Why I won't eat fish (seafood)

taem
taem Posts: 495 Member
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
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!
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Replies

  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    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.
  • vettle
    vettle Posts: 621 Member
    Yep I agree - the media has blown this out of proportion and it not accurate. Stop believing everything you read unless it's from a published peer reviewed journal article because they will express the limitations of the study, unlike the media.
  • evesacks
    evesacks Posts: 94 Member
    Get your hair tested if you are worried.

    I'm going to get mine done (waiting for next haircut as don't want to hack a chuck off myself.
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    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.

    Here is a New York Times article on the recall on sushi because of the mercury levels being too high.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/dining/23sushi.html

    Thanks for your opposing opinion. Do you eat fish? I can respect your views.
  • AliDarling
    AliDarling Posts: 373
    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.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    I eat fish yes. I eat tuna, salmon, catfish, tilapia, etc. I have been eating fish for over 30 years, quite often.

    I guess I'm gonna die from mercury now right?
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    I eat fish yes. I eat tuna, salmon, catfish, tilapia, etc. I have been eating fish for over 30 years, quite often.

    I guess I'm gonna die from mercury now right?

    No, I just wanted to know if you ate it. Thanks.
  • DizzieLittleLifter
    DizzieLittleLifter Posts: 1,020 Member
    There are a lot of SAFE fish one can eat. I wouldn't stop eating all fish, heck I even eat Tuna once a week. If you go that route you might as well ban beef, because of cholesterol and mad cow. I'm not seriously suggesting this btw, just making a point that there are endless studies out there that point to one food being harmful in one way or another. Research the risks and make your own decisions.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    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.

    Sparta.jpg
  • carlxo21
    carlxo21 Posts: 143 Member
    I think people are a little overly concerned with the whole mercury thing. It is closely regulated by the FDA and small amounts of mercury are not going to harm you. I eat seafood whenever I can! I am not worried about mercury. A lot of people choose not to eat it because of this reason but I have never seen or heard of anyone becoming very harmed by it. I guess it could make a difference if you were eating mercury-laden fish all the time though.

    my silver fillings have mercury in them. and they still use them. i think it's more about amounts than actual exposure
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    There are a lot of SAFE fish one can eat. I wouldn't stop eating all fish, heck I even eat Tuna once a week. If you go that route you might as well ban beef, because of cholesterol and mad cow. I'm not seriously suggesting this btw, just making a point that there are endless studies out there that point to one food being harmful in one way or another. Research the risks and make your own decisions.

    But here is the thing. Would you rather have brain damage or heart disease? You can fix cardiovascular disease, you can't fix your brain.

    Here is another new york times article on mercury, it is a bit more recent.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/health/research/14hazards.html?ref=mercuryintuna
  • foremant86
    foremant86 Posts: 1,115 Member
    i don't eat fish because it tastes like fish lol...well accept tuna...that's not so bad.
  • ehs5mw
    ehs5mw Posts: 65
    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.
  • ehs5mw
    ehs5mw Posts: 65

    But here is the thing. Would you rather have brain damage or heart disease? You can fix cardiovascular disease, you can't fix your brain.

    I've known for a while that my brain was without hope.
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    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
  • lazirlott
    lazirlott Posts: 42 Member
    My husband and I both come from long lines of commercial fisherman all of our family and anscestors eat fish, shrimp, crab, & oysters ALOT. Just like a farmer eats what he grows, its like "free" and yummy groceries. No one in our family history (and we have fishermen dating back to BEFORE 1900) has had any health repercussions from eating too much seafood.
  • kathyhull
    kathyhull Posts: 327 Member
    Oh dear. I eat tuna at least 4 times a week - high protein, good mixed with lots of chopped vegies. Guess I better get my hair tested. Sadly, it's always something. I happen to use sweet-n-low in my coffee too - 2 packets a day. Hey, I gave up smoking. I'm running 3 -4 times a week, walk a lot more than I used to. I've even cut back on my wine and margaritas. Please don't make me give up everything!!
  • fromaquasar
    fromaquasar Posts: 811 Member
    This is why I don't eat fish or seafood http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jun/03/fish-stocks-information-beautiful - look at the animated infographic at the bottom.
  • ehs5mw
    ehs5mw Posts: 65
    My husband and I both come from long lines of commercial fisherman all of our family and anscestors eat fish, shrimp, crab, & oysters ALOT. Just like a farmer eats what he grows, its like "free" and yummy groceries. No one in our family history (and we have fishermen dating back to BEFORE 1900) has had any health repercussions from eating too much seafood.

    Please don't take this seriously, but:

    Are all of your ancestors still alive then?
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/fish-intake-and-mercury.html

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

    /thread
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    Oh dear. I eat tuna at least 4 times a week - high protein, good mixed with lots of chopped vegies. Guess I better get my hair tested. Sadly, it's always something. I happen to use sweet-n-low in my coffee too - 2 packets a day. Hey, I gave up smoking. I'm running 3 -4 times a week, walk a lot more than I used to. I've even cut back on my wine and margaritas. Please don't make me give up everything!!

    I was just stating my stance on eating tuna, fish, seafood. I wasn't looking for a fight.

    I guess this can be said about aspartame as well. We know it's toxic, a poison, but it's good tasting so it is okay.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    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.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    *chuckles to himself*
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    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
  • overzoelous
    overzoelous Posts: 161 Member
    Fish/shellfish concentrate mercury in their bodies. With all of the steroids, hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides that are pumped into chicken/beef/pork, I'd take fish over the others any day. I highly doubt that you could eat fish to the point where you became legit crazy, like some hatters did. Everything is harmful for us these days. The FDA denied aspartame (artificial sweetner commonly found in diet drinks) multiple times before it was finally allowed to be used in food/drink. There is an uproar with that too because people believe that when aspartame is metabolized a small amout is toxic, causing cancer. I wish I had the will power to be a vegan or have the money/ability to wake up at the crack of dawn to get all of my foods fresh from the local farmers market, but I don't. So, finally, my answer. Yeah, I still eat fish and other meats, even though I know what's in it. Gotta die of something :]
  • Britt2Fitjrny
    Britt2Fitjrny Posts: 558 Member
    Dont always believe everything you see! Where is the proof?! :)
  • MayMaydoesntrun
    MayMaydoesntrun Posts: 805 Member
    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.
  • taem
    taem Posts: 495 Member
    Thanks for the differing opinions. I respect them but I guess we can agree to disagree.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    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.
  • sabrafox
    sabrafox Posts: 70 Member
    There are higher levels of mercury in fish than there were in yesteryear, but that doesn't mean you have to swear off all fish.
    The lower on the food chain the fish, the lower the levels of mercury. So tilapia, a fairly small whitefish will have less than say swordfish, which is a game fish that isn't caught until several years old.
    Additionally, wild caught fish tend to have lower levels of mercury than farm raised fish.
    Even game fish can be safely eaten in small quantities.
    A few ounces of tuna twice a week (fyi, the recommended amount for pregnant gals) is perfectly safe.

    If you choose to eliminate all seafood from your diet, that is certainly your right.
    However - I think the benefits far outweigh the risks, especially when you make wise food choices.
    Plus, it's delicious!
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