Tilapia has always been a staple food on the plates of every Filipino. It's popular for having a low price but still being of decent quality.
But you need to control your tilapia intake as your favorite fish might not be that beneficial to your body. Most fish sold in markets are not bred in the wild but mostly in fish farms where natural food such as algae and lake plants is substituted with GMO soy, corn and multitude of antibiotics and pesticide.
Now here are more reasons why you should stop consuming farm-bred tilapias:
1# Farm-bred fish pack higher content of pesticides and antibiotics.
This comes down to the fact that farm fish are bred in a crowd, which makes them more susceptible to diseases. Antibiotics are given to them to be healthy. Pesticides are given to them too to eliminate sea lice. However, these pesticides are in fact so strong that it can kill wild salmon.
2# Farm-raised tilapia are less healthy than those in the wild.
The omega 3 fatty acids in farm-bred tilapia are not as beneficial as those found in wild tilapia. Farm-raised tilapia also lack protein. The fish are raised in pools, which makes them fattier and they often contain more omega 6 fatty acids. Over consumption of omega 6 fatty acids makes us more prone to inflammation.
3# Studies confirm that consuming farm-bred tilapia can lead to inflammation of the body.
Beware, people with asthma, heart disease, and arthritis! Eating tilapia can worsen already existing inflammation. People often believe that they’re getting their omega-3 fatty acid from the fish oil in tilapia to reduce the risk of heart attacks, but the real truth is that tilapia can be a more serious risk factor than bacon or hamburgers.
4# Farm-bred tilapia also contains higher dioxin levels.
These actually pack 11 times more dioxins than wild tilapia. Dioxins are not only toxic, but can even trigger cancer development. The worst thing is that as soon as dioxins get into the body, they take a long time to get out – around 7-11 years is half of what it takes for dioxin to be removed from the body.
5# Farm-raised fish is generally exposed to cancerous organic pollutants 10 times more than wild tilapia.
Moreover, one of the main ingredients in the feed is chicken poop. As well as pig and duck waste processed into fish food is also quite common.
