Why I won't eat fish (seafood)

tigersword

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.

There are actually plenty of spores and parasites that can be found in meat, chicken, and even some vegetables and water that can't be killed by being cooked, or eliminated by being filtered out. They essentially have shells that protect them from heat, and are too big to fit through holes in water filters. You are much, much more likely to be killed by a food borne parasite or illness than mercury poisoning from fish.

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.

To me, this issue is similar to smoking cigarettes. Before, everyone smoked, even doctors and it was thought to be okay. A real man smoked, remember the Marlboro man? Now, we say avoid smoking because it has all these toxins and harmful chemicals and it will probably lead to diseases that will create a negative impact in quality of life. I am not against smoking anymore because they are labelled as harmful.

But seafood is not labelled to a degree where I feel safe in consuming it. Even if I was told that this fish I was buying had less than 1 ppm of mercury, that's still half as much as what other countries around the world permits.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your seafood.

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.

There are actually plenty of spores and parasites that can be found in meat, chicken, and even some vegetables and water that can't be killed by being cooked, or eliminated by being filtered out. They essentially have shells that protect them from heat, and are too big to fit through holes in water filters. You are much, much more likely to be killed by a food borne parasite or illness than mercury poisoning from fish.

Please tell me which foods are likely to have these spores and/or parasits and aren't you a bit outraged by this?

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.

To me, this issue is similar to smoking cigarettes. Before, everyone smoked, even doctors and it was thought to be okay. A real man smoked, remember the Marlborough man? Now, we say avoid smoking because it has all these toxins and harmful chemicals and it will probably lead to diseases that will create a negative impact in quality of life. I am not against smoking anymore because they are labelled as harmful.

But seafood is not labelled to a degree where I feel safe in consuming it. Even if I was told that this fish I was buying had less than 1 ppm of mercury, that's still half as much as what other countries around the world permits.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your seafood.

If you choose to not eat seafood - great for YOU. But, I think the problem is you being here trying to slam us all with information why we shouldn't be eating it too. Stop trying to dictate what the world should be doing and focus on your own life. I swear. If more people worried less about others and more about themselves - the world would be a better place. I am perfectly capable (as are most adults) of reading, researching and making choices for myself and my family. I really think it's great that you've done your research and made choices that are best for YOU and YOUR LIFE.

But really. Stop trying to convince us all that we're ignorant because we won't see it your way. You keep posting link after link after link of why we shouldn't be eating it. I haven't read a single one of them because I've already heard the argument about mercury, read about it, researched it and decided the benefits out weigh the risks FOR ME.

Did you know you can get mad cow disease from eating beef? And they aren't convinced that it can be killed in the cooking process? I think you should be doing some research on other food items and their possible contaminants before you come on here and tell me how poisonous fish is for me.

I'm just wondering what fish ever did to you to deserve such a backlash from you.

tigersword

Please tell me which foods are likely to have these spores and/or parasits and aren't you a bit outraged by this?

Just plain water can have all of those. Why should I be outraged that living organisms exist? I've spent a dozen years in the food service industry, and have been certified in food safety for many years. Let me tell you, if you knew all of the different types of parasites, bacteria, viruses, and spores that exist in EVERYTHING, you'd probably be afraid to ever eat or drink again. Rice can carry disease, flour can carry disease if improperly handled, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, water, fish, lamb, any canned food... Honey contains botulism spores. You know the "free range" meats that people always talk about being so great? Well, nobody can control 100% what those animals eat or drink, so there's no telling what they might be infected with, or what chickens might pass onto their eggs. And not every parasite, bacteria or virus can be killed by cooking. Botulism for example, only dies at 250°F, much higher than food gets cooked.

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.

To me, this issue is similar to smoking cigarettes. Before, everyone smoked, even doctors and it was thought to be okay. A real man smoked, remember the Marlborough man? Now, we say avoid smoking because it has all these toxins and harmful chemicals and it will probably lead to diseases that will create a negative impact in quality of life. I am not against smoking anymore because they are labelled as harmful.

But seafood is not labelled to a degree where I feel safe in consuming it. Even if I was told that this fish I was buying had less than 1 ppm of mercury, that's still half as much as what other countries around the world permits.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your seafood.

If you choose to not eat seafood - great for YOU. But, I think the problem is you being here trying to slam us all with information why we shouldn't be eating it too. Stop trying to dictate what the world should be doing and focus on your own life. I swear. If more people worried less about others and more about themselves - the world would be a better place. I am perfectly capable (as are most adults) of reading, researching and making choices for myself and my family. I really think it's great that you've done your research and made choices that are best for YOU and YOUR LIFE.

But really. Stop trying to convince us all that we're ignorant because we won't see it your way. You keep posting link after link after link of why we shouldn't be eating it. I haven't read a single one of them because I've already heard the argument about mercury, read about it, researched it and decided the benefits out weigh the risks FOR ME.

Did you know you can get mad cow disease from eating beef? And they aren't convinced that it can be killed in the cooking process? I think you should be doing some research on other food items and their possible contaminants before you come on here and tell me how poisonous fish is for me.

I'm just wondering what fish ever did to you to deserve such a backlash from you.

So I guess that's the point. That is, we can discuss what foods are good for us and that's always a lively debate. But underlying this debate is our food sources being poisoned, and our willingness to keep consuming them.

We can talk about low carb, high carb diets, but if they all contain poison, we should stop talking about the diet program and talk about our food sources being poisoned.

My health journey is admittedly, very new and I have been only learning about how badly our food supply is tainted. So, as I learn these things, I am making personal decisions. I am sorry I have made you think otherwise and I definitely don't want to tell you want to eat or not eat. I mean, that advice shouldn't be given to anyone on this board and it probably isn't, right?

I really don't care what people eat or not eat. I am here to make my stand, I do not think I can influence anyone here with my opinions but I can take a stand for myself. I believe in honest food labels, if you know there is poison in that fish, what is the harm in asking just how much there is in that fish you are buying that day at the market? An informed choice is probably better then buying something you know has poison but don't know how much. http://www.safeharborfoods.com/news/

tigersword

Nobody is "poisoning" the food supply. Mercury is a naturally occurring element in nature, all over the world, everywhere. It's even in the air. You are exposed to mercury 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Volcanic eruptions contribute more mercury to the environment than anything else. And those are volcanos both above and below water. The aerial concentration of mercury is actually higher indoors than it is outdoors.

TK421NotAtPost

I know you'll respond with your patented, "hey, it contains mercury, but if you want to eat it, go ahead! Eat away!" response, but this thread is more about your trying to validate your own feelings on mercury with positive affirmations from us instead of you just simply stating that you don't eat seafood.

Seriously, ease up on such all-or-nothing extremism. You'll ruin your body a LOT more from the cortisol release you're inducing with this neurotic paranoia than from the actual mercury itself.

taem

I know you'll respond with your patented, "hey, it contains mercury, but if you want to eat it, go ahead! Eat away!" response, but this thread is more about your trying to validate your own feelings on mercury with positive affirmations from us instead of you just simply stating that you don't eat seafood.

Seriously, ease up on such all-or-nothing extremism. You'll ruin your body a LOT more from the cortisol release you're inducing with this neurotic paranoia than from the actual mercury itself.

BTW, congrats on your weight loss.

whisperingdragon

A friend of mine got Mercury poisoning from eating too much fish. He had a lot of it though..

scarecrow41

Troll city. This guy has started several threads now trying to validate himself and prove everyone wrong with an extreme black and white stand point.

In a different thread a few weeks ago he said that all fat was bad and eating fat makes you fat. He's a new vegan, which is right on if he wants to be, but he continually tries to make himself feel better about his choice by putting down all things non-vegan...this is just one step amongst many.

Stop feeding the troll.

suzycreamcheese

http://gawker.com/5828154/horrifying-squid-comes-to-life-and-jumps-off-plate

is why *i* wont eat seafood


do not watch if easily grossed out

taem

Troll city. This guy has started several threads now trying to validate himself and prove everyone wrong with an extreme black and white stand point.

In a different thread a few weeks ago he said that all fat was bad and eating fat makes you fat. He's a new vegan, which is right on if he wants to be, but he continually tries to make himself feel better about his choice by putting down all things non-vegan...this is just one step amongst many.

Stop feeding the troll.

Actually, what I said about fat, it was more than a few weeks ago. I also learned more about low carb, X? fat and X? protein diets and I have stated that it works, so good for you if you can do it. I am not putting anybody down, I have never told anyone on this thread to not eat seafood if that is their preference. I just won't knowingly eat a poison, of any amount. If you want to eat it, good for you. I am learning good health, and eating poison just isn't for me. If you have a difference of opinion that's fine.

I am also learning about GMO foods like corn and soy and I am leaning towards not eating it. So I am not always on the side of the vegetable industry. I realize that good health takes on many forms and to learn all is best.

At this point, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts on the subject. I have learned a lot and I appreciate it. It didn't make me change my opinion about eating seafood, but I'm sure I didn't change yours either! Still, it was a good discourse and Iike I said, I learned a lot from it. I really don't want to continue this thread as my declaration has turned into name calling (like troll) and I received little support for my health goals.

Thanks for your opinion.

Mommawarrior

If you look at the ingredients in almost everything the FDA approves for food you will see that it is disgusting and way worse for you than anything you will find in fish. The chemicals that are allowed to be used in stuff that is called "food" by the FDA are far worse for you than any trace amount of mercury that you will find in fish.

NikkisNewStart

This guy has started several threads now trying to validate himself and prove everyone wrong with an extreme black and white stand point.

This exactly. I've noticed the exact same thing.

TK421NotAtPost

I have never told anyone on this thread to not eat seafood if that is their preference.

Here are some of your quotes from this thread....

"I just won't knowingly eat a poison, of any amount. If you want to eat it, good for you."

"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. "

"We all know there is poison in the seafood. Go ahead and eat it if you like. "

"So I guess you would eat the poisonous food and give it to your children? Good for you. Thanks for your opinion. "

I guess you never explicitly told us not to eat seafood, but my goodness, who talks like this? Give poison to my children? That's a real nice way of putting it... :noway:

taem

I have never told anyone on this thread to not eat seafood if that is their preference.

Here are some of your quotes from this thread....

"I just won't knowingly eat a poison, of any amount. If you want to eat it, good for you."

"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. "

"We all know there is poison in the seafood. Go ahead and eat it if you like. "

"So I guess you would eat the poisonous food and give it to your children? Good for you. Thanks for your opinion. "

I guess you never explicitly told us not to eat seafood, but my goodness, who talks like this? Give poison to my children? That's a real nice way of putting it... :noway:

As I stated earlier, I have decided to stop this thread. I concluded my observations here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/taem/view/final-thoughts-on-the-consumption-of-mercury-poisoning-133958

Thanks.

bcattoes

Nobody is "poisoning" the food supply. Mercury is a naturally occurring element in nature, all over the world, everywhere. It's even in the air. You are exposed to mercury 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Volcanic eruptions contribute more mercury to the environment than anything else. And those are volcanos both above and below water. The aerial concentration of mercury is actually higher indoors than it is outdoors.

"Nobody is poisoning the food supply"??? Are you serious? How nice it would be if that were true.

tonilizzy88

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 agree. i eat fish 5 days out of 7 sometimes its from the freezer ail in breadcrumbs and sometimes it megga fresh cought that morning kind of fish.... its healthy got good oils and good for your overall mind and body.

lets face it if we didnt eat everything that would give us some sort of illness we wouldnt eat we wouldnt live!

Gessa007

:yawn:

:yawn:

:yawn:

:yawn:

:yawn:

MaitreyeeMAYHEM

I'm eating Tilapia right now with Rosemary herbs. Nom Nom!!

ninerbuff

Sushi for me tomorrow! If I die from poisoning, at least my wife and daughter have a great insurance policy on me.

armaretta

Due to the nature of my job, I'm required to have a annual physical with full blood work and tests. These tests include a test for mercury as well as other toxins. I received my test results a few days ago. I'd like to assure you guys that my levels of mercury were well below concern. I eat fish/shellfish several times per week and will continue to do so. I will not be swayed by paranoia and exaggeration.

Tonight, I shall bake a delightful tilapia fillet, coated in panko bread crumbs, seasoned with garlic, onion, lemon, and Hungarian smoked paprika, with a side of steamed brussel sprouts and brown rice.