If I only had a brain...

koi fish
Originally uploaded by Swami Stream

Do you ever distinctly remember reading something about something but can't recall ANY of the details? This happens to me each and every time I'm at the fish counter in the store. I know I read something about tilapia, but was it that it was being overfished? No it was that it had high mercury levels. No, low mercury levels. Is wild better than farm raised? I stand there every time, trying to remember, but details about different fish species just isn't something my brain chooses to hold onto.

I found this great little "shopper's card" at The Green Guide, a site by National Geographic. I have a few issues with some of their suggestions...for example, they did a large segment on paper products in the home, and I couldn't see a single suggestion for handkerchiefs, just a detailed analysis about recycled paper products. I'm not perfect either though, and overall, they have some good info.

I'm going to shrink it down to a size that I can fold and fit in my wallet. The shopper's guide is nice because it indicates whether it is a "no" or "sometimes" fish for reasons of overfishing or mercury. I like knowing the reasons behind things.

It does make me wonder though...if the FDA doesn't allow dairy farmers to claim that hormone free milk is healthy for us, why do they allow us to buy poisonous fish?

I figure maybe if I feel more confident about which fish I can buy without feeling too guilty, I'll eat more of it - it's supposed to be good for the brain, after all, and maybe it'll help improve my memory so eventually I don't need to carry the shopper's card anymore!

I was disapointed that orange roughie was on the "no no" list because of high mercury content, since it's one of my favorites, but as many wise people over the years have said, it's not the only fish in the sea.