Why I won't eat fish (seafood)

silkysly

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.

I’m with you on this one. I use to work in mercury recovery for the environmental industry so I have a handle on what is too much.

taem

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?"

Here is a bottle of poison, would you eat it? What if I included a bottle of fat and protein and told you it's good for you? Would you eat it still? Now let me charge you money for it and say you can eat 1 can of it a day, would you eat it? give it to your children or grandchildren?

Poison + Fat + Protein + moderation = something I don't eat. That's my decision, I hope it is yours as well.

Personally, I don't care if you eat fish or not. But seriously, there is not the equivalent of even a small "bottle" of poison if you ate fish every day for year. If it bothers you then don't eat it, but why exaggerate? I like fish.

How am I exaggerating? We all know there is poison in the seafood. Go ahead and eat it if you like.

Consuming "a bottle of poison with added fat and protein" = eating fish. That is an exaggeration. A pretty big one.

My point is that Poison, in any amount is unacceptable, even if you try to combine it with other foods and say to me moderation is key. Others say that eating the poison is okay because the surrounding food is so good for you. When there are other alternatives to get those nutrients, why would anyone accept poison in their food? their children's food?

I won't.

taem

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?

That's a great question, thank you for bringing up that topic. From what I understand, iodine is essential for our bodies (albeit very smallj, trace amounts). Whereas mercury is not essential for us to consume. I think there is a difference in what we should eat and what we shouldn't. I don't know if I consume iodine. I filter my water so I don't know if I drink it. I have to check.

bcattoes

My point is that Poison, in any amount is unacceptable, even if you try to combine it with other foods and say to me moderation is key. Others say that eating the poison is okay because the surrounding food is so good for you. When there are other alternatives to get those nutrients, why would anyone accept poison in their food? their children's food?

I won't.

I don't know what you feed your children, but I took a peek at your food diary. You are eating plenty of poisons my friend.

taem

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

bcattoes

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

You can't wash pesticides out of vegetables. The entire field is sprayed so that the soil is tainted and the plants consume the pesticides through soil and water. It's inside the vegetables. I don't normally by GG because there are cheaper brands, but I don't think they have any less poison. But I have to eat something, so I eat poisoned food. We all do.

Erica002

We eat fish once a week and sushi once a month. LOVE sushi.

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.

I’m with you on this one. I use to work in mercury recovery for the environmental industry so I have a handle on what is too much.

Great! Can you share with us how your group processes, identifies mercury levels in our food? I would love to hear it.

taem

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

You can't wash pesticides out of vegetables. The entire field is sprayed so that the soil is tainted and the plants consume the pesticides through soil and water. It's inside the vegetables. I don't normally by GG because there are cheaper brands, but I don't think they have any less poison. But I have to eat something, so I eat poisoned food. We all do.

You are probably right. What I learned is that you can buy veggies that are not sprayed so much and those that are can have a layer taken away from them, so this is contrary to what you stated about the poisons pervading through the whole crop. I would like to know this for a fact, so will you provide proof please? Thanks.

bcattoes

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

You can't wash pesticides out of vegetables. The entire field is sprayed so that the soil is tainted and the plants consume the pesticides through soil and water. It's inside the vegetables. I don't normally by GG because there are cheaper brands, but I don't think they have any less poison. But I have to eat something, so I eat poisoned food. We all do.

You are probably right. What I learned is that you can buy veggies that are not sprayed so much and those that are can have a layer taken away from them, so this is contrary to what you stated about the poisons pervading through the whole crop. I would like to know this for a fact, so will you provide proof please? Thanks.

It is fact. Try using Google to prove it. Organic vegetables have less and different pesticides, but even if you grow your own vegetables and don't put any chemicals at all on them they will still get some from infected soil and/or rain. You can't get away from it in the modern world. I do think about mercury. I've read that swordfish has one of the highest mercury counts for commercial fish. It's my favorite fish to eat. But the fact is I am going to die of something eventually, and I have no way to know when or how, so I enjoy the swordfish when I have it, and I don't have it very often.

taem

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

You can't wash pesticides out of vegetables. The entire field is sprayed so that the soil is tainted and the plants consume the pesticides through soil and water. It's inside the vegetables. I don't normally by GG because there are cheaper brands, but I don't think they have any less poison. But I have to eat something, so I eat poisoned food. We all do.

You are probably right. What I learned is that you can buy veggies that are not sprayed so much and those that are can have a layer taken away from them, so this is contrary to what you stated about the poisons pervading through the whole crop. I would like to know this for a fact, so will you provide proof please? Thanks.

It is fact. Try using Google to prove it. Organic vegetables have less and different pesticides, but even if you grow your own vegetables and don't put any chemicals at all on them they will still get some from infected soil and/or rain. You can't get away from it in the modern world. I do think about mercury. I've read that swordfish has one of the highest mercury counts for commercial fish. It's my favorite fish to eat. But the fact is I am going to die of something eventually, and I have no way to know when or how, so I enjoy the swordfish when I have it, and I don't have it very often.

I did google it, and you are right, a lot of the foods we eat are not safe. The more I learn about health and nutrition, the more discouraged I get about why "we" are so willing to accept foods that are toxic. Thank you for helping me learn more.

So why bother with a food and nutrition board?

bcattoes

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

You can't wash pesticides out of vegetables. The entire field is sprayed so that the soil is tainted and the plants consume the pesticides through soil and water. It's inside the vegetables. I don't normally by GG because there are cheaper brands, but I don't think they have any less poison. But I have to eat something, so I eat poisoned food. We all do.

You are probably right. What I learned is that you can buy veggies that are not sprayed so much and those that are can have a layer taken away from them, so this is contrary to what you stated about the poisons pervading through the whole crop. I would like to know this for a fact, so will you provide proof please? Thanks.

It is fact. Try using Google to prove it. Organic vegetables have less and different pesticides, but even if you grow your own vegetables and don't put any chemicals at all on them they will still get some from infected soil and/or rain. You can't get away from it in the modern world. I do think about mercury. I've read that swordfish has one of the highest mercury counts for commercial fish. It's my favorite fish to eat. But the fact is I am going to die of something eventually, and I have no way to know when or how, so I enjoy the swordfish when I have it, and I don't have it very often.

I did google it, and you are right, a lot of the foods we eat are not safe. The more I learn about health and nutrition, the more discouraged I get about why "we" are so willing to accept foods that are toxic. Thank you for helping me learn more.
So why bother with a food and nutrition board?

Because it's healthier to eat brown rice and veggies with toxins than a Big Mac and fries with toxins. :ohwell:

taem

I am glad you are eating the mercury sandwich.

Mercury sandwich. heehee. This is all making hungry for some mercury tacos! Just curious, do you think Green Giant frozen niblets corn don't have poisons sprayed on them?

You and others are right to assume that everything is unhealthy. I do not know if Green Giant does an adequate job in washing their corn, but if you found out that they didn't would you still eat corn from GG?

You can't wash pesticides out of vegetables. The entire field is sprayed so that the soil is tainted and the plants consume the pesticides through soil and water. It's inside the vegetables. I don't normally by GG because there are cheaper brands, but I don't think they have any less poison. But I have to eat something, so I eat poisoned food. We all do.

You are probably right. What I learned is that you can buy veggies that are not sprayed so much and those that are can have a layer taken away from them, so this is contrary to what you stated about the poisons pervading through the whole crop. I would like to know this for a fact, so will you provide proof please? Thanks.

It is fact. Try using Google to prove it. Organic vegetables have less and different pesticides, but even if you grow your own vegetables and don't put any chemicals at all on them they will still get some from infected soil and/or rain. You can't get away from it in the modern world. I do think about mercury. I've read that swordfish has one of the highest mercury counts for commercial fish. It's my favorite fish to eat. But the fact is I am going to die of something eventually, and I have no way to know when or how, so I enjoy the swordfish when I have it, and I don't have it very often.

I did google it, and you are right, a lot of the foods we eat are not safe. The more I learn about health and nutrition, the more discouraged I get about why "we" are so willing to accept foods that are toxic. Thank you for helping me learn more.
So why bother with a food and nutrition board?

Because it's healthier to eat brown rice and veggies with toxins than a Big Mac and fries with toxins. :ohwell:

Trying to figure out what is good nutrition and therefore good health is a discussion I don't mind having.

I thought we had choices. But I guess not, sorry for thinking there was.

If it truly the case that everything we eat is laced with some form or poison or toxins, then I submit that we no longer call foods, health foods but create food labels that include toxicity levels or levels of poison.

There is no such thing as a health food, by everyone's definition here.

What is interesting is that we, mfp'ers track the amount of calories and other things important to us, and understand the calories in and calories out but when it comes to mercury, we are just willing to say, hey, we don't care how much mercury we consume, we don't need to track it like we do for fat, sugar, salt, protein. How many here have had their mercury levels checked, esp. those that consume a lot of seafood?

Calories vs Poison, we track calories but not poison. We don't even know how much mercury we have in our bodies, we don't know how much mercury there is in that fish we are buying, but it's okay?

Maybe I am being overly dramatic but then I think I have a point. Anyways, I think this discussion is over as I am now a lot more jaded in the world I live in.

There is no such thing as health food or healthy foods, just the amount of poisons we eat. What a sad recognition. Sorry to have wasted your time.

farrellb2

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

Tuna's the only Fish I eat, I dont really like the taste or smell of fish-but I add pickles (for my veggies) and a little mayo to add some flavor

But I don't eat it every day to be honest I only eat it maybe once a month, unless somebody in my house makes a bowl of tuna then I eat it maybe two or three times a week and then won't touch it again for another month

bcattoes

You can help keep the toxins in food down by doing a little research. You can find lists of foods that have the most pesticides sprayed on them, just as you can find lists of which fish tend to have the highest amount of mercury. Tomatoes and peaches are 2 on the list of the most sprayed. Once you know the dangers, you can choose whether to buy those organic or skip them altogether. Or buy all organic, which will cut it down quite a bit, if you live where it's available and can afford it.

cabaray

I don't care what's in it, you put scallops in front of me, they're gone!

jemmur

I've always wondered why we never hear warnings that seaweed contains mercury, yet it grows in the same seawater as the fishes.

I don't know if anyone answered you but plankton and plants contain minuscule quantities of mercury, compared to something like tuna, because the mercury gets concentrated as it moves through the food web. As a gross simplification: the big predatory fish are worse for mercury because they've absorbed all the mercury that was in all the smaller fish they ate, which absorbed all the mercury from all the tiny fish they ate, which absorbed all the mercury from all the plants they ate, which absorbed the mercury we let get in to the sea.

To be honest, especially as far as tuna goes, my biggest concern would be overfishing. So much of it is fished in an unsustainable manner that mercury content could soon become irrelevant.

thkelly

So who's up for eating some poison today? It's friday after all. live a little and dig in. i personally brought a can of poison with me today for a snack (some people call it tuna, but really it's just poison disguised as tuna). then maybe for lunch i'll go to subway and get a 6" poison sub. dinner tonight is cedar planked atlantic poison on the bbq. we used to refer to it as salmon, but we all know really it's just a fillet of poison. since it's friday i might as well have a double portion. hopefully i'll still be alive monday to tell you how it tasted.

bcattoes

So who's up for eating some poison today? It's friday after all. live a little and dig in. i personally brought a can of poison with me today for a snack (some people call it tuna, but really it's just poison disguised as tuna). then maybe for lunch i'll go to subway and get a 6" poison sub. dinner tonight is cedar planked atlantic poison on the bbq. we used to refer to it as salmon, but we all know really it's just a fillet of poison. since it's friday i might as well have a double portion. hopefully i'll still be alive monday to tell you how it tasted.

You are just being funny, right? If you actually ate that much tuna and salmon every day you likely would need to worry about the mercury.

taem

So who's up for eating some poison today? It's friday after all. live a little and dig in. i personally brought a can of poison with me today for a snack (some people call it tuna, but really it's just poison disguised as tuna). then maybe for lunch i'll go to subway and get a 6" poison sub. dinner tonight is cedar planked atlantic poison on the bbq. we used to refer to it as salmon, but we all know really it's just a fillet of poison. since it's friday i might as well have a double portion. hopefully i'll still be alive monday to tell you how it tasted.

Here are some of the side effects of having mercury accumulation in your body. http://www.mercurysafety.co.uk/hlthinfo.htm

"Clinical Symptoms of Mercury Toxicity
Symptoms Characteristic of Chronic, Low-Dose Exposure

Erethism (nervousness, irritability, mood instability, blushing)
Tremor
Personality change
Suicidal tendency
Paraesthesia
Impaired hearing
Speech disorders
Visual disturbance
Abnormal reflexes
Disturbed gait
Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums)
Impaired nerve conduction
Renal damage
Adverse outcome of pregnancy
Infertility
Pneumonitis (lung disease)
Glioblastoma (brain cancer)
Immune system dysfunction

Symptoms Characteristic of Acute, High-Dose Exposure

Gastroenteritis (stomach upset)
Mouth pain
Abdominal pain
Vomiting
Excessive salivation
Anuria (urine production stops)
Uraemia (urine products appearing in the blood)
Nephritis (kidney disease leading to kidney failure)
Anorexia (lack of appetite)
Ataxia (difficulty in moving)

Mercury and Reproductive Health
Chronic mercury exposure can seriously impair fertility and outcome of pregnancy. In one study, 45 women dentists and 31 dental nurses were questioned about their reproductive history and hair samples were taken to estimate mercury exposure. A positive association was found between elevated mercury levels and incidence of malformations and aborted pregnancies. Mercury exposure also resulted in menstrual cycle disorders, arising from interference with the part of the brain which controls reproduction (hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis).

During pregnancy, mercury passes readily through the placenta; the concentration in cord blood is elevated above the level of the maternal blood. There is therefore a risk to the foetus in chronically-exposed pregnant women, although case studies to date are not conclusive. One case report describes the birth of a severely brain-damaged baby to a woman dentist who was exposed to mercury vapour levels in excess of the TLV during pregnancy. In the most recent report, a Swedish dentist was exposed to mercury vapour during her pregnancy through a leaking amalgamator; the foetus showed mild kidney inflammation but was born clinically healthy. The World Health Organisation stated in 1991 that 'the exposure of women in child-bearing age should be as low as possible'.

In men, organic forms of mercury were found to cause hypospermia, a reduction in libido and impotence in some subjects. Evidence of minor genetic damage (aneuploidy) was found, thought to be caused by interference of the metal with thiol groups in the spindle apparatus of dividing cells. More recently, an adverse effect of mercury on sperm motility was reported and another report describes an increased rate of spontaneous abortion in women whose partners were occupationally exposed to mercury vapour."

If you want to eat it and mock my unwillingness to eat poisonous food, then go ahead. I live in Chicago, and I visited the Chicago Police Forum (an online forum where the public can ask questions) and I asked what is a safe amount of poison we can put in foods before we can be charged with a crime.

Here was the response.

"Any type of poison that is deliberately put into your prepared food with the intent to injure or harm you would be considered a crime. Preservation of the evidence would be the key as well as proving exactly who prepared the meal and if it was performed on purpose."

So whereas you might think it is a joke, I think it is that type of crime compels fish markets to not to label their seafood with mercury levels and just hope to play to our ignorance. If you don't know the mercury levels, how can the mother/father/guardian, boyfriend/girlfriend or cook be charged with a crime?

I understand there are a lot of people here that say seafood is safe, but as a previous poster stated, there is even poison dumped in our soil so "organic" foods still signifies a lessor toxicity in our food. With plants dumping chemicals in our water and land, why would anyone think our food is safe, and our seafood even safer?

Rilke

I didn't read a single post in this thread. I just came here to say that shellfish are effing delicious. I pity you ;(

Alaranio

OMFG! Get over the fish thing! I've eaten it for the past 27 years and I'm perfectly fine. I ate it while preggo, sushi too. Infact sushi is my favorite meal!

kappyd

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/fish-intake-and-mercury.html

Look at the chart on Lyle's page, and then read below.

/thread

Please look at the FDA's report on mercury, there is a difference in found in McDonald's chart.

http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/product-specificinformation/seafood/foodbornepathogenscontaminants/methylmercury/ucm115644.htm

Taem there's a MINOR difference between both charts. Check the tuna levels in both. Salmon, Shellfish, Tilapia, etc.

You're stretching.

I guess my point is that there is mercury poisoning in fish and seafood. yes, it is small. but you know there is poison in there. if that's okay with you, that's great. I can't do it anymore it defies my sense of health.

For some carbs are bad, for some fat is bad. these foods make you fat, they are not poisons.

So, if government agencies says these foods contain trace amounts of poison but hey, tons of great protein, you are still going to eat it? (you said you do, it was a rhetorical question)

If a light bulb breaks, do you pick up the glass with your bare hands? there are unknown amounts of mercury in that blub. I guess that would be okay if it had great protein and omega fats?

When I was little I had a jar of mercury that I use to play with, I even used it as weight in my pine wood derby car in cub scouts. I wonder what I could have been if I hadn't played with it. :happy:

TheMaidOfAstolat

Personally...I'd rather eat fish and be healthy and full of omega 3's and great oils than a tiny trace amount of mercury. I eat salmon, tilapia, bass, grouper, cod, and plenty of shellfish. I'm one of the few 'healthy' adults my doctor sees. Everyone else is overweight or on medications. I'll take my chances and be healthy...and this is coming from a person who was a vegan for 4 years and a vegetarian her entire life...I've only reverted back to eating fish a year ago. I'm healthy and that's what matters.

tross0924

Here's a link I found interesting

http://www.howmuchfish.com/

chevy88grl

Oh brother.

Did you know that just about anything can kill you in large quanities? Even WATER! OMG! Should we all stop drinking water because it MIGHT kill us?

Beef has ecoli. There's salmonella in turkey and chicken. There's mercury in fish. There are pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

I think perhaps the OP should step away from NY times articles once in awhile, breathe some fresh air (WAIT! That'll kill you too!) and relax a little.

We are all gonna die. That's right. Every last one of us. Make the best choices you can while you're here but don't agonize over them - life's too short and let's face it.. no one gets out alive!

BTW, I eat tuna (solid white albacore actually!), beef, chicken, turkey and sometimes I even eat pork though it isn't my favorite.

chevy88grl

So who's up for eating some poison today? It's friday after all. live a little and dig in. i personally brought a can of poison with me today for a snack (some people call it tuna, but really it's just poison disguised as tuna). then maybe for lunch i'll go to subway and get a 6" poison sub. dinner tonight is cedar planked atlantic poison on the bbq. we used to refer to it as salmon, but we all know really it's just a fillet of poison. since it's friday i might as well have a double portion. hopefully i'll still be alive monday to tell you how it tasted.

LOL.

NikkisNewStart

I'm glad you told us why you won't eat fish... I won't eat poo poo... because it stinks. Now you know why.

taem

Oh brother.

Did you know that just about anything can kill you in large quanities? Even WATER! OMG! Should we all stop drinking water because it MIGHT kill us?

Beef has ecoli. There's salmonella in turkey and chicken. There's mercury in fish. There are pesticides on fruits and vegetables.

I think perhaps the OP should step away from NY times articles once in awhile, breathe some fresh air (WAIT! That'll kill you too!) and relax a little.

We are all gonna die. That's right. Every last one of us. Make the best choices you can while you're here but don't agonize over them - life's too short and let's face it.. no one gets out alive!

BTW, I eat tuna (solid white albacore actually!), beef, chicken, turkey and sometimes I even eat pork though it isn't my favorite.

As I stated before, we have air filters in our homes, we look for ways to reduce car emissions, so yes, breathing in air is a problem. I also stated before that chicken and beef can be thoroughly cooked. If you cook seafood, the mercury is still there. We even have water filters in our homes now. I am pretty sure if you live near the coast line where the BP oil spill occurred, you wouldn't eat the seafood there.

I took a personal stand against seafood simply because I don't know how much poison is in the food, I have learned since then that there is poison in our lands that affect our vegetables. So I am less vocal about it and I am finding ways to consume less poisons, to the best of my ability.

I thank you for weighing in on the subject.

Tamstar1985

I could never give up fish. I live in China, near the coast, and eat loads of seafood, both cooked and raw. Don't be afraid of fish, guys, just remember "everything in moderation"!