Hello fellow Steemians, you’ve probably heard of the harmful effects of pesticides, the overuse of antibiotics and other drugs, metals, like mercury or things like PCBs that wreak havoc on our bodies that can occur from the food we eat.
One issue that I recently came across was the low testing that the FDA did on the imported fish into the U.S. This isn’t something that is new. The information I’ve come across is from 2011, but I haven’t been able to find anything more up to date, please feel free to share if you can.
(https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/08/01/why-its-so-hard-eat-local-when-it-comes-fish)
I was never a fan of fish or seafood unless it was Long John Silvers covered in unhealthy fried batter (which ultimately covers the fishy or any taste). I used to be a little bit of a picky eater, liked only foods I knew I liked, didn’t try a whole lot of new tastes, if it had a strong odor (like certain sea food or fish, even steamed Brussel sprouts) I wouldn’t go near it. I did try calms once, let’s just say my parents regretted forcefully talking me into tasting them. This is common for toddlers and younger kids. It wasn’t until college when I changed my major mid junior year from an architectural engineering degree to nutrition. This transition has opened my experiences, my eyes, my mind, my taste preferences, etc.
I had no idea what I was missing out on! After already being intrigued by the new knowledge I’ve obtained about physiology, nutrition and dietetics, I got to take a food lab. In this class I was exposed to cat fish, tofu, goat’s cheese, soy and coconut milk. This lab opened a door I never dreamt of. Eventually I was eating and tasting all types of new foods from bell peppers to medium-rare steak, those Brussel sprouts, and yes, even crab, lobster, cat fish, tuna, salmon, flounder, and sushi!
So, this is my dilemma, now that I like certain sea foods and fish, I’ve read this information of how poorly fish that are imported are hardly tested. When they are, they’re hardly tested for the very many chemicals that can be harming our bodies. Of the seafood products in the U.S., 85% of it is imported from other countries. Of that 85% of imported seafood, only 2% is tested by the FDA, and they only test for about 13 drug residues. Europe and Japan tests for 34 and 27 drugs, respectively (Parsons, T., 2011). Of course, if you know what drugs are tested you can use the alternatives. Scary information. It really makes me rethink my food.
It’s definitely something to think about. My favorite quote from an unknown source, "you are what you eat, and you are what you eat, eats". Again, if you have any additional or updated information I would appreciate it! Until then, as always, be thoughtful of your food, where it comes from, and how it came to be on your plate.
Resources
Parsons, T. (November 2011). Testing of Seafood Imported into the U.S. Is Inadequate. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Retrieved from: https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2011/love-seafood.html
Images from:
Fish market. Why it’s so hard to ‘eat local’ when it comes to fish. (1 Aug 2016). SBS. (27 January 2018). Retrieved from: https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2016/08/01/why-its-so-hard-eat-local-when-it-comes-fish
Food. Sweet dreams. (27 January 2018). Retrieved from: http://weknowyourdreams.com/images/food/food- 14.jpg
