How the Heart Works

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How the Heart Works-How the heart actually pumps blood

Edmond Hui

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5 Heart-Health Myths to Stop Believing—Today!

Today's Health Tips

 

       

 

5 Heart-Health Myths to Stop Believing—Today!

By Rachael Schultz, February 14, 2014

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http://www.menshealth.com

 

5 Myths About Heart Disease

Heart disease kills more Americans than cancer or obesity does—so it's time to separate fact from fiction

Heart disease: It's the number one killer in America. But despite that stat, a new survey by the Cleveland Clinic reports that almost 75 percent of Americans aren't worried about dying from it.

What's more, more than one-quarter of Americans with a family history of the disease don't take any preventative steps to protect their heart, even though they are at significantly higher risk of developing the disease. 

"You hear about something so many times, and you almost become numb to it," says Richard Krasuski, M.D., director of the Adult Congenital Heart Disease Center at the Cleveland Clinic. But unless you're one of the rare few who lead a perfectly healthy lifestyle and have a perfect genetic background, you should consider heart disease a risk, he says.

Think you know the best habits to protect your heart, or could spot the warning signs of ticker trouble? The same survey revealed most Americans are misinformed about pretty much everything surrounding heart disease. Here are the truths behind five of the most common myths.

Myth#1: The main symptom of a heart attack is chest pain.  

Truth: Heart attacks come in all shapes and sizes. The heart often refers pain to other parts of the body because it doesn't have as many pain receptors, says Dr. Krasuski. Heart attacks can manifest as an ache in your jaw or in your arm, and usually gets worse with exertion and better with rest. And while these pains should sound the biggest alarms, 70 percent of Americans polled were unaware of the smaller symptoms of general heart disease, like shortness of breath when exercising, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping—all of which could be signs of abnormal blood flow to the heart.

Myth #2: A low-fat diet without red meat and cheese is best at keeping your heart healthy.

Truth: A whole diet approach—focused on eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish—is more effective at reducing cardiovascular risk, reports a new study in The American Journal of Medicine. "The micronutrients in vegetables, nuts, and olive oil protect against heart disease itself," says study author James Dalen, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. And while a whole diet approach does include eating less meat and processed cheeses, it also includes fats—just the healthy ones like those in olive oils and nuts.

Myth #3: Multi-vitamins and fish oil can prevent heart disease.

 

Truth: Although vitamins may help your overall health, they won't prevent the disease, and could actually cause more problems, says Dr. Krasuski. Decades-old studies that suggested various vitamins, like E, and fish oil could prevent heart disease have since been disproven. Supplements don't offer all the nutrients of food. And if you're thinking, "It might not help, but it certainly won't hurt," Dr. Krasuski also points out that high levels of certain vitamins can interact with other medications, cause liver damage, or cause heart failure. Ask your doctor before you start popping pills—even natural ones.

Myth #4: You don't need to worry about your salt intake.  

Truth: "The average American consumes probably four to five times the amount of salt they actually need," says Dr. Krasuski. Higher levels of salt—which are commonly hidden in condiments, canned foods, deli meats, and restaurant food—raise your blood pressure, which in turn raises your risk for heart disease. In fact, a 2013 study from Harvard Medical School and other institutions predicted that even gradually reducing sodium intake by 4 percent per year over 10 years could save up to half a million lives over a decade.

Myth #5: There is a heart disease gene.  

Truth: There are genetic factors that increase your risk, says Dr. Krasuski, but it's not a single gene—though 59 percent of people polled think so. Many different genes determine how well you process cholesterol or the health of your blood vessels. It's easiest to determine your risk based on your relatives: Any first-degree relative who develops heart disease is a potential red flag, warns Dr. Krasuski. If that person was a smoker and had poor diet, it might not necessarily be in your genes, but if the relative developed the disease young and was very active, your risk is probably higher. If you have a family history, take preventative measures—eat a proper diet, exercise regularly, quit smoking, and know your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, Dr. Krasuski adds.

Can You Spot Heart Disease Symptoms?

 Today's Health Tips

Can You Spot Heart Disease Symptoms?

By Diana Rodriguez

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Sometimes initial heart disease symptoms can be extremely serious, such as an actual heart attack. But if you know the more subtle signs to look for, you can take steps to help avoid a cardiac event.

You may be familiar with some of the classic signs of heart disease or a heart attack, such as chest pain, dizziness, and fatigue. But heart disease symptoms can vary between men and women — and signs of heart disease in women are often subtle, and not what you might associate with a heart problem. 


In fact, because certain heart disease symptoms in both sexes can be easy to overlook, the first indication that you have heart disease can be an actual heart attack, explains Alfred Bove, MD, PhD, professor emeritus at the Temple University School of Medicine and past president of the American College of Cardiology.

One of the most common and noticeable heart disease symptoms is angina, or chest pain, says Dr. Bove. But this classic symptom is more prevalent in men than women. In the case of angina, chest pain is not limited to the heart area. Both men and women may experience heart pain under the breastbone, in the neck or jaw, and in the left shoulder and arm, says Bove.

Unfortunately many people — both men and women — don't recognize these signs as heart attack symptoms. Women, especially, may not recognize that certain symptoms can indicate heart disease or a heart attack.

Heart Disease Symptoms in Women

While some heart disease symptoms (and heart attack symptoms) affect both men and women, it’s important to be aware that some symptoms are more common to heart disease in women.

"In women, angina may be felt in the back more often than in men," says Bove. Pain may also strike women differently during a heart attack, he adds, causing pain in the upper abdominal area in addition to the back. Women shouldn’t be quick to dismiss any unusual pain in the body, particularly if it's accompanied by other heart attack symptoms, such as dizziness, fatigue, or chest pain.

Before a heart attack occurs, some women may experience a number of symptoms that may not seem related to the heart. In addition to pain in the chest, arms, neck, jaw, back, or upper abdomen, other symptoms of heart attack in women include:

• Feeling particularly fatigued
• Heartburn or indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Feeling anxious
• Breaking out in a sweat
• Dizziness

According to one study, nearly 80 percent felt at least one of these symptoms for a month or more before they had a heart attack. And only 30 percent noticed any chest pain.
 
Keep in mind that heart disease and heart attacks in women often don't strike until a later age, around age 55 and up — often 10 years later than in men, when women may already have other medical problems as well.
Heart Disease Symptoms in Men

The most common heart disease symptom in men is chest pain, or angina. It may feel like a tightness, pressure, or heaviness in the chest, or even a burning sensation that can seem like indigestion.
Other common heart disease symptoms in men can include:

• Irregular heartbeat or palpitations
• Discomfort fullness, pressure, or burning in the chest
• Feeling short of breath
• Feeling tired
• Swelling in the legs
• Fainting

If you experience chest pain or any of the other heart disease warning signs for longer than a few minutes, these may be heart attack symptoms and you should call 911 immediately.

What Puts You At Risk?

While heart disease symptoms differ between men and women, many of the main factors that increase risk of heart disease are the same, including:

• Being a smoker
• Having high blood pressure
• Having high cholesterol
• Having diabetes
• Having a family member who developed heart disease before the age of 60

Even simply getting older can be a heart disease risk factor, particularly in women.

Could It Be Heart Disease?

If you're asking yourself this question or if you have any of the risk factors for heart disease, call your doctor for an evaluation.
If a check-up reveals that you do indeed have heart disease or a risk factor for heart disease, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, start taking steps for a healthier heart and to help prevent heart disease from becoming more serious.

 

Last Updated: 10/24/2011

 

This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2012 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.

Sugary Beverages Can Harm Your Heart

Healthy Living 

Sugary Beverages Can Harm Your Heart

Posted on May 2012 by YML Staff

Turns out by limiting your sugary beverages you might just be helping your heart. A new study finds that men who consumed one sugar sweetened beverage per day had a 20% increased chance of heart disease compared to those who didn’t drink these beverages.

This research supplies strong evidence that the higher intake of sugar-sweetened drinks is a key risk factor in heart disease. Even moderate intake, as little as one drink a day, is not safe.

The finding is based on the examination of almost 43,000 men who were taking part in a long-running study. The team had carried out a similar study on women from the Nurses’ Health Study where there was also found to be a link between heart disease and the intake of sugar sweetened beverages. A similar finding in male subjects enhances the results from the first findings.

The team asked the male subjects, aged between 40 – 75, to supply details on their drinking habits. During the period from January 1986 to December 2008 the participants reported on what they ate and other lifestyle habits bi-annually. They also gave a blood sample at the midpoint of the study. During the 22 years 3683 heart attacks were reported.

The researchers then broke the participants into four groups based on how many sugary beverages they drank – zero sugar sweetened drinks, drinking sugary drinks two times a month, drinking these beverages 1 -3 times a week, drinking sugar sweetened drinks from 4 times per week to as many as nine times a day. Those falling into this intake level were considered daily drinkers, the group with a 20% greater chance of a heart attack compared to the non-drinkers.

The number held up even after taking into account other factors known to impact heart disease risk. Age, smoking status, amount of exercise, intake of alcohol, diet, weight and even family history.

When the team examined the blood samples, they saw that men who drank sugary drinks on a daily basis had greater indicators for heart disease compared to the non-drinkers. The daily drinkers had high triglycerides (blood fats) levels and lower levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. Both triglycerides and low HDL are risk factors for heart disease.

Why the link between sugary beverages and heart disease? No one can say for sure, but there are three things that could be contributing.

1. Increased body weight is an immediate after effect of consuming sugar-sweetened drinks.

2. Impact on blood fats – increasing triglycerides and decreasing good cholesterol.

3. Increasing inflammatory indicators associated with heart disease i.e. C-reactive protein. This and several other studies have seen this effect.

There was no link between artificially sweetened diet beverages and heart disease. This doesn’t mean the diet variety of your favorite beverage is a healthy alternative. These drinks have not as yet been widely studied.

Industry group the Sugar Association continues to argue that sugar isn’t solely to blame for heart disease, but rather overall lifestyle choices carry more weight than a single food or drink. Disputing the study, they point out that the high intake group covered a very wide range of intakes. They feel it is more sensible to look at fighting obesity, and reducing chance of heart disease, by focusing on the whole diet – reducing calories and getting more exercise.

The ABA (American Beverage Association) offered a statement on the study subjects, claiming they were nearly all caucasian and of European descent so that the findings may not be applicable to the whole population. Also, issues such as stress (a recognized risk of heart disease) were not accounted for by the researchers. They go on to point out that the study finds only an association between sugary beverages and heart disease, not cause and effect.

Some experts believe that if you love sugary beverages you don’t have to avoid them completely. Just limit your intake to a couple a week. Consider these drinks a treat and not a regular event.

Food and Nutrition

How Many Calories In An Egg?

Posted on July 8, 2012 by By YML Staff

The number of egg calories depends on the size of the egg and how it is cooked.

However please bear in mind that eggs are a very economical way to fulfill the essential nutritional requirements of the body. So I wouldn’t worry too much about egg calories as long as eaten in moderation.

You will find that yolk has approximately 3.5 times more calories than egg white; frying and scrambling add 20 extra calories to egg due to oil or milk content, as compared to boiling or poaching. Calories in a standard sized egg:

- Yolk 60 kcal – White18 kcal – Scrambled 100 kcal – Fried 98 kcal – Boiled egg 75 kcal – Poached 75 kcal

Egg White and Egg Yolk: Egg white has no cholesterol, and can be quite useful in weight loss, as it is low in sugar and calories and high in good quality protein with up to 40 different amino acids, protein is known to help you keep full longer.

Egg yolk, on the other hand, is high in saturated fats and even higher in cholesterol content. So it is not recommended if you are trying to lose weight. However, egg yolk has many more health benefits than egg white. It is full of nutrients, vitamins and essential fatty acids: protein, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, riboflavin, selenium, folate, carotenoids, vitamins B12, D, E and K.

Egg Nutrition Facts:

Popular choices for egg consumption are chicken, duck, roe, and caviar. The egg most often humanly consumed by far is the produce of the chicken.

• Chicken eggs provide all essential amino acids for humans, and provide several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid (vitamin B9), vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. They are also a single-food source of protein.

• Vitamin D is naturally found in only a few foods, and yolk is one of them.

• They contain the best quality of protein with the perfect composition and it includes all the essential amino acids.

• Lutein, zeaxanthin and carotenoid help in preventing eye disease and macular degeneration.

• By preventing blood cloths, they can help decrease the risk of heart complications or stroke, but it should be eaten in moderation.

• Egg, on average, includes 10% fat and only 3% is in the form of saturated fats.

• Selenium and vitamin E in eggs may help protect cells from oxidation and cancers.

• Zinc in eggs, especially in egg yolk help maintain a stronger immune system.

• Choline helps regulate the cardiovascular system, nervous system and brain. One egg yolk contains approximately 300 micrograms of choline. Choline deficiency may also lead to the deficiency of folic acid.

• Minerals, vitamins and particularly high sulphur content in eggs promote healthy nails and hair.

• Calcium is essential in strengthening bones and teeth and vitamin D helps raise calcium absorption.

• It has a glycemic index value of zero and has no effect on blood glucose levels.

About The Author:More about Tim Karlilar

Health

Exercise and Fat Reduction

 http://www.meschinohealth.com

Fat Reduction

Losing a few extra pounds can also help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Two-thirds of overweight people with high blood pressure could bring their blood pressure down to normal simply by losing some of their excess weight. Losing excess weight also helps lower elevated levels of triglycerides (fat) in the blood. Triglycerides are linked to heart disease and related cardiovascular conditions.

You can be trim and slender but still unfit from an aerobic point of view. Conversely, you can be in great aerobic shape even if you are overweight. No matter how much you weigh, you can attain great benefits to your heart, cardiovascular system, and muscle tissue from aerobic exercise. Being aerobically fit actually helps minimize some of the risks of being overweight. So don't wait to lose weight before you begin an aerobic exercise program.

Spot-reducing exercises such as sit-ups and leg lifts will tone the muscles under the fat, but they will not eliminate fat itself. Only aerobic exercise can stimulate the release of fat from your fat cells. Here's how it works. Let's say you get on a stationary bicycle and begin peddling. As your heart beat speeds up, your nervous system releases adrenaline. Adrenaline triggers the breakdown of fat in your fat cells everywhere in your body, not just in the muscles you are exercising. Individual fat molecules escape from your fat cells and enter the bloodstream, where they circulate through your body. The exercising muscles (including the heart and respiratory muscles) pick up the circulating fat molecules and burn them to generate energy. The longer the aerobic exercise continues, the more fat is released and burned.

After the Exercise Stops

For a long time after you stop exercising, your muscles continue to pick up and burn the fat already in your bloodstream. However, your tissues will stop releasing fat molecules into your bloodstream very rapidly because your demand for energy decreases.

Several factors affect how long you burn fat after exercise. Most significantly, the longer the exercise session, the more fat will be released from your fat cells and therefore the more fat is burned after exercise. Ideally, you should build up until you are doing a 45 minutes workout at each session. A 45-minute session also significantly depletes the carbohydrate stores in your muscles and liver. Your body will be so busy rebuilding these stores that most of your tissue cells will continue to burn fat as their primary fuel even when you are at rest.

Resisted weight training exercises (such as bench press, Nautilus®, barbell, and dumbbell exercises) encourage fat breakdown after aerobic exercise is over because they tremendously deplete your muscles' carbohydrate stores. While your body is rebuilding its stores, your cells continue to burn fat. Weight training also has other benefits, including increasing your strength, improving your posture, and helping to prevent the weakening of your musculo-skeletal system. If you do not maintain the strength and flexibility of your muscles, you can more easily develop sprains, strains, and wear- and-tear damage over your lifetime.

Also, muscles are more metabolically active than fat tissues so they consume large amounts of energy even when they are resting. Therefore, the more muscular you are, the more calories you will burn at rest. You will have a faster metabolic rate.

If you are just beginning an aerobic exercise program, then you probably won't want to start with resisted weight training right away. However, when you become more experienced and fitter, ask a fitness instructor at a local health club to draw you up a starter program. With all the new sophisticated equipment available, resistance training can be safe for also everyone. I would also suggest that you read my article on this site called "Building A Stronger Body".

Despite the many ways in which aerobic exercise helps you burn fat, you must realize that no exercise program alone can reverse the dangerous impact of a high-fat diet. A healthy diet and a good aerobic exercise program must work together to maintain health and prevent the biologic changes that hasten the onset of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, adult-onset diabetes and other degenerative conditions.

 Dr. James Meschino D.C., M.S., N.D.

References:

Exercise Physiology. McArdle, Katch and Katch, 1986, Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia.

Health

Cholesterol 101: What You Need to Know

 http://www.meschinohealth.com

 

 Cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer in our society, claiming the lives of one in every two men and one in every three women. High cholesterol is a cardinal risk for heart attack, stroke and other vascular diseases, but many people are unclear about how and why cholesterol has this effect. So, what is cholesterol, why does your body make too much of it under certain conditions and how exactly does it lead to heart attack, stroke and other vascular problems? More importantly, how we can lower our risk of dying from cholesterol-driven cardiovascular disease.

Cholesterol is a fatty-waxy material that is found in high fat meat and dairy products, as well as egg yolks, organ meats and shellfish. Our bodies make additional cholesterol in the liver when we eat foods that contain a lot of saturated fat such as beef, pork, lamb, high fat dairy products, chocolate (made with cocoa butter), and possibly coconut and palm oil. Eating trans fats (hydrogenated fats) found in many fried foods, cookies, pastries, muffins, shortenings etc, also increase the body’s cholesterol production.

How does the liver handle cholesterol?

Most of the cholesterol you eat is absorbed and transported to the liver. Once in the liver, cholesterol, as well as the additional cholesterol your liver makes when you eat foods high in saturated fat and/or trans fats, is transported out of the liver in a carrier vehicle known as the VLDL.

The VLDL looks a bit like an egg. Its outer shell is made out of protein and on the inside of the shell you see cholesterol where the white of the egg would normally reside. In this model the yolk represents triglycerides (the saturated and trans fats you consume form triglycerides – a storage form of fat, within the liver). As the VLDL circulates through the bloodstream the triglycerides are taken up by your fat cells (and your fat cells in turn get larger) and by your muscles. Fat is the primary fuel that muscles burn when you are at rest and during light to moderate activity. Thus, the more muscle mass you have, the faster you burn fat, even when sitting in a chair.

Once the triglycerides are removed from the VLDL the remnant particle is known as the LDL-cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol that promotes heart attack and stroke.

How does LDL-cholesterol promote heart attack and stroke?

Although various body tissues remove LDL-cholesterol from the bloodstream and use the cholesterol to make their cell membrane, bile acids, vitamin D and various hormones (e.g. estrogen, progesterone, cortisone, testosterone), once the tissues have acquired all the cholesterol they need, they stop extracting LDL-cholesterol from the bloodstream. And any extra LDL-cholesterol continues to circulate in your arteries.

This is where the trouble begins, as LDL-cholesterol tends to stick to the walls of the artery causing progressive narrowing of these important blood vessels. It’s a bit more complex than this, but the bottom line is that excess LDL-cholesterol causes narrowing of your arteries. Once 85% of the artery is blocked with LDL-cholesterol plaque symptoms start to occur, such as angina and transient ischemic attacks (resembling mini-strokes).

In up to 40% of cases the first symptom is a sudden death heart attack. So, waiting for symptoms to occur is not a good idea. A good idea is to keep your LDL-cholesterol level within the safe and desirable zone, which is under 2.5 mmol/L (96 mg/dL).  If you already had a heart attack, stroke, heart operation, or have diabetes, or kidney disease (including kidney transplant), then you should aim for an LDL-cholesterol level at or below 2.0 mmol/L (77 mg/dL).

What is the difference between Total Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol?

Your doctor wants to know several things about your cholesterol level, which indicate your risk level for heart attack and stroke.

The total cholesterol comprises the total amount of cholesterol in your bloodstream when you total the amount found in the VLDL, the LDL and the HDL. This number should be below 3.9 mmol//L (150 mg/dL) or at worst 4.7 mmol/L (180 mg/dL).

The LDL-cholesterol was covered in the section above.

The HDL-cholesterol is the good cholesterol in that it is a carrier vessel that vacuums up the cholesterol in the artery wall and brings it back to the liver. Thus, a high HDL-cholesterol helps to protect you against heart disease. Being fit and at your ideal weight helps to raise the HDL-cholesterol.

How can you lower your total and LDL-cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels naturally?

1. Eat less saturated fat and trans fats - To lower your cholesterol, it is best to refrain from eating foods that are high in saturated fat and trans fats, as explained above. This means relying on chicken breast, turkey breast and fish as your main protein staples if you are not a vegetarian. It also means not eating any milk or yogurt that is above 1% milk fat or any cheese that is above 3% milk fat. It means eliminating butter, ice cream, whipped cream and all other high fat dairy products, and avoiding fried food, foods containing a lot of trans fats as well food containing palm or coconut oil.
2. Eat cholesterol-lowering fiber - You should also eat foods that drag cholesterol out of the body and have been shown to lower blood cholesterol by up to 25%. These foods include beans and peas (especially red kidney beans, chick peas and lentils), oat bran and oat meal, psyllium husk fiber (2-3 teaspoons per day), ground flaxseed (2 tablespoons per day) and fruits containing pectin fiber (apples, peaches, pears, plums).
3. Consider supplementing with natural agents proven to lower cholesterol – certain natural supplements aimed at lowering cholesterol contain Gum Guggul and Artichoke Leaf Extract. Both of these natural agents have been used in human clinical trials to lower the bad cholesterol by up to 27% and triglycerides by up to 30%.

In some cases prescription drugs may also be required to get cholesterol into the safe range. However, studies suggest that 90% of individuals with high cholesterol can reduce it into the ideal range using the nutrition, lifestyle and supplementation practices outlined above.

In Short:

Gum Guggul or Gugulipid is derived from the mukul myrrh tree, which contains guggulsterones - the active constituent that account for its cholesterol- and triglyceride-lowering effects.  Gugulipid was granted approval in India for marketing as a cholesterol- and trigylceride-lowering drug in June 1986, due to its impressive efficacy and safety. Gugulipid has been shown to help the body clear excess cholesterol and triglycerides from the bloodstream.

Artichoke Leaf Extract contains active constituents that help flush cholesterol from the body via the fecal route. It increases the flow of cholesterol (and bile, which is a building block of cholesterol) from the liver to the intestinal tract. Human studies indicate that Artichoke Leaf Extract alone can reduce LDL-cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by 23%.

In some cases prescription drugs may also be required to get cholesterol into the safe range. However, studies suggest that 90% of individuals with high cholesterol can reduce it into the ideal range using the nutrition, lifestyle and supplementation practices outlined above.

5 Fish You Should Never Eat

Healthy Living   

5 Fish You Should Never Eat

By David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding

If you’re over the age of 12, you’ve probably had more than a few dearly held beliefs ruined by reality. Like when you discovered it was Mom and Dad, not Santa, who were orchestrating the magic of Christmas. Or when you spent hours watching “Kim’s Fairytale Wedding” over and over again, only to learn that keeping up with this Kardashian was a waste of time. As they say, reality bites.

Well, folks, I hate to do this to you, but . . .

Not all fish are good for you.

Last year, the USDA increased its seafood recommendation to 8 ounces per week, and that has led many to believe that all fish are equally smart choices. But some are so high in contaminants like mercury that their health benefits are outweighed by their health risks. Others are flown in from halfway around the world, but given labels that make you think they were caught fresh earlier that morning. And still others are raised in filthy, overcrowed pools and loaded up with chemicals to keep them alive.  

So let me shed light on some very rough waters. Put these fish at the top of your don't-eat list and you'll avoid most of the troubles of the world's fishing industry.

#1: ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA

Why It's Bad: A recent analysis by The New York Times found that Atlantic bluefin tuna has the highest levels of mercury of any type of tuna. To top it off, bluefin tuna are severely overharvested, to the point of reaching near-extinction levels, and are considered "critically endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Rather than trying to navigate the ever-changing recommendations for which tuna is best, consider giving it up altogether. But if you can't . . .

Eat This Instead: Opt for American or Canadian (but not imported!) albacore tuna, which is caught while it's young and doesn't contain as high levels of mercury.

 

2: ATLANTIC SALMON (Both Wild-caught and Farmed) 

 

Why It's Bad: It's actually illegal to capture wild Atlantic salmon because the fish stocks are so low, and they're low, in part, because of farmed salmon. Salmon farming is very polluting: Thousands of fish are crammed into pens, which leads to the growth of diseases and parasites that require antibiotics and pesticides. Often, the fish escape and compete with native fish for food, leading to declines in native populations.

Adding to our salmon woes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is moving forward with approving genetically engineered salmon to be sold, unlabeled, to unsuspecting seafood lovers. That salmon would be farmed off the coast of Panama, and it's unclear how it would be labeled. Currently, all fish labeled "Atlantic salmon" come from fish farms. And, as you know if you follow me on Twitter, they're fed pellets that contain pink dye—that's how they get their color. Gross!

Eat This Instead: Opt for Wild Alaskan salmon.

 

 

#3: ATLANTIC FLATFISH

Why It's Bad: This group of fish includes flounder, sole, and halibut that are caught off the Atlantic coast. They found their way onto the list because of heavy contamination and overfishing that dates back to the 1800s. According to Food and Water Watch, populations of these fish are as low as 1 percent of what's necessary to be considered sustainable for long-term fishing.

Eat This Instead: Pacific halibut seems to be doing well, but the group also recommends replacing these fish with other mild-flavored white-fleshed fish, such as domestically farmed catfish or tilapia.

#4: IMPORTED KING CRAB

Why It's Bad: The biggest problem with imported crab is that most of it comes from Russia, where limits on fish harvests aren't strongly enforced. But this crab also suffers from something of an identity crisis: Imported king crab is often misnamed Alaskan king crab, because most people think that's the name of the crab. And supermarkets often add to the confusion by labeling imported king crab "Alaskan King Crab, Imported." But Alaskan king crab—crab that actually hails from the great state of Alaska—is a completely separate animal and is much more responsibly harvested than the imported stuff.
 

Eat This Instead: When you shop for king crab, whatever the label says, ask whether it comes from Alaska or if it's imported. Approximately 70 percent of the king crab sold in the U.S. is imported, so it's important to make that distinction and go domestic.

#5 IMPORTED SHRIMP

Why It's Bad: Imported shrimp actually holds the designation of being the dirtiest of all the seafood we looked at. (For our full list, check out 12 Fish You Should Never Eat.) Problem is, 90 percent of shrimp sold in the U.S. is imported. Imported farmed shrimp comes with a whole bevy of contaminants including antibiotics, residues from chemicals used to clean pens, E. coli, mouse hair, rat hair, and pieces of insects. Yum! Part of this has to do with the fact that less than 2 percent of all imported seafood (shrimp, crab, catfish, or others) gets inspected before its sold, which is why it's that much more important to buy domestic seafood.

Eat This Instead: Domestic shrimp. Seventy percent of domestic shrimp comes from the Gulf of Mexico, which relies heavily on shrimp for economic reasons. Pink shrimp from Oregon are another good choice; the fisheries there are certified under the stringent Marine Stewardship Council guidelines.

 Additional reporting by Emily Main