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| Author | Topic: clams and lobster? |
| Pete 05-06-2003 06:53 PM | HI! I'm new here. I've eaten a 100% raw vegan diet for 3 years , and wasn't doing very well on it in the end. Almost a year ago I added raw egg yolks and my health is sooooo much better now. I was wondering if raw clams and raw lobster would be acceptable? I read they have low mercury but what about other toxins or heavy metals? I was also wondering if raw clams are commonly frozen? Best Wishes, Pete |
| Pete 05-07-2003 08:07 PM | Well, I just ate a bunch of raw clams. They were really delicious. I am wondering if there are any downsides to clams? I read they are lower in mercury than most fish and since they are alive right before eating, they are really fresh...unlike a lot of fish. The ones I got are from Cedar Key in Florida where I don't think there is much pollution. I am very hestant about eating any fish because of the mercury. I have just chelated for heavy metals (with DMSA) for the past 6 months to get the mercury and lead out of my body. The last thing I want to do is take in more mercury. That is another reason why I was considering eating raw lobster (low mercury according to what I read online). If anyone knows of any possible downsides of eating raw clams and lobster, that would be much appreciated. Pete |
| Wai 05-08-2003 05:20 AM | i strongly advice against eating raw clams / lobster, because of the risk of ingesting parasites / toxins salmon from hatcheries generally doesnt contain mercury |
| Pete 05-08-2003 09:33 AM | Hi Wai, Thanks for your response. I read salmon from hatcheries have more parsites and an unaturally low level of omega 3's. I am also concerned about eating such genetically engineered animals. I also read they feed them chemicals to make their meat more reddish/pick. What do you think about that? I read the only parasites in clams are bacterial parasites which only hurt people with weakened immune systems...no worms though. I've eaten raw clams most of my life (before going vegan) with no problems. I read they could accumulate pesticides, but where I get them the water is pretty clean. I just read that clams do accumulate cadmium and you should only eat 28 grams (1 oz) per day to be safe. Best Wishes, Pete |
| Pete 05-08-2003 09:42 AM | Just to show I'm not making that stuff up about the problems with farm-raised salmon (pesticides, heavy metals, chemicals, low omega 3's, etc), here's an article: "Studies suggest farmed salmon may be far from pure. A recent pilot study by Canadian scientist Michael Easton, an expert in ecotoxicology, found that a four-fish sample of farmed salmon when compared with wild-caught salmon contained elevated levels of chemical contaminants, including PCBs -- known carcinogens. Easton's research, which was published in the peer-reviewed international science journal, Chemosphere, showed 10 times more PCBs in farmed salmon than in wild fish -- levels that he believes pose a health risk for regular consumers. Levels of pesticides in farmed fish were also significantly higher, Easton's study showed, while mercury levels were roughly the same. ''This is a preliminary study that raises significant questions,'' Easton says. He stresses the possibility of damage to anyone who consumes farmed salmon directly or indirectly from combined, low-level toxins. Easton also points out the elevated risk of mental retardation and brain damage to nursing babies and unborn fetuses. Other new studies in the United Kingdom (source of many farmed salmon that supply U.S. markets) have cast further doubts on the safety of these fish, enough to fan an outcry in the British media. A recent feature in the Daily Mail outlines a ''chemical cocktail'' of substances found in trace amounts in these fish, including canthaxanthin, a dietary additive that gives farmed salmon its appealing color; various pesticides such as cypermethrin, dichlorvos and azamethiphos, associated with cancer and reproductive problems in humans; copper and zinc-based paints; and malachite green, a fungicide. The latter was banned in June by the Scottish government, and a European government-sanctioned science commission has recently called for a two-thirds reduction in canthaxanthin, which has long been banned by the European Union for direct human consumption, due to its potential for vision damage. The contaminants' source is linked to the farming process. PCBs and other toxins are concentrated in the oil-rich, pelletized fish meal, which farmed salmon are fed. The fish are treated with pesticides to control parasites, fed canthaxanthin and subjected to pen disinfectants. Antibiotics are administered to treat disease in crowded pens. In addition, there is mounting evidence farmed salmon contain fewer of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids for which wild salmon are so highly touted. A number of respected sources, including U.S. nutritionist Andrew Weil and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, state that farmed salmon have two to three times fewer omega-3's than their wild counterparts. Meanwhile, the fat content of farmed fish ranges between 11% and 20% vs. 7% for wild. There are serious environmental issues associated with salmon farming as well. The spread of highly infectious, mutating salmon diseases, large-scale environmental pollution and the escape of millions of non-native fish from salmon-farm operations are all ongoing problems that alarm scientists. They worry about the potential impact on wild salmon stocks. USA Today op ed, October, 2002 Thanks to Rivercurrents, newsletter from American Rivers Los Angeles Times article, 1/14/03 UPI, 3/03 University of Alberta Portland Oregonian, 3/14/03 Remember Ann is NOT A Doctor and has NO medical training. |
| Michael 05-08-2003 04:31 PM | I could also add that farmed salmon to a large extent is fed fish that is not appealing to consumers. Salmon farming has therefore led to increased fishing of species that used to be left alone. This diminishes the food supply for wild fish and results in difficulties for many wild sea creatures to find enough food. So there is an ethical problem with eating farmed salmon as well. Regarding the red colour in farmed fish, at least when talking about norweigan salmon, it is caused by adding astaxanthin from red algae. It is a natural antioxidant that is considered very healthy, sold as a food supplement. It is the same substance that colours red pepper, shrimp, lobster and gives the red colour to many fruits and vegetables. It is also often given to hens to increase the nutritional value of the egg yolk. I do not beleive it is dangerous. |
| Wai 05-09-2003 01:09 PM | hmm, im not sure about the harmlessness of astaxanthin ; all antioxidants can be harmful in excess |
| justmarvin 05-18-2003 02:36 AM | If I recally correctly, lobsters are scavengers. They are bottom feeders and eat the waste of other sea animals. When you look at the diet of another animal, many times this will clue you in about its effect to our own health. Pigs eat junk. Shrimp eat waste. The food we eat is as good as what they eat. My Doctor told his former patient to stop eating shrimp. She was suffering from symptoms that they could not really pinpoint the cause. As soon as she got off the shrimp, she had gotten better. You should be careful of the source of any food when eaten RAW. Well, that's just my two cents. |
| Pete 05-30-2003 04:12 PM | <<The food we eat is as good as what they eat.>> I do not agree with this. Nature recyles waste. One organisms waste is anothers treasure. Fruits and vegetable live off waste products (compost, manure, etc.) Many insects eat waste and insects have been in our diet for our entire evolution. Shrimp also eat lots of algae, plankton, and microbes. Pete <<My Doctor told his former patient to stop eating shrimp. She was suffering from symptoms that they could not really pinpoint the cause. As soon as she got off the shrimp, she had gotten better.>> Were they raw? |
| RRM 05-31-2003 11:40 AM | quote:I agree with Pete here; recycable waste products are perfectly converted into nutrients by scavengers. It is not that hyenas contain toxins, for example. But, if scavengers eat prey that contains bad stuff that cannot be degraded / converted, then that bad stuff is present in accumulative proportions. I guess this is what may have stimulated Marvin's line of thinking. Though, I think I read somewhere that some sea-scavengers contain toxins from certain algae they eat. RRM |
| Pete 05-31-2003 12:03 PM | Hi Reformed robot man <<Though, I think I read somewhere that some sea-scavengers contain toxins from certain algae they eat.>> Actually, the animals to worry about are the ones higher on the food chain (especially older fish) like baracudas, grouper, amberjack, red snapper, eel, sea bass, barracuda, Spanish mackerel , etc. These cab contain Ciguatera poison (originally from algae) And of course mercury accumulates in larger fish as well. Pete |
| RRM 06-01-2003 09:03 AM | Thank you. |
| vasc 06-07-2003 04:01 PM | Living in a country where people eat lots of clams I have to tell you that sometimes they come with toxins. Also, if they are not very fresh, you can easily get food poisoning. Regarding lobster, the USDA Food Database says it has 12% of the recommended amount of sodium (i.e. salt) per 100g, so if you have problems with salt I would not recommend eating it. Lots of people have allergies to shell fish. |
| Pan 06-09-2003 03:42 PM | Hi Pete, you the Peter from the "Zsusza war"? Nice to see you again in such case, otherwise wellcome. /Peter |