Why I won't eat fish (seafood)

taem

What about farm-raised fish? Lower in mercury, better for the environment due to overfishing...I like it.

I agree that fish without mercury is great. No argument from me.

heather3879

Just curious...

You can get b12 or omega fats through other means.

That would take a lot of flaxseed.

taem

Just curious...

You can get b12 or omega fats through other means.

That would take a lot of flaxseed.

Nutritional yeast has b12 and other b vitamins.

taem

I get so incredibly tired of people overblowing the Mercury thing way out of proportion.

You have to eat an insane amount of fish including tunafish over a long period of time (YEARS) to be affected by the mercury.

It's getting really ridiculous. It's like people not wanting to use smartphones anymore because of the cancer thing.

It's kinda like the fear of drinking too much water. For most people, it would be near impossible to do so.

Here is another article about the reluctance of labeling mercury warnings on can tuna and the (biased organization) Oceana with regards to mercury in tuna.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/national-study-finds-high-levels-of-mercury-in-tuna/?scp=28&sq=boy mercury poisoning&st=cse

Here is a youtube video on a local news group testing mercury in their area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2BHzpHlNeQ&feature=related

This ABC's report and it includes a story about a boy whose mercury levels affected him. So, yes you can get sick more quickly than you thought, but the good news is, there is a way to know how much poison you are eating.

Still, that defies some logic of health, but oh well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JbvwuHi_K4&NR=1

Here is a 2009 report on mercury in the USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an3xRjL_Q5U&feature=related

vettle

READ ON TEH BOARDS TAHT FISH SI GR3AT FOR US B/C OF TEH NUTRITION AND FATS TH3Y CAN OF3R!1!!!1! OMG WTF

HERA SI A VIEDO ON MARCURY 3FECTS ON NEURONS (NOT HUMAN I DONT THINK) U?1!11!1

H3R3 SI DA FDA RASPONSE ON MERCURY FOR PRAGNANT WOM3N!11!!11!
HTP/WWFDAGOV/FOD/FODSAEFTY/PRODUCT-SPECIFICINFORMATION/SEAFOD/FODBORNEPATHOGANSCONTMINANTS/METHYLM3RCURY/UCM1562HTM!!!!1!! OMG WTF

I CANT BLEIV3 DA FDA WANTS PREGNANT WOMAN 2 FEL SAEF 3ATNG FISH!!1!!!1 LOL

this is all i see

OMG this is hilarious! thanks for making my morning. Let's just leave this guy in his miserable media misinformed glory and I'll go have some tuna sashimi today! mmm

ninerbuff

I read on the boards that fish is great for us because of the nutrition and fats they can offer.

Here is a video on mercury effects on neurons (not human I don't think)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6E-OUMVMNI&NR=1

Here is the FDA response on mercury for pregnant women.
http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115662.htm

I can't believe the FDA wants pregnant women to feel safe eating fish!

Aren't you also a vegetarian? If you are then aren't you just spewing anti meat propoganda?

ninerbuff

Actually, I am not trying to scare anyone. I am stating the reasons why I don't eat fish and seafood anymore. Even you admit there is mercury in the food.

Eating poison is still seriously not right with me, no matter what levels there are. This is my opinion. Thanks.

Really? You need iodine in your body, but literally drinking it would poison and kill you. So even at a very low level would you give up iodine?

AlsDonkBoxSquat

Please tell me that you don't drive a car or drink city water . . .

bcattoes

I'm not sure it's possible to get any food that is free of contaminants any more. You pretty much pick your poison no matter what you eat.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I also hope you don't actually use paper cash to pay for stuff, you know that 90% of all paper money has cocaine on it right? While we're boycotting stuff that'd be a good place to start, you know what cocaine can do to you?!?

VulcanLover

I love fish:) I think the Japanese totally have it right with sushi. PERFECT. HEALTHY. AWESOME. A little bit of rice (low fat) with a big old chunk of raw fish (lean protein) wrapped in Nori (seaweed....yum-o) and dipped in some wasabi. There is no food on he planet better IMO.

VulcanLover

Let me add that once, I got my annual flu shot AND an H1N1 shot and then went and ate sushi. LOL. I should probably be dead from mercury poisoning right? LOL

ninpiggy

i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.

Same here! I hate the taste and texture of all aquatic meat.

ninerbuff

I could eat sushi everyday and never get bored of it. Of course I'm a systematic eater most of the time anyway.

VulcanLover

i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.

Same here! I hate the taste and texture of all aquatic meat.

You don't eat steak then either? Ahi Tuna has the same texture as beef (unless you ruin your beef by cooking it all leathery and well done). RAw salmon also has a texture like beef...

ninpiggy

i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.

Same here! I hate the taste and texture of all aquatic meat.

You don't eat steak then either? Ahi Tuna has the same texture as beef (unless you ruin your beef by cooking it all leathery and well done). RAw salmon also has a texture like beef...

Actually I don't eat steak very often and I have never eaten raw salmon. Are you getting defensive about me not enjoying the taste of sea food? It has nothing to do with the mercury if that's what you're thinking lol

aj_rock

If we are going that route, tilapia and catfish may not be healthy for us according to some recent research. The cons may outweigh the pros nutritionally.

If one is worried about parasites, chicken probably isn't all that safe compared to fish, though I would want to look for some research in this area.

For the record, I eat lots of types of animals. I also read research papers, opinion pieces, and other articles with a grain of salt, so to speak. Everyone has an agenda. It's pretty difficult to find "unbiased" reports. People are funny like that.

You are right. Even the US agencies are at odds with each other, the FDA and the EPA.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/opinion/23tue3.html?ref=mercuryintuna

No offense taem, but posting links to "nytimes.com" isn't exactly reputable. Their opinions and bloggers. Let's post some expert advice and/or facts.

I'd like to hear what Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald, and Martin Berkhan have to say about Mercury and Fish. Also the NIH studies.

+10 respect for listing all my favourite fitness/nutrition experts in one go

VulcanLover

Defensive? Not at all. I have always kind of had champagne taste though, as opposed to beer tastes:) Always surprised when people don't like the high quality stuff.

bcattoes

i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.

Same here! I hate the taste and texture of all aquatic meat.

You don't eat steak then either? Ahi Tuna has the same texture as beef (unless you ruin your beef by cooking it all leathery and well done). RAw salmon also has a texture like beef...

the only way tuna has the texture of beef is if it's over-cooked, which should be a crime IMO.

ninpiggy

Defensive? Not at all. I have always kind of had champagne taste though, as opposed to beer tastes:) Always surprised when people don't like the high quality stuff.

LOL

I'm sorry but this makes you sound really arrogant.
I guess I just have "beer taste" as you put it.

LKLDALLAS

Mercury is highest in large fish, such as Tuna. You will be perfectly fine eating Salmon and Tilapia. The amount of mercury in fish poses a much smaller health hazard than the salmoneall, ecoli, antibiotics, steroids, hormones, bleach, and amonia found in other commercially availalbe meats (chicken, beef, and pork). Also, you can buy wild Alaskan fish online that are caught in costal waters and are not farm raised...thus reducing the impurities they are exposed to in their lifetime.

joejccva71

Mercury is highest in large fish, such as Tuna. You will be perfectly fine eating Salmon and Tilapia. The amount of mercury in fish poses a much smaller health hazard than the salmoneall, ecoli, antibiotics, steroids, hormones, bleach, and amonia found in other commercially availalbe meats (chicken, beef, and pork). Also, you can buy wild Alaskan fish online that are caught in costal waters and are not farm raised...thus reducing the impurities they are exposed to in their lifetime.

Chunk Light Tuna is relatively low in Mercury. It's the solid white albacore that is much higher (almost double the amount).

Either way, I can enjoy 1 can of tuna a day and live a long and healthy life. Not really worried about it honestly.

wonnder1

I dare anyone here to go into google, and type "why is...insert food here...bad for you"

See? We'd all be dead if we followed this reasoning. You know the saying "you pick your poison?"

VulcanLover

i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.

Same here! I hate the taste and texture of all aquatic meat.

You don't eat steak then either? Ahi Tuna has the same texture as beef (unless you ruin your beef by cooking it all leathery and well done). RAw salmon also has a texture like beef...

the only way tuna has the texture of beef is if it's over-cooked, which should be a crime IMO.

No, no, no, just the opposite. Uncooked or lightly seared ahi tuna or raw salmon has the consistency of nice, rare beef. Problem is, people overcook their beef, so they have no idea how nice a smooth it should be:)

msblueyes5

Oh, for the love of Tom Cruise, would y'all stop???!!! I love my fish, chicken, cow, pig, etc! I'm going to eat them, dammit! I have a better chance of getting run down by a car while running...(God forbid!).

Ok, that is all.

Ok I am SOO using "for the love of Tom Cruise" in my everyday vocabulary from now on Hahaha

msblueyes5

I get so incredibly tired of people overblowing the Mercury thing way out of proportion.

You have to eat an insane amount of fish including tunafish over a long period of time (YEARS) to be affected by the mercury.

It's getting really ridiculous. It's like people not wanting to use smartphones anymore because of the cancer thing.

It's kinda like the fear of drinking too much water. For most people, it would be near impossible to do so.

Here is another article about the reluctance of labeling mercury warnings on can tuna and the (biased organization) Oceana with regards to mercury in tuna.

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/national-study-finds-high-levels-of-mercury-in-tuna/?scp=28&sq=boy mercury poisoning&st=cse

Here is a youtube video on a local news group testing mercury in their area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2BHzpHlNeQ&feature=related

This ABC's report and it includes a story about a boy whose mercury levels affected him. So, yes you can get sick more quickly than you thought, but the good news is, there is a way to know how much poison you are eating.

Still, that defies some logic of health, but oh well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JbvwuHi_K4&NR=1

Here is a 2009 report on mercury in the USA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an3xRjL_Q5U&feature=related

"While fish gets most of the bad press regarding mercury, other food products also contain mercury. In early 2009, Environmental Health Journal reported on a study conducted by a team led by Renee Dufault that found high fructose corn syrup had high levels of mercury. Many mass-marketed food products contain high fructose corn syrup due the prevalence of corn production in America and the government's corn subsidy. Popular products sweetened with high fructose corn syrup include most sodas, ketchup and even bread."


Read more: Foods Containing Mercury | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5376461_foods-containing-mercury.html#ixzz1U4qDrmGd


So do you not eat any ketchup or bread????

End6ame

I won't touch it. it smells bad, theres too much mercury, not to mention all the crud thats been going into the ocean for the last 50 years, and shell fish do not clean their houses. nope, too many unknows and crabs espically have all kinds of parisites. nope, i'll stick with chicken.

Yeah, because chickens are clean and are never injected with growth hormones.

The fish/mercury hype is way over blown. I am 27 and have been eating it my entire life with no sideffects.

sandy729

Me too...fish is too fishy!

i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.

End6ame

No offense taem, but posting links to "nytimes.com" isn't exactly reputable. Their opinions and bloggers. Let's post some expert advice and/or facts.

I'd like to hear what Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald, and Martin Berkhan have to say about Mercury and Fish. Also the NIH studies.

I could not agree more with this statement!

bassettpig

As I said, chicken and beef do not have toxic poisons in them. Fish and seafood does. I cannot knowingly and willingly eat a toxic poison. If you do, good for you.

Re "toxic poison": Are there poisons that are NOT toxic? Odd choice of words....

Regarding chicken and beef not having the aforementioned "toxic poisons", have you read anything about feedlot beef (E. coli) or how the houses that chickens are raised in have such bad air quality due to the ammonia that people working in them have to wear respirators? Or for that matter about mass-produced eggs?

It's good that you are concerned about the safety of your food. Just saying you might want to educate yourself more on a wider variety of food-related topics. There are a lot of things to look at....