From a nutritional and caloric perspective, fish, shellfish, and other seafood are healthy foods worth having. But, in today's world with severe water pollution, seafood is a love-hate relationship, making it hard to decide whether to eat it or not. Having seen TV reports, we all know that seafood such as fish, shrimp, crab, and shellfish may have problems with heavy metal pollution like lead, cadmium, and mercury, and these can be transferred into our bodies through our diet.
However, don't completely demonize these seafood products, as they are an important source of our nutrition. Generally speaking, as long as we master the methods of scientific selection and proper use, we don't need to worry too much about safety issues.
Fear of Pollution? Essential Fish-Picking Skills for Home Cooks
(√) Choose lower-tier seafood. It's not true that the more advanced a food, the more nutritious it is. Seafood has its own biological habits and food chain hierarchy. In terms of metal content, shellfish have the highest content among seafood, followed by cephalopods like octopus and squid, then crabs and shrimp, and the common fish we eat have the lowest.
(√) Choose smaller-sized fish. While a big fish means more meat, it also means the fish has lived longer, so it will have relatively more accumulated heavy metals in its body. It's better to choose smaller fish, as they have a shorter growth cycle and less accumulated pollutants than larger fish.
(√) Choose fish from higher water layers. Generally, the lower a fish lives in the water, the higher its content of pollutants like heavy metals. For example, fish living at the bottom of the water, such as Wuchang fish, catfish, black carp, and loach, have higher levels of pollutants. Grass carp live in the middle-lower layers, while silver carp and bighead carp live in the middle-upper layers, so they have relatively fewer pollutants.
(√) Don't eat too much. Whether it's freshwater or seafood, it's not recommended to eat it every day. Eating too much can lead to an excessive buildup of pollutants in the body. Eat a moderate amount daily, or have it every few days. Additionally, always cook fish and seafood thoroughly, as they may contain pathogenic bacteria and parasites, and eating them raw poses certain health risks.
(√) It's recommended to only eat the fish meat. When pollutants enter a fish's body, the internal organs, scales, gills, and skin will accumulate toxins first. Therefore, the fish head, skin, and internal organs will have more pollutants. Furthermore, the internal organs, brain tissue, and belly of the fish are rich in fat and have a high affinity for organic pesticides, making them more susceptible to contamination. It's best to forgo rich textures for now and simply savor the fresh, tender fish meat.