Those who know me well, know that I LOVE salmon. I eat it like some people eat chicken. Well, I got a little tired of the salmon and
decided to try tilapia. It was tasty
(after a little Old Bay). But, I did a
little research and this is what I learned:
Although it is a good source of protein (like most fish),
tilapia contains very small amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. These are the fish oils that protect against
heart disease, stroke and abnormal heart rhythms. Salmon has 10 times more omega 3s than
tilapia.
Most of the tilapia is farm raised and a lot of it is
imported. It is known as a "factory
fish" because it breeds easily and tilapia fish eat pellets made largely
of corn and soy and other grains.
Imports of frozen tilapia to the U.S. rose approximately 30%
in 2010, due to the recession because it is generally cheaper than buying other
types of fish. A significant percentage
of tilapia is imported from China. Most
of the Chinese farms are poorly regulated.
Most of the fish that China exports are "refreshed." "Refreshed" means it is frozen and
packed in carbon monoxide to preserve color so it can be thawed and sold in
fish displays so that it appears to have been recently caught.
In addition, there has been concern over how these foreign
fish farms dispose of fish waste. Some
of these farms basically allow the fish to feed off of their own waste and then
they turn around and sell the fish to the consumer.
I think I am going to throw away that bag of tilapia that I just purchased. BARF!!!!!
Source: "Another Side of Tilapia, the Perfect Factory Fish." N.Y. Times, May 2, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment