Is Fish Safe to Eat

Is Fish Safe to Eat

Is Fish Safe to Eat? We live in a very different world today than we did just 20-30 years ago. Our oceans are being polluted with heavy metals, like mercury, lead, nuclear radiation, chemicals, PCB's (plastics) and even toxic algae. Safe Seafood concerns are at an all time high and for good reason. Are fish safe to eat? You now need to know which seafood is safe to eat and what you should avoid (or at least test) before you consume it.

Heavy metals, mercury in particular are present in a lot of fish and seafood in unsafe levels. Radiation (which is a heavy metal isotope) damages your DNA, weakens your immune system and poisons you slowly, it is highly cancer causing too. Mercury is more acutely toxic (can be fatal quicker) if you take in too much. It is a brain and nervous system toxin that can leave you with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, tremors and amnesia if consumed in high levels or left to accumulate in your body over time. Use seafood safety when you choose to eat your next favorite fish meal.

What Fish is Safe to Eat

What Fish is Safe to Eat? Unless you have your own Aquaponics System (which I do highly recommend if you want to grow your own food at home because fish feed the plants and the plants feed the fish,) none are really that safe anymore. You'll notice the safest ones are wild caught and from the Atlantic or Arctic because there haven't been any recent radiation spills in those areas. There are safer and more toxic types of fish and seafood. Here is a list of the most toxic, to medium toxic to least toxic types of seafood to eat:

Most Toxic

• Bluefish
• Blue Crab
• Grouper
• Grouper
• Orange Roughy
• Mackerel
• Marlin
• Tuna (Ahi, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Blue, Albacore)
• Seabass (Chilean)
• Swordfish
• Tilefish
• Salmon (Farmed Atlantic)
• Shark

Medium Toxic

• Arctic Cod 
• Carp
• Cod
• Croaker
• Halibut
• Lobster
• Mahi Mahi
• Monkfish
• Perch (Freshwater)
• Sablefish
• Skate
• Snapper
• Tuna (Chunk Light, Skipjack)
• Sea Trout

Least Toxic

• Farmed Salmon (Atlantic)
• Anchovies
• Butterfish
• Catfish
• Clam 
• Crawfish (Crayfish)
• Croaker (Atlantic)
• Flounder
• Haddock (Atlantic)
• Herring
• Mackerel (Atlantic)
• Oyster
• Perch (Ocean)
• Salmon (Wild)
• Sardine
• Scallop
• Shrimp
• Sole
• Squid
• Trout
• Whitefish

I only eat from the least toxic seafood in the above list and still do a regular heavy metal and radiation detox as they can damage your brain and immune system, and you need those most as you mature.

Safe Seafood in Pregnancy

Certain fish and seafood is too high in contaminants for women who are expecting as well as young children. The above list shows the most safe seafood in pregnancy. When in doubt, always avoid it as it is high risk and little reward. I personally prefer wild caught salmon from the north Atlantic or wild caught (but avoid pacific sea salmon because of high radiation levels in it.) Salmon is high in omega 3's for the brain and immune system too.

Skipjack tuna is medium safe and is usually always sustainably harvested. Look for sustainably harvested as well as those are are safe seafood that is not harvested to extinction and better for the environment. They are usually a lot more health conscious as well so you are getting safer seafood to eat. 

Heavy Metals in Fish

Heavy Metals in Fish is increasing at an alarming rate. With more environmental processing being allowed to dump in ocean waters, radiation spills and fracking our water supply and the fish that live in it is more poisonous by the day. You need to avoid fish with high levels of radiation, mercury or lead. PCB's and plastics that fish eat is another problem as they disrupt your hormones. These are usually bottom feeders like shrimp, crab, lobster and oysters.

Eat fish with the lowest levels of heavy metals like mercury from the above chart. I still would eat fish three times a week or less, even from the safest column in the list. And I still recommend you do a heavy metals and radiation detox at least twice a year if not more to keep it from damaging your DNA and your immune system. With all that is going on in our world now you need a healthy immune system more than ever!

Is is Safe to Eat Raw Fish?

Is it safe to eat raw fish? In short no. It's like playing roulette, you really never know if it is or not. All you can do is be as selective (choosy) as you can and make sure you if you do choose to eat raw seafood that it be previously frozen for 8 hours so the parasites in raw fish and their larvae (eggs) do not hatch in your gut. Most people can eat raw fish occasionally without having major problems like food poisoning, but you will absolutely have some parasites in you that are stealing your nutrition and wreaking havoc on your digestion. If you've eaten raw fish at any time you will have parasites, and I recommend you do a parasite detox to keep them from reproducing in your gut and stealing your health.

If you are more sensitive to seafood then you have an increased risk of coming down with severe food poisoning from fish. Foodborne illness can result in severe abdominal pain, stomach cramps, projectile vomiting, diarrhea, and lead to flu like symptoms. 

Food Poisoning from Fish

If you are not careful you can get serious food poisoning from fish and seafood. All fish end up eating algae and accumulate the toxins that are dumped into the ocean and freshwater basins. Certain fish like the Ciguatera, Groupers, Hogfish, Red Snapper, Barracuda and are susceptible to carrying a toxin called Ciguatoxin. If you ever get or want to prevent being deathly ill from food toxins see: Natural Remedies for Food Poisoning.

These can cause severe food poisoning symptoms and may land you in an emergency room if you can get to one in time. It's always best to take precautions when eating any fish, particularly those types that get that carry that one type of poison. There are other poisonous fish like Blowfish that carry toxins that can make you sick. You may already know about the heavy metals like mercury, radiation and PCB's and neurotoxins that can poison you when eating seafood. Just make sure you have a way to get the toxins out (ideally take it before and after) you consume seafood. 

Detoxing from Heavy Metals

I always choose to be proactive and safe when it comes to exposure to any environmental toxin like radiation, heavy metals or infectious microbes in food. You can use Zeolite Powder powder internally to cleanse radiation, heavy metals and other toxic contaminants out of your body. I take it preventatively every other month because I do eat tuna (Skipjack) and wild caught Salmon and want to make sure I keep my brain, immune system and DNA from getting damaged.

If you're not sure you can do a home Heavy Metals Toxicity Test. This will show you for sure whether you need to do a heavy metals detox or chemical detox. It is the best way to be sure, and everyone should do one every 5 years or so.