Listen to nutritionist Anh Nguyen in the UK as she guides you on how to choose and prepare fish to reduce the risk of heavy metal poisoning from seafood.
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| Recently, water pollution from factory waste has led to high concentrations of heavy metals such as chromium, lead, and mercury. Aquatic organisms such as fish and shrimp are greatly affected by this pollution, leading to the accumulation of heavy metals in their bodies. Humans who consume these fish and shrimp will indirectly be exposed to heavy metals from seafood, with young children being at particularly high risk of increased heavy metal accumulation. |
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| Young children under the age of 5 face numerous health risks from heavy metal poisoning. Specifically: children poisoned by lead experience reduced IQ, those poisoned by chromium-4 develop liver cancer and skin allergies, and those poisoned by mercury suffer from liver and kidney failure. |
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| Even though fish live in polluted water environments, experts say that the concentration of heavy metals in freshly caught or properly chilled fish is only fixed in certain organs. In contrast, fish that have been stored for a long time or improperly preserved during transportation will have heavy metals throughout their entire body. |
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| Fish contaminated with heavy metals are difficult to detect with the naked eye. However, when choosing fish, only select those of moderate size. Avoid choosing overly large fish, especially for sea fish. |
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| Additionally, you can assess whether fish is fresh by visual inspection: the fish's eyes should be clear and bright, with minimal cloudiness; the gills should be pink or red; the fish should smell fresh and not have an unpleasant odor; and when touched, it should not feel slimy and the flesh should still be elastic. |
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| Even if you've chosen fresh fish, you should only feed your baby certain parts. Avoid feeding your baby the following parts: |
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| Fish cheeks (near the gills): The gills contain the most heavy metals in the fish's body, so remove all the gills and the surrounding flesh, including both cheeks. |
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| Some fish species are high in fat, so it's best to remove the fat and all the internal organs, especially the liver. While the livers of some large fish like mackerel, tuna, and stingrays are delicious, the risk of heavy metal poisoning is very high, so they should be absolutely avoided for children. Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids extracted from fish liver oil should also be avoided for children under 10 years old. |
According to Kienthuc.net.vn
