The dangers of farmed fish
The health benefits of certain cold-water fish such as salmon and sardines are well documented for the past many decades. However, this is not even close to the whole story, since the growth of the farmed fish industry. If you eat in a typical American restaurant, the chances are way more than 50-50 that you are receiving farmed fish.
The well-known Dr. Axe has clearly said this about farmed fish:
鈥淔ish farms produce supermarket protein with high concentrations of antibiotics, pesticides and lower levels of healthy nutrients. Research has found that farmed fish has less usable omega-3 fatty acids than wild-caught fish and a 20 percent lower protein content. A USDA review confirmed the findings. Farmed fish are fattier and have a high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids. Imbalances in the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids create inflammation in the body.鈥�
Healthy fats are an absolute necessity to optimal health, and the key to the benefits are quality and the ciorrect ratio. The typical American diet is very over-loaded with Omega 6, and under-loaded with Omega 3. Good fish have these fats in optimal balances; farmed fish do not.
Supporting farmed fish is not only unhealthy for the individual, but it also harms the populations of wild fish 鈥� a consequence which can be devastating to humans and wildlife. Dr. Axe states that 鈥淔arm-raised fish are given antibiotics to stave off disease that results from crowded conditions and are also treated with pesticides to combat sea lice. Sea lice from fish farms kill up to 95 percent of migrating juvenile wild salmon.鈥�
Even more concerning is the pesticides used in fish farms gets circulated in the oceans, and concentrates in the fat cells of wild fish. This is why it is normally healthier to eat small fish such as salmon and sardines, rather than large ones such as tuna. The larger fish live longer, and have more time to collect the chemicals to pass on to us. Pretty grim. This is one of the many reasons a daily or weekly detox is an essential part of a sane lifestyle in today蘑菇视频 world.
Due to the unnaturally cramped and unsanitary conditions in fish farms, there is an alarming list of other chemicals that concentrate in the fish. One such group is dioxins. In fact, they are part of the WHO (World Health Organization) Dirty Dozen of the worst and most prevalent toxic chemicals found in foods. They are highly toxic, and they are stored in the body for a long time 鈥� their half-life in fat cells is 7 to 11 years! Dioxins impair the endocrine, immune, nervous and reproductive systems and are carcinogens. If that isn鈥檛 enough to get people蘑菇视频 attention, I don鈥檛 know what will. The difference between knowingly consuming these toxins and suicide is not apparent to this author. If you eat these and other commercial 鈥渟orta-foods,鈥� you can not detox too much.
Salmon is an American favorite of fish eaters. One of the underhanded tricks used by commercial producers, and sanctioned by our FDA, by the way, is a fake pink pigment to make the farmed 鈥渇ranken-salmon鈥� look more like the real thing. Wild fish get their color naturally by feeding on the right foods, such as krill. Farmed fish are fed unnatural substances such as grains and corn. The synthetic pigment is called Canthaxanthin. Without even looking any further, you can bet with favored odds that something sounding like that isn鈥檛 good for us 鈥� and you would be correct. Canthaxanthin is used in sun tanning pills. Bet that whets the appetite, eh? Studies have found that canthaxanthin can affect pigments in the retina of the eye, leading to a ban of its use in the UK, but not the USA. Are you feeling all protected and safe by your government that takes your tax money at gunpoint if it wants to? Food for thought, no pun intended (wink).
What蘑菇视频 really scary is that farmed fish production is the fastest growing food production method in the world. However, please realize it can only be true if you and I support it. I implore you to ask at the restaurant if the fish is wild-caught. If they don鈥檛 know, reject the dish. The power of the dollar is the only thing that will motivate American business to stop serving us poison fake food. And again, the danger and harm is far-reaching beyond the individual human.
The well-respected Dr. Mercola states that 鈥淢any farmed fish are being fed genetically modified (GMO) corn and soy, but others require a fish-based diet. Ironically, tiny prey fish like anchovies and herring are now being dangerously overfished to meet the growing feed demands of farmed-fish populations.鈥�
Here is a summary list of the other harmful effects of farmed fish listed by Dr. Mercola:
n Fish feel pain and stress, and they are starved and suffocated in farmed conditions;
n Farmed fish may spread disease to wild fish;
n Fish farms pollute the environment and damage local ecosystems;
n Fish feces harm coral reefs; and
n Farmed fish escape 鈥� this dilutes and contaminates the wild populations.
The only way to combat it is to refuse the product. Ask for wild-caught fish only at supermarkets and restaurants. Vote with your wallet.