Is Shrimp Good for You?

Is Shrimp Good For You? 5 Scary Shrimp Nutrition Facts

Is Shrimp good for you?

If you didn’t know it already, in both the religious and nutritional world shrimp is a controversial topic.

But regardless of your religious beliefs, you’re about to find out why farmed shrimp is unhealthy and toxic to everyone.  In fact, it’s been proven to be even more toxic than farmed tilapia and catfish which rank as the 2nd and 3rd most polluted foods from the sea.

Shrimp Nutrition Facts

25% of the seafood consumption in the United States is shrimp and the average american consumes four pounds of shrimp every year.

When you look at the nutrition facts of farmed shrimp they don’t seem all that bad.  They contain a good amount of protein and are high in certain vitamins and minerals like niacin and selenium.

Also, another aspect to note is that shrimp are one of the most cholesterol-rich foods in the world. Four to five shrimp contains more than 150 milligrams of cholesterol, which is 50% of your daily-recommended allowance. This isn’t a big deal if the shrimp is wild because it contains the other nutrients that should keep cholesterol from rising.

But, it’s similar to looking at the problems with conventional beef and processed dairy. They contain large amounts of antibiotics, chemicals and their nutritional values are thrown off because of what they are fed.

I want to mention a lot of what I’m about to cover is focused on farmed shrimp which is what is available in almost all restaurants and grocery stores today and wild shrimp is a better option, but still not as good as other sources of protein.

5 Reasons to Never Eat Shrimp Again

There are 5 primary reasons that I advise people to stay away from shrimp at all costs:

1. 90% of Shrimp are Farm-Raised

According to a report from Food and Water Watch:

“90 percent of the shrimp we eat has been imported, but less than two percent of that gets inspected by US regulatory agencies. What’s the big deal? 

Imported shrimp, more than any other seafood, has been found to be contaminated with banned chemicals, pesticides… and it skirts food-safety authorities only to wind up on your plate. The number one reason for all that: the dirty conditions in which farmed shrimp are raised.”

In China where the majority of shrimp come from, there are millions of shrimp packed together in ponds and diseases can run rampant.

In addition to antibiotics, shrimp farmers use large quantities of chemicals like pesticides and herbicides in their ponds which are cancer causing substances. The most common chemicals found in fish and shrimp farms include:

Organophosphates – contain carbaryl and have been linked to memory loss, headaches and are toxic to the nervous system. A study published in the Mt. Sinai Journal of Medicine found this chemical to be linked to toxicity in pregnant women.

Malachite Green – is an anti-fungal used on shrimp eggs that has been linked to cancerous tumors in studies on mice.

This is a key point because farm-raised seafood has been shown as containing significantly elevated rates of chemicals and contaminants detrimental to human health.

2. Shrimp Farms and Packaging are Disgusting  

According to the Rodale report:

“A report published in the November 2012 issue of Bloomberg magazine revealed some truly disgusting facts about the conditions in which shrimp are packaged and shipped.

At one particular facility in Vietnam, the magazine’s reporters found processing-plant floors littered with garbage, flies buzzing around, and shrimp that wasn’t being stored at proper temperatures.

The shrimp itself was packed in ice made from local tap water, which public health authorities warned should be boiled before using due to microbial contamination, potentially exposing the shrimp (and eaters) to more bacterial contamination. 

According to Bloomberg, FDA inspectors have rejected 1,380 loads of seafood from Vietnam since 2007 for filth and salmonella, including 81 from the plant the reporters visited.”

3. Imported Shrimp Contain Antibiotic Drugs!

Most of the shrimp that Americans eat originate from places without restrictions on illegal contaminants such as dioxins, PCBs, and other banned chemicals.

In an effort to destroy the pathogenic bacteria that plague shrimp farms, they are given daily doses of antibiotics.  The most common antibiotics given include oxytetracycline and ciprofloxacin, both of which are used to treat human infections and can increase the risk of anti-biotic resistant bacteria.

In a 2003 study in Thailand, they found 74% of shrimp to contain antibiotic residue. And in 2007, the FDA found that 25% of shrimp samples to contain other illegal medications in shrimp.

Ready-to-eat shrimp actually contains up to 162 separate varieties of antibiotic-resistant bacteria!

4. Shrimp Farming is Destroying the Earth 

First of all, shrimp farming has proven to be fatal to fish. It routinely takes up to three pounds of wild-caught fish to feed and produce a single pound of farmed shrimp, which has caused fish populations to plummet.

Secondly, shrimp farmers are destroying the world’s mangroves at an unprecedented rate.  Current reports claim that almost 40% of mangroves have been devastated to make room for shrimp ponds, and this damage is permanent.

Third, according to a Yale University research paper, “The introduction of brackish-water shrimp aquaculture… has, in turn, caused massive de-population and ecological crisis throughout the region” of Bangladesh. Essentially, shrimp farming is making certain parts of the world completely uninhabitable!

5. Shrimp Contain Xeno-Estrogens

One of the preservatives used for shrimp is 4-hexylresorcinol, which is used to prevent discoloration in shrimp. It was found by International Programme on Chemical Safety to be a xenoestrogen; a harmful chemical, which has been shown to increase the risk of developing breast cancer in women and reducing sperm counts in men.

Is Wild Shrimp Good For You?

To be quite frank, I don’t think “healthy” shrimp exists. Even if you can somehow harvest them naturally in a wild-caught environment free of toxins, I still wouldn’t consume them because they are naturally bottom feeders.

However, if you are convinced you must eat shrimp, consuming wild caught is a much better option.

If you want to learn more about the dangers of farmed raised fish, check out this article on The Truth About Tilapia.

What to Eat Instead of Shrimp

Just because shrimp isn’t a healthy food option, doesn’t mean you should skimp on the seafood.  Wild caught fish, like salmon, is an excellent option.  Try this recipe for healthy, omega-3 rich homemade salmon patties that I know you and your family will enjoy!

How about you? What is YOUR opinion of eating shrimp?

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