What if I am pregnant and was told to avoid fish because of toxins?

Unfortunately, mainly due to industrial contamination of the past here in the US and still today in places throughout the world, Mercury and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) are common toxins found in seafood. In general, the more predatory the fish (meaning the larger fish who eat smaller fish), the higher these levels of toxins are found in the meat. The FDA has warned pregnant women to avoid eating shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tile fish, and tuna because of the high levels of toxins that they will ingest that can potentially have a negative effect on the developing fetus.