Fish is a popular food for the general public. However, with the improvement of living standards, people's requirements for food safety are getting higher and higher, and many people are worried about whether fish and aquatic products will have heavy metal pollution, such as the risk of mercury pollution, how to choose fish, how to eat healthier?
1
The benefits of eating fish are not just for the brain
As a kind of "white meat", fish has a lower content of calories and saturated fat, and a relatively higher content of minerals such as calcium than pork, beef and mutton, which can be used as a high-quality protein source during weight loss and fat loss.
In addition, the glutamic acid and aspartic acid rich in fish meat are umami amino acids, which give fish its own umami taste. This allows us to cook fish without going through heavy oil, heavy salt, high sugar deep processing, just steamed or boiled soup, it can be delicious and attractive.
In addition, many fish (especially fatty marine fish and some freshwater fish) have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids such as DHA in their bodies, which is also beneficial to promote the development and health of brain cells and visual cells.
In addition, the vitamin D content in many fish is not low, while the vitamin D content in other common foods is not high. For people who lack sun exposure and lack of vitamin D in food, it is suitable to eat more fish.
2
Is there heavy metals in fish?
Which fish are higher in heavy metals?
Some heavy metals in the water body, such as mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, etc., can be continuously enriched in the fish body through the water body or algae containing heavy metals, and the metabolization time is very long.
Historically, large fish in the deep sea were thought to be more susceptible to heavy metal contamination than freshwater fish. There is some truth to this conclusion, and it is also supported by the corresponding survey results. However, heavy metal pollution in fish is also related to factors such as different sea areas, fish species and age.
Globally, there is a general pattern that carnivorous fish have higher levels of heavy metals than omnivorous and herbivorous fish, that larger fish have higher levels of heavy metals than smaller fish, and that older fish have higher levels of heavy metals than younger fish.
For example, the US Food and Drug Administration's list of "not recommended" (high mercury levels) includes large carnivorous fish such as sharks, swordfish, tilefish, mackerel, bigeye tuna, and marlin.
Different sea areas also have an impact on the weight metal content of fish.
According to the results of a study on the mainland, wild fish in the Bohai region of the East China Sea have higher levels of mercury than farmed fish, and in the South China Sea, farmed fish have higher levels of mercury than wild fish. At the same time, carnivorous fish such as grouper, goldfish, catfish, and mandarin fish showed high levels of mercury in this survey, which is also in line with the general pattern we mentioned earlier.
In addition, it is important to remind everyone that even if the same fish is the same, you should avoid choosing too much weight, mainly because a larger weight means that the fish is older, not only the meat is not necessarily tender, but it is also easy to enrich more heavy metals through eating and drinking.
However, it is reassuring to know that the above survey results also point out that the mercury content of mainland aquatic products is far below the national standard limit as a whole.
Considering that the fish intake in the continental population was not up to standard, the daily mercury exposure from aquatic products for the whole population was generally lower than the tolerable weekly intake of 1.6 μg/kg body weight for methylmercury published by the Joint Expert Committee on Dietary Exposures and Food Additives, and the health exposure risk was generally acceptable.
Whether it is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or the dietary guidelines for mainland residents, the low-mercury and high-DHA fish recommended include: salmon, sea bass, sardines, anchovies, large yellow croaker, tilapia, etc. Some shellfish, such as clams, crabs, oysters, scallops, etc., are also safe for low mercury, and they are also available at a low price.
3
I want to stay away from heavy metals as much as possible
There is also a particular way to eat
In addition to familiarizing yourself with which fish may be higher in heavy metals, there are also some tips to minimize our risk of ingesting heavy metals during the cooking process.
1. Try to avoid several large fish that are not recommended above.
2. Pair with some ingredients that promote the excretion of metals from human body weight.
The human body has the ability to remove and expel heavy metals. As long as you don't eat a lot of fish with high heavy metal content for a long time, the possibility of causing harm is generally not great. If you can add some foods that promote the excretion of heavy metals by the human body during the cooking process, such as coarse grains rich in dietary fiber, vegetables and fruits, you can better prevent injuries.
3. Eat a variety of foods.
We can give full play to the advantages of food diversification, not only to reduce the use of fish that may contain heavy metals, but also to give full play to the health effects of different types of nutrients in different foods, so as to minimize, share and offset the health risks that may be caused by heavy metal intake.
For example, if we are worried that the presence of heavy metals will harm the brain and nervous system, we can eat more foods that are good for the brain and nervous system, such as salmon rich in DHA, plain nuts, etc. If you are worried that heavy metals will increase the metabolic burden on the liver, you can eat more fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C.
All in all, food diversity is beneficial in terms of enriching nutrients, preventing chronic diseases, and combating the health hazards of heavy metals.
Finally, the intake of fish should also be limited in quantity. According to the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents, normal adults are recommended to eat fish twice a week, about 300~500 grams. When cooking fish, it is better to steam it, and try to avoid frying and grilling, so as not to destroy the unsaturated fatty acids in the fish, and also prevent the increase in the content of carcinogens due to frying and grilling.
Source: Xinhuanet