When I learned that I couldn't eat sushi when I became pregnant, I was crushed. My husband and I got take-out from our corner sushi joint at least twice a week; how would I survive nine months without spicy tuna maki and yellowtail hand rolls?

Plus, I'd read about how the Omega-3 fatty acids in fish can help during pregnancy [1] with the development of my baby's brain and nervous tissues. Not wanting my progeny to be a dullard (or insensitive, for that matter), I figured I was in store for a lot of tuna-salad sandwiches.

But not so fast. As most pregnant women have learned, there are hidden dangers for many of the other fish in the sea. Canned and fresh tuna, which are often packed from large, older fish, often contain dangerously high levels of mercury and other pollutants. Mercury, which accumulates in streams and oceans from industrial pollution, turns into the neurotoxin methylmercury [2], which builds up in fish and shellfish as they feed, and in turn can also accumulate in our own bloodstreams. What's scary is that it can take up to a year to leave our bloodstreams, and exposure to high levels of mercury can damage our brains and kidneys, not to mention developing fetuses.

Canned albacore tuna has a mean mercury level of 0.353 parts per million, according to the Food and Drug Administration [3]. The FDA's recommendation [4] is that pregnant women (as well as nursing mothers and young children) should only eat up to 6 ounces of albacore tuna per week. Canned light tuna, at 0.118 parts per million of mercury, is a little safer.

Luckily, my lunch box (and unborn child) no longer have to suffer tuna deprivation. Earlier this year, Wild Planet introduced Minimal Mercury Canned Wild Albacore [5], which, with 0.129 parts per million, has among the lowest mercury levels in the industry. The company packs only troll-caught fish that are three to five years old and weigh about 9 to 12 pounds. Because these fish are younger, they haven't had time to build up high levels of mercury in their flesh.

An added bonus to those who, like myself, are concerned with boosting baby's I.Q. in utero with plenty of Omega-3s [5], Wild Planet's tuna has 5.3 grams of Omega-3 oils per can, as compared to 0.9 grams in most national brands. Wild Planet packs its tuna raw, so that the oils and juices remain in the can when it's heat-sealed, unlike other canneries that pre-cook their fish, resulting in lost nutrients.

So now pregnant women and young children can enjoy tuna salad, tuna melts [5] and other canned-tuna concoctions without worrying too much about scary toxins like mercury.

Now if only someone would work on making pregnancy-safe sushi.

Wild Planet Minimal Mercury Wild Albacore Tuna

Cost: 6 ounces for $4.99 to $5.99

Where to Buy: Independent health food stores, or online [6]