To eat seafood or not?
Travel Health & Safety: To eat seafood or not?
Our lobster girl is back!
We love seafood and often when traveling near the seaside opt for fresh seafood, or fresh water creatures. Also living just minutes from the ocean we eat seafood including shellfish several times a week. Fish and shellfish are low in calories and cholestrol.
Dungeness Crab out of San Francisco Bay
Recently when we were in Boston we ate seafood every day dining on softshell crabs, oysters on the half shell, huge diver scallopd and a plethora of fresh fish.
Never am concerned when eating seafood at spots such as Legal Seafood long time favourite in Boston, and I used to imagine the name originated because eating fish can be so dangerous at times, and only "legal" seafood would do. Even their slogan, "If it isn't fresh, it isn't legal" made that idea seem legitimate.
Legals Seafood Feast
However, the name comes from a kind of green discount stamp, a "Legal stamp," predecessor (and by the same people) to the wildly popular green stamps of the 1950s and 1960s, enough of which got you a dinnerware set at the supermarket. So not so exotic as I had imagined.
Legal always has great lobstah!
Legal's Clam Chowder is world famous-so creamy and good with tender chunks of clams.
We had oysters at Legal and a couple of other spots-love them.
Legal has great spots to just sip a glass of wine and people watch.
None the less there is a haunting thought that persists that eating fish can be dicey at times. Even the U.S. government feels it necessary to warn people not to buy fish "from trucks and wagons," and to advise when it's safe to eat the fish you catch yourself. Fear of mercury poisoning is a big deterrent, of course, the results on babies being so devastating. Another cause for disquiet: 80% of the seafood we eat is imported, and a full 18% comes from China.
I am VERY careful to NEVER buy seafood from China or Vietnam as both raise them in dirty crowded tanks filled with antibiotics. This prevents the fish from dying of various diseases common in crowded mucky conditions.
Check the origin labels!
Locally here the Cambodian refugees persist on fishing in the Delta waters near Stockton which are filled with hazardous wastes from factories.
Stockton, California - Cambodian families choose between health and subsistence culture as here Matthew Chao, 26, fishes several times a week in the San Joaquin River at Buckley Cove.
There are signs posted in numerous lnguages including Vietnamese and Laotian and Cambodian, but many seem to not see them and fish almost daily to provide their families with fresh fish. Many sell them to other Cambodian families.
We love seafood and often when traveling near the seaside we opt for fresh seafood, or fresh water creatures from rivers. This upcoming trip we'll be by the sea and also along the Mekong and other rivers filled with numerous fish and will undoubtedly eat fish.
However, we never eat raw or under cooked seafood or meats in SE Asia. Those warm tropical waters can pose even more health issues for seafood like Hepatitis.
I love Thai Curried Crab and often make it as I learned at Somboon restaurant in Bangkok. We'll eat this dish more thn once on the upcomig trip.
Another east Coast favourite of mine are the softshell crabs - here they are deep fried Thai style
Now in Bangkok one of our favourite places to go for seafood is the Seafood Market-popular ith both tourists and locales alike.
always a fun place to eat in Bangkok!
you pick out your seafood, vegetables, etc. Then these guys cook it as you want
Shrimp in spicy broth served in coconut ala Mexican style.
In addition to being sure the fish you order is fresh, here are some tips on avoiding becoming sick as a result of eating fish (including shellfish) while you are on the road (or at home, for that matter).
To avoid mercury poisoning, smaller is better, and some fish are better than others. Mercury poisoning results from smaller fish (or even algae) ingesting mercury found in water, some mercury natural, some man-made. Then, as each fish gets eaten by bigger fish, the amount accumulates, so that the danger is greater in larger fish. Mercury cannot be eliminated by cooking or any other form of food preparation. Big predators who gobble up smaller ones, for instance, are swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tile fish, so avoid them altogether.
Considered to have the least mercury are summer flounder, haddock, farmed trout, wild Pacific salmon and farmed catfish.
Much seafood poisoning is due to toxins found in small marine organisms throughout all the oceans, especially near coral reefs. It follows, therefore, that warm water fish are more likely to be dangerous, though you can't say all coldwater fish are safe, either.
crab season just opened here in SF area, but the oil spill clean up i making it not safe to eat local crab-so it is banned at the moment. Crab from farther north is said to be OK. Love Dungeness crab
crab cakes-yum
Avoid the following that can and often do contain ciguatera, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and more. The toxins in the fish can't de destroyed by cooking, smoking, freezing or any other method of food preparation. Large fish (more than six pounds) are more likely to contain ciguatera.
Salmon roe with creme fraiche on asparagus
So avoid them, and the innards (liver, roe, etc.) even of smaller fish, as the toxin is concentrated there. Especially avoid amberjack, barracuda, grouper, parrotfish, sea bass, snapper, surgeon fish and ulua. Areas where most of the 50,000 to 100,000 people who become ill yearly include the Caribbean, Florida, Australia and the South Pacific. If you have it, head for the hospital quickly.
red snapper
Scromboid poisoning results from improperly handled fish that convert a natural bacteria therein to histamine, which makes the body react in an allergic manner, causing flushing, headaches, diarrhea and more. This occurs worldwide in the tropics and temperate regions. Most commonly associated with it are the following: yellowfin tuna, mackerel, skipjack and bonito; also mahi-mahi, herring bluefish, sardines, anchovies and amberjack. Recovery usually takes place within a few hours.
oh yum lobster
Avoid raw shellfish, which may contain a cholera-related bacteria, the vibrio, the worst of which is vibrio vulnificus. This can enter the body through eating raw oysters, clams, lobster and the like (even through open wounds in the body if you swim in vibrio-infested water). If you have a compromised immune system, it can be fatal. By the way, anyone over about 50, and certainly over 65 ("the elderly"), has a compromised immune system, as the hydrochloric acid in your stomach is no longer strong enough to kill such bad bacteria. Also, if you have diabetes, cirrhosis or other related illness that compromise stomach acids, stay away no mater how young you may be. Your immune system is also compromised if you are taking heavy steroids (prednisone, etc.), are an alcoholic, have liver disease or HIV.
Japanese sushi salmon eggs and scallops look so good
Avoid raw fish, including sushi and sashimi, as uncooked or partially cooked seafood may harbor worms (anisakis, for example) and other parasites, bad enough, but may cause intense diarrhea from vibrio parahaemolyticus and vibrio cholerae.
Freezing the raw fish before turning it into sushi or sashimi does not always kill all the worms and parasites, either. To be safe at all times, you should avoid raw or undercooked meats, poultry or eggs, as well as seafood and shellfish, all raw protein, in fact, to avoid illness.
Travel Health & Safety: To eat seafood or not?
Our lobster girl is back!
We love seafood and often when traveling near the seaside opt for fresh seafood, or fresh water creatures. Also living just minutes from the ocean we eat seafood including shellfish several times a week. Fish and shellfish are low in calories and cholestrol.
Dungeness Crab out of San Francisco Bay
Recently when we were in Boston we ate seafood every day dining on softshell crabs, oysters on the half shell, huge diver scallopd and a plethora of fresh fish.
Never am concerned when eating seafood at spots such as Legal Seafood long time favourite in Boston, and I used to imagine the name originated because eating fish can be so dangerous at times, and only "legal" seafood would do. Even their slogan, "If it isn't fresh, it isn't legal" made that idea seem legitimate. Legals Seafood Feast However, the name comes from a kind of green discount stamp, a "Legal stamp," predecessor (and by the same people) to the wildly popular green stamps of the 1950s and 1960s, enough of which got you a dinnerware set at the supermarket. So not so exotic as I had imagined. Legal always has great lobstah! Legal's Clam Chowder is world famous-so creamy and good with tender chunks of clams. We had oysters at Legal and a couple of other spots-love them. Legal has great spots to just sip a glass of wine and people watch.
None the less there is a haunting thought that persists that eating fish can be dicey at times. Even the U.S. government feels it necessary to warn people not to buy fish "from trucks and wagons," and to advise when it's safe to eat the fish you catch yourself. Fear of mercury poisoning is a big deterrent, of course, the results on babies being so devastating. Another cause for disquiet: 80% of the seafood we eat is imported, and a full 18% comes from China.
I am VERY careful to NEVER buy seafood from China or Vietnam as both raise them in dirty crowded tanks filled with antibiotics. This prevents the fish from dying of various diseases common in crowded mucky conditions.
Check the origin labels!
Locally here the Cambodian refugees persist on fishing in the Delta waters near Stockton which are filled with hazardous wastes from factories.
We love seafood and often when traveling near the seaside we opt for fresh seafood, or fresh water creatures from rivers. This upcoming trip we'll be by the sea and also along the Mekong and other rivers filled with numerous fish and will undoubtedly eat fish.
I love Thai Curried Crab and often make it as I learned at Somboon restaurant in Bangkok. We'll eat this dish more thn once on the upcomig trip. Another east Coast favourite of mine are the softshell crabs - here they are deep fried Thai style
However, we never eat raw or under cooked seafood or meats in SE Asia. Those warm tropical waters can pose even more health issues for seafood like Hepatitis.
Now in Bangkok one of our favourite places to go for seafood is the Seafood Market-popular ith both tourists and locales alike.
always a fun place to eat in Bangkok!
you pick out your seafood, vegetables, etc. Then these guys cook it as you want
Shrimp in spicy broth served in coconut ala Mexican style.
In addition to being sure the fish you order is fresh, here are some tips on avoiding becoming sick as a result of eating fish (including shellfish) while you are on the road (or at home, for that matter).
To avoid mercury poisoning, smaller is better, and some fish are better than others. Mercury poisoning results from smaller fish (or even algae) ingesting mercury found in water, some mercury natural, some man-made. Then, as each fish gets eaten by bigger fish, the amount accumulates, so that the danger is greater in larger fish. Mercury cannot be eliminated by cooking or any other form of food preparation. Big predators who gobble up smaller ones, for instance, are swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tile fish, so avoid them altogether.
Considered to have the least mercury are summer flounder, haddock, farmed trout, wild Pacific salmon and farmed catfish.
Much seafood poisoning is due to toxins found in small marine organisms throughout all the oceans, especially near coral reefs. It follows, therefore, that warm water fish are more likely to be dangerous, though you can't say all coldwater fish are safe, either.
crab season just opened here in SF area, but the oil spill clean up i making it not safe to eat local crab-so it is banned at the moment. Crab from farther north is said to be OK. Love Dungeness crab
crab cakes-yum
Avoid the following that can and often do contain ciguatera, which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and more. The toxins in the fish can't de destroyed by cooking, smoking, freezing or any other method of food preparation. Large fish (more than six pounds) are more likely to contain ciguatera.
Salmon roe with creme fraiche on asparagus
So avoid them, and the innards (liver, roe, etc.) even of smaller fish, as the toxin is concentrated there. Especially avoid amberjack, barracuda, grouper, parrotfish, sea bass, snapper, surgeon fish and ulua. Areas where most of the 50,000 to 100,000 people who become ill yearly include the Caribbean, Florida, Australia and the South Pacific. If you have it, head for the hospital quickly.
red snapper
Scromboid poisoning results from improperly handled fish that convert a natural bacteria therein to histamine, which makes the body react in an allergic manner, causing flushing, headaches, diarrhea and more. This occurs worldwide in the tropics and temperate regions. Most commonly associated with it are the following: yellowfin tuna, mackerel, skipjack and bonito; also mahi-mahi, herring bluefish, sardines, anchovies and amberjack. Recovery usually takes place within a few hours.
oh yum lobster
Avoid raw shellfish, which may contain a cholera-related bacteria, the vibrio, the worst of which is vibrio vulnificus. This can enter the body through eating raw oysters, clams, lobster and the like (even through open wounds in the body if you swim in vibrio-infested water). If you have a compromised immune system, it can be fatal. By the way, anyone over about 50, and certainly over 65 ("the elderly"), has a compromised immune system, as the hydrochloric acid in your stomach is no longer strong enough to kill such bad bacteria. Also, if you have diabetes, cirrhosis or other related illness that compromise stomach acids, stay away no mater how young you may be. Your immune system is also compromised if you are taking heavy steroids (prednisone, etc.), are an alcoholic, have liver disease or HIV.
Japanese sushi salmon eggs and scallops look so good
Avoid raw fish, including sushi and sashimi, as uncooked or partially cooked seafood may harbor worms (anisakis, for example) and other parasites, bad enough, but may cause intense diarrhea from vibrio parahaemolyticus and vibrio cholerae.
Freezing the raw fish before turning it into sushi or sashimi does not always kill all the worms and parasites, either. To be safe at all times, you should avoid raw or undercooked meats, poultry or eggs, as well as seafood and shellfish, all raw protein, in fact, to avoid illness.
In addition to being sure the fish you order is fresh, here are some tips on avoiding becoming sick as a result of eating fish (including shellfish) while you are on the road (or at home, for that matter):
Japanese fish cake called Kamaboko. the pink edged one has a flying bird throughout, the white one has a tortoise. the striped one has strips of salmon flake and a basil cream cheese innard, the yellow one is part fish cake, part tamago baked egg cake. If you don't fall victim to vibrio, you may just have a few days of discomfort as you suffer upset stomach, headache, loss of muscle coordination, nausea, diarrhea, etc. This can be cause by red tide, which can occur anywhere in the world. Contaminated shellfish can be found in both temperate and tropical waters, usually during or shortly after algae blooms ("red tides") associated with warm weather. If you're unlucky, you could die from the paralysis that can set in, in severe cases. Be sure to ask where you go if there is any problem with red tide when you order fish or shellfish. I love sushi and sashimi and I am just careful where I eat it. On restaurant menus, look for warnings about consuming raw proteins, which indicate the establishment is taking its obligations to its customers seriously. Legal Seafood is one such chain (in seven eastern states and D.C.), saying also on its menus "More information about the safety of consuming raw food is available upon request." It's the law to give such a warning in at least four states, though in one such, Florida, there doesn't seem to be any penalty for flouting it (no penalty clause in the law, all too common an occurrence everywhere), the last time I looked into the matter, anyhow. cuttlefish What's Left to Eat?
If you really are overly concerned avoid the fish and shellfish mentioned above, and enjoy the many other dishes on the seafood menu. There's plenty of fish in the sea, as everyone's mother said to her children, usually in a different context, but apropos here. We're careful where we buy and eat seafood, ut love sushi, sashimi and all seafood - so we choose to eat it carefully. beautiful plump mussels/moules yummm Contacts
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site is www.cdc.gov. Environmental Working Group site is www.ewg.org. some facts gleaned from an article written by Robert Haru Fisher (that's his name Fisher)
November 20, 2007
Comments
Snigdha says :
Ganesh Dutta says :
seafood lover says :
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