old and weighing up to 500 pounds. Here’s the paradox with halibut—it’s got decent omega-3 content and plenty of vitamins and minerals, but those decades of swimming around have turned it into a mercury storage unit. Halibut contains 116 calories, 3 grams fat, 0 grams carbohydrate, and 20 grams protein per 100-gram serving. The bigger and older the fish, the more time it’s had to accumulate not just nutrients, but also environmental toxins. The dangers of eating such a large, potentially contaminated and overfished fish outweigh any possible health benefits. It’s like eating a really old piece of fruit—sure, it might still have vitamins, but you’re also getting everything else it picked up along the way.
Tuna: The Mercury Dilemma
Tuna is the poster child for the omega-3 versus mercury debate. One benefit of tuna is that it’s high in omega-3 fats, but the downside is that some varieties contain a lot of mercury. Most tuna consumed in America is skipjack (light tuna) followed by albacore, with skipjack generally having less mercury than albacore, though mercury content can vary wildly. Yellowfin tuna contains 109 calories, less than one gram fat, 0 grams carbohydrate, and 24 grams protein per 100-gram serving. Adults can safely eat light tuna 2-3 servings per week, but for bigeye or albacore tuna, limit consumption to once per week due to higher mercury content, with pregnant women needing to be especially cautious. The challenge with tuna is like dating someone who’s really attractive but has commitment issues—the benefits are there, but you have to be careful about how much you invest.
Pacific Salmon: The Heart-Healthy Champion
Both wild and farmed salmon are high in omega-3s and relatively low in toxins such as mercury and PCBs, with dietitians saying both are great nutritional choices. Salmon consistently falls into the “very low mercury” category, making it one of the safest fish choices available, with different varieties showing slightly different mercury levels. From a nutrition standpoint, farmed and wild-caught salmon have nearly the same heart-healthy omega-3 fats, with canned salmon being more affordable and providing 241 milligrams of nondairy calcium per 3-ounce serving. Salmon provides 175 calories, 10 grams fat, and 1.7 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per 3-ounce serving. According to the latest 2025 FDA guidelines, most adults can safely eat salmon 2-4 times per week. Salmon is like the golden retriever of fish—friendly, reliable, and good for the whole family.
Mackerel: The Omega-3 Powerhouse
Atlantic and Atka mackerel from Alaska are high in inflammation-fighting omega-3s and low in mercury, though King mackerel from the Western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico has high mercury content, with Spanish mackerel also limited due to mercury concerns. This strong-flavored fish is high in heart-healthy omega-3s and provides about 16 grams of protein in 3 ounces, though the FDA recommends avoiding King mackerel due to mercury, with Pacific chub mackerel being a best choice. Besides omega-3 fatty acids, mackerel is high in vitamin B-12, niacin, selenium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and packs 25 grams of protein per 100-gram serving at 161 calories. Pacific and jack mackerel provide 134 calories, 7 grams fat, and 1.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per 3-ounce serving. The key with mackerel is knowing your geography—choose the right type from the right waters, and you’ve got a nutritional goldmine.
Sardines: The Nutritional Overachiever
Sardines provide 2 grams of heart-healthy omega-3s per 3-ounce serving, which is one of the highest levels of omega-3 and the lowest levels of mercury of any fish. The tiny, inexpensive sardine is making it onto many lists of superfoods, packing nearly 300 mg of omega-3 fats per 3 ounces and being one of the very few foods naturally high in vitamin D and calcium, providing 25% of daily calcium needs per serving. Sardines are highly nutritious, especially when eaten whole, containing almost every nutrient your body needs, with a 3.5-ounce serving providing more than 370% of the DV for vitamin B12, 24% for vitamin D, and 96% for selenium. In addition to protein and healthy fats, sardines are high in vitamin D, niacin, and calcium, with a 100-gram can delivering 208 calories, 25 grams of protein, and 353 milligrams of calcium. These small deep-water fish sit near the bottom of the food chain, so they rarely accumulate microplastics that are common in larger predatory fish, and eating smaller fish is more environmentally sustainable. Sardines are like the overachieving student who excels in every subject—small package, maximum nutrition.
