EATING FISH:

A GUIDE FOR HISPANIC AMERICAN FAMILIES
1

Read Camila’s story to find out how important fish are as part of a healthy diet and for your 

child’s growth and development and how you can eat fish while pregnant.

It’s dinnertime at the Garcia 

home. Camila and Jose have a 

surprise for Carmen and Julio!

Guess what 

everybody? Jose 

and I have some 

happy news to 

share. We are 

going to have 

another baby!

Yay!

Another grandchild! What a 

blessing. I’ll make my famous 

tilapia al horno right away!
2

The next day, Camila’s sisters, 

Luciana and Valeria, congratulate 

her on her good news!

Make sure you 

get plenty of 

rest!

And go for 

walks!

And eat 

healthy.... And 

of course, 

lots of Mom’s 

tilapia al 

horno!

It’s our family secret to 

a healthy pregnancy, 

you know.

After they leave...

I’m so happy to be having another baby, 

but how am I going to keep working, care 

for Julio, and stay healthy at the same 

time?

You need to ask for help and get 

more sleep. And I’m glad you’ve 

been to the doctor. Next visit, talk 

to your doctor about how you can 

eat well and have a healthy baby!

That’s a good idea.
3

Camila and Jose are at their doctor’s 

office for a prenatal checkup.

Congratulations on 

your good news! 

But, why do you 

look so sad?

I’m not sad, I’m just 

nauseous from morning 

sickness and haven’t 

had much of an 

appetite. I know that 

my mother’s tilapia al 

horno will help keep me 

and the baby healthy, 

but I haven’t been in 

the mood for it lately. I 

don’t know what to do!

Don’t worry! There are lots of different ways 

to eat healthy types of fish lower in mercury. 

FDA and EPA have developed a chart that 

makes it easy to choose what fish to eat. 

Their advice supports recommendations of 

the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

See the full advice on page 5.

And just be sure to avoid ones that 

are listed under Choices to Avoid, 

as they may contain high levels of 

mercury, which can be harmful to an 

unborn baby and young children.

That is easy! But, what does “serving” mean?

What will I tell 

my mother?

Show her this chart! While it is important to limit mercury in 

your diet, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower 

in mercury. She can cook so many different types of fish 

for you. You can tell her that eating a variety of fish is an 

important part of a nutritious diet—as long as it’s cooked!

What do you mean?

Raw fish is not recommended 

for those who are pregnant or 

young children.

Eat 2 to 3 

servings of 

fish per week 

from the Best 

Choices. 90% of 

fish eaten in the 

United States 

are included 

in the Best 

Choices list, 

so there are lots 

of options!

A serving is how much is 

typically eaten at one time. 

For an adult, 1 serving is 

4 ounces—about the size 

of the palm of your hand. 

Fish are full of key nutrients 

that support a child’s brain 

development like omega-3 

and omega-6 fats, iron, 

iodine, and choline. Fish are 

a source of other nutrients 

like protein, vitamin B12, 

vitamin D, and selenium too. 
4

Luciana and Valeria are on their 

way to Camila’s home for dinner...

I can’t wait to eat Mom’s 

tilapia al horno again!

..but they are in for a big surprise!

What is that?

Pescado con verduras!

This smells so good! But 

why didn’t you make your 

delicious tilapia al horno?

We wanted to try something new!

There are lots of healthy 

ways to cook fish, like 

grilling or baking it like this.

Knowing these things can 

help you feed your family a 

nutritious diet.

See full advice on page 5.

It’s delicious!

Can we taste it?

Trying new things as a 

family will be so much fun!

For more information about FDA and EPA’s fish advice for those who may become 

pregnant and parents, visit www.fda.gov/fishadvice. 

For children, serve them fish in 

the Best Choices list. A serving is 1 

ounce at age 1 and increases with 

age to 4 ounces by age 11. Babies 

can have fish when they are ready 

to start eating food, but we just 

need to make sure to remove any 

bones. You can see that tilapia 

al horno is on the Best Choices 

list, but eating a variety of fish is 

also important, so we are trying 

something new. You can take 

this chart with you when grocery 

shopping—it’s so simple to use!

This chart explains it all and makes 

it so easy to choose what fish 

to eat! Here, I’ll show you how it 

works.
Best Choices Good Choices

Anchovy

Atlantic croaker

Atlantic mackerel

Black sea bass

Butterfish 

Catfish 

Clam 

Cod

Crab 

Crawfish 

Flounder

Haddock

Hake

Herring 

Lobster, 

American and spiny 

Mullet

Oyster

Pacific chub 

mackerel

Perch, freshwater 

and ocean 

Pickerel

Plaice

Pollock 

Salmon

Sardine

Scallop 

Shad 

Shrimp 

Skate

Smelt

Sole 

Squid 

Tilapia 

Trout, freshwater

Tuna, canned light 

(includes skipjack)

Whitefish

Whiting

Bluefish

Buffalofish

Carp

Chilean sea bass/

Patagonian toothfish

Grouper

Halibut

Mahi mahi/dolphinfish

Monkfish

Rockfish 

Sablefish

Sheepshead

Snapper

Spanish mackerel

Striped bass (ocean)

Tilefish 

(Atlantic Ocean)

Tuna, albacore/

white tuna, canned 

and fresh/frozen

Tuna, yellowfin

Weakfish/seatrout

White croaker/

Pacific croaker

Choices to Avoid HIGHEST MERCURY LEVELS

King mackerel

Marlin

Orange roughy

Shark

Swordfish

Tilefish 

(Gulf of Mexico)

Tuna, bigeye

What about fish caught by family or friends? Check for fish and shellfish advisories to tell you how often you can safely eat those 

fish. If there is no advisory, eat only one serving and no other fish that week. Some fish caught by family and friends, such as larger carp, 

catfish, trout and perch, are more likely to have fish advisories due to mercury or other contaminants.

Choose a variety of fish that are lower in mercury.

While it is important to limit mercury in the diets of those who are pregnant or breastfeeding and 

children, many types of fish are both nutritious and lower in mercury.

Fish‡ provide key nutrients that 

support a child’s brain development.

ADVICE ABOUT EATING FISH

For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding 

and Children Ages 1 – 11 Years

‡ This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish” / Advice revised October 2021

Childhood: 

On average, a serving is about:

1 ounce at age 1 to 3

2 ounces at age 4 to 7

3 ounces at age 8 to 10

4 ounces at age 11

Eat 2 servings a week from the “Best Choices” list.

What is a serving? As a guide, use the palm of your hand.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: 

1 serving is 4 ounces

Eat 2 to 3 servings a week 

from the “Best Choices” list 

(OR 1 serving from the “Good Choices” list).

This chart can help you choose which fish to eat, and how often to eat them, based on their mercury levels.

Fish are part of a healthy eating pattern and provide key nutrients during pregnancy, 

breastfeeding, and/or early childhood to support a child’s brain development: 

• Omega-3 (called DHA and EPA) and omega-6 fats

• Iron

• Iodine (during pregnancy)

• Choline 

Choline also supports development of the baby’s spinal cord. Fish provide iron and 

zinc to support children’s immune systems. Fish are a source of other nutrients like 

protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium too.

www.FDA.gov/fishadvic

www.EPA.gov/fishadvic
A healthy eating pattern 

consists of choices 

across all food groups 

(vegetables, fruits, grains, 

dairy, and protein foods, 

which includes fish), 

eaten in recommended 

amounts, and within 

calorie needs. Healthy 

eating patterns include 

foods that provide 

vitamins, minerals, and 

other health-promoting 

components and have 

no or little added sugars, 

saturated fat, and sodium.

Eating fish can provide other health benefits too.

Promotion of bone health – 

decreases the risk for hip fractures*

Decreases in the risk of becoming overweight or obese*

Decreases in the risk for colon and rectal cancers*

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 

eating fish as part of a healthy eating pattern.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:

• At least 8 ounces of seafood (less for children§)

per week based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

• Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding consume between

8 and 12 ounces per week of a variety of seafood from

choices that are lower in mercury.

This advice supports the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which reflects current science on nutrition to improve public health. 

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans focuses on dietary patterns and the effects of food and nutrient characteristics on health.

§ For some children, the amounts of fish in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are higher than in this FDA/EPA advice. The Dietary Guidelines for

Americans states that to consume those higher amounts, children should only be fed fish from the “Best Choices” list that are even lower in mercury

– these fish are anchovies, Atlantic mackerel, catfish, clams, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, mullet, oysters, plaice, pollock, salmon, sardines,

scallops, shad, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, trout, and whiting.

* There is moderate scientific evidence of a relationship between the eating pattern as a whole and the potential health benefit.

‡ This advice refers to fish and shellfish collectively as “fish” / Advice revised October 2021

CONTINUED

ADVICE ABOUT EATING FISH

For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding 

and Children Ages 1 – 11 Years

www.FDA.gov/fishadvice www.EPA.gov/fishadvice

Fish intake during pregnancy is recommended because moderate 

scientific evidence shows it can help your baby’s cognitive development. 

Strong evidence shows that eating fish, as part of a healthy eating 

pattern, may have heart health benefits. Healthy eating patterns that 

include fish may have other benefits too. Moderate scientific evidence 

shows that eating patterns relatively higher in fish but also in other 

foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, low- or nonfat dairy, lean meats and poultry, nuts, and unsaturated vegetable oils, 

and lower in red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and 

beverages, and refined grains are associated with: