Hi, ive gone abit mad on mackeral in tomato sauce recently and started eating a tin a day. I thought this was really good for me and baby but then someone said that i shouldnt eat too much as the high levels of mercury. But i thought this was just in tuna and swordfish etc?? so do you think i am doin any harm? xxx

Hi you are right, Mercury is only in swordfish,shark,tuna and marlin.... i used to be a fishmonger!!
Although these fish only carry the mercury at different parts of the year and dependant on the water conditions it is in. Sometimes you cannot even get hold of fresh tuna if the conditions are really bad as that would be harmful even to adults etc.
There is no mercury in mackerel i know of although im sure i read somewhere the other day to limit it to twice/three times a week for some reason but totally forgot why!!
I eat about 4 fillets of smoked peppered mackerel a week as i love the stuff too! and have cans in the cupboard ready for when i want the tom ones

I think i have read somewhere 2 tins per week

Hiya Leanne

Tinned/canned Mackerel is fine, but should be limited.

You are supposed to completely avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and white snapper, tuna steak (fresh or frozen), orange roughy, Spanish mackerel, marlin and grouper because these fish are at the top of the food chain and contain the highest levels of mercury.
There are plenty of other fish you can eat safely that contain low levels of mercury and are high in healthy fats, such as — salmon, rainbow trout, and canned mackerel. Fish is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids — all of which are essential for your baby's development. The FDA considers these fish safe for pregnant women to eat twice a week.

if i remeber rightly the only reason they say to limit the amount of fish to twice a week is just for saftey reasons coz sometimes u may come across a bit of dodgy fish which may make u ill, but to be honest i eat tinned mackrel in tom sauce like 5 times a week and have done all through my pregnancy and everything has been fine so i cant see u doing any harm if u eat fresh fish just make sure it is actually fresh and a fish mongers is best for that, when im pregnant i wont buy fresh fish from supermarket as u dont know how long its actually been there where as the fish mongers get fresh fish delivered everyday and its normally caught that morning.

thanks all, i think i will continue eatin it but just wont go to mad!