Health update: mercury & the waterwoman life

If you’ve been following along, you might have noticed fewer fish and seafood recipes from me lately. The reason? My most recent Function Health labs revealed that my mercury levels are higher than optimal. As someone who lives on the water, and with a garage freezer full of our catch, fish has always been a big part of our diet. So this result was both surprising and a little sobering. Honestly, I’m glad I tested—I probably never would have known otherwise.

Mercury is a heavy metal that builds up in the body over time, most often through larger predatory fish like tuna, swordfish, king mackerel, or shark. In excess, it can affect thyroid health, hormones, fertility, energy, even the nervous system. For someone managing Hashimoto’s and thinking ahead to pregnancy, it’s a piece of the puzzle I can’t ignore.

What I’ve learned is that the approach to mercury isn’t about giving up seafood altogether—it’s about balance, diversity, and support. I’m shifting toward lower-mercury options (like salmon, sardines, snapper, and scallops), leaning into other proteins, and using food as medicine: fiber, sulfur-rich veggies, antioxidants, and key nutrients like selenium, zinc, and vitamin C. Hydration, sweating, sleep, and regular movement all help the body’s natural detox systems, too.

Function Health provides excellent general education on why this matters, but the real value is taking your results to someone who knows your unique body. For me, that’s been working with Marisa at Manipura Clinic on targeted supplements and a safe plan to bring my levels down. I’ll be retesting in a few months to see how things evolve.

It’s not easy to reimagine meals when seafood is such a part of my identity and lifestyle. But this experience reminded me that data empowers better choices. Sometimes, the ocean tests us just as much as it feeds us.