Fruitarian | Fruitarian Diet

Seafood is a great alternative to meat, especially the red type. You get to eat protein-rich but not fatty foods such as fish. Fish is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids. These fatty acids, instead of causing illnesses, actually help you lower your cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids also prevent heart diseases. Eating seafoods can, therefore, offer a lot of health benefits. However, not everything is perfect healthwise. It is never good to have imbalance in your diet. This means that eating too much seafoods can also have negative effects on your body.

Presence of mercury especially in commercial fisheries

Mercury is another reason for cutting back on your seafood diet. Though you can definitely eat plenty of fish, try to limit on those with high levels of mercury. Yes, some fish may contain high levels of mercury. In fact, most fish and shellfish contain some mercury. This mercury could be naturally occuring or could have been induced by commercial fishing, or both. Either way, mercury poses some health risks to those who consume it.

Health risks posed by eating mercury-laden seafood dishes

There are certain types of fish, such as sardines and shark, which contain high levels of mercury. Not everybody is warned against eating too much of those fish, however. Some studies have even shown that mercury is not as dangerous to the human body as first reported. Still, pregnant, lactating, and fertile women are discouraged from taking huge amounts of mercury-laden seafood dishes. The unborn child’s development and the breastfed baby’s health can be harmed by the mercury. Mercury also stays in the system for long, especially if huge amounts were ingested. So, women who could get pregnant should shy away from ingesting too much seafood. The mercury could still be in their system when they do become pregnant. As for the others, mercury may later play an active role in the development of cancer.

While a seafood diet is rich in flavor and health benefits, too much of this good thing is also dangerous. If mercury-laden seafood dishes are involved in the diet, then the consumer should be extra careful.

Related Questions:

1. Are grown men completely safe from mercury-laden seafood dishes?
2. What could be a safe alternative to a purely seafood diet?
3. What can mercury do to harm the body?