# I know about tilapia being bad..whats swai?



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

What is this new cheap fish "swai"?? I know about the tilapia, and avoid it like the plague...I am going to guess swai is also to good to be true. I am speaking of hormones to make the fish all male and increase size, chemicals in the water they are "farmed" in, etc. Anyone?


----------



## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

I didn't know a thing about the tilapia?? oh great! the swai, altho I don't know much about it, I enjoy its flavor.


----------



## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

had tilapia last night


----------



## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

Just watched something on NG about most all of the big fish that humans eat being gone. The guy said 70-90 percent of the fish like blue fin tuna and other big fish were all fished out and that governments are ignoring the scientist request that they cut back on fishing these big fish. It won't be long before all that is left are the bottom feeders, and then we will fish them out too. Said one of the big net things they scrape along the bottom of the ocean had an opening so big that 14 747's would fit inside just the opening! The more aggressive we get with fishing the less chance the fish have to repopulate and a large portion of the humans, and many animals depend on these fish to survive.


----------



## Tricky Grama (Oct 7, 2006)

Had this not too long ago...didn't like it...thought it would be like catfish...


----------



## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

Yu know those little "iridescent sharks" they sell at Petsmart for your fishtank?

They grow into these huge asian catfish. I've seen them in tanks, waiting purchase, in Chinatown.

I don't eat catfish at all; fun times when you live in Texas. I'm pretty picky with fish; has to be good for my family and not bad for the oceans. We're thus limited pretty much to wild salmon, or what DH catches out of the river (we're in CA now, steelhead has changed my world, lol).


----------



## salmonslayer (Jan 4, 2009)

I've never had either fish but what is the bad rap about Tilapia that you would avoid it like the plague? There are a couple farms around here that raise it I have heard.


----------



## kimmom2five (Apr 19, 2009)

I've read that tilapia is one of the safest fish to eat.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

here is a quote from "the nourishing gourmet" that sums up all of my worries...not to mention the tilapia from Asia are raised in rice paddies that have used chemicals like melamine as fertilizer

Farmed Tilapia: Good for the Environment, Bad for You

The Chemicals 

Once upon a time, tilapia was breed in a way where most of the fish would be male (which allows the fish to grow larger to a marketable size). However, they soon discovered a nifty little trick. If they put testosterone in their feed for the first few months, they would all turn male. Now, I haven&#8217;t read of any adverse health effects from people eating testosterone feed fish. But I find the practice a little disturbing and unnatural. Not all fisheries use this practice, but it is very common. Secondly, some fish farms use growth hormones. We avoid growth hormones carefully in our meat, so why would we consume fish that contains it?

Their Food 

While some fisheries may still use their natural food ( like duckweed), many, if not most fisheries feed them corn. Tilapia are easy to grow because, like pigs, they will eat anything, including &#8220;poop&#8221;. So it&#8217;s quite easy to grow them on corn. First, the corn is probably genetically modified. That has it&#8217;s own problems. Secondly, this high in corn diet leads to fish that&#8217;s high in Omega 6&#8242;s.

Wait, a minute! High in Omega 6 Fatty Acids?

High in Omega 6 Fatty Acids 

One of the biggest health benefits of eating fish is getting Omega 3&#8242;s. You aren&#8217;t going to find that in Tilapia. In fact, you may be doing harm instead of good by eating it!

Tilapia has higher levels of potentially detrimental long-chain omega-6 fatty acids than 80-percent-lean hamburger, doughnuts and even pork bacon, the article says.

&#8220;For individuals who are eating fish as a method to control inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, it is clear from these numbers that tilapia is not a good choice,&#8221; the article says. &#8220;All other nutritional content aside, the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia.&#8221; Source 

Note of course that this is comparing tilapia to grain feed beef. So&#8230;. tilapia contains more omega 6 fatty acids than grain feed beef, and doughnuts? That seems pretty high. And pretty darn, not good for you too.

All things considered, I just don&#8217;t think that tilapia is a good choice in seafood.. Sure it&#8217;s cheap, but I can buy grassfed beef for the same price or cheaper per pound, and that will contain a much better ratio of omega 3 to 6 fatty acids. Tilapia may be sustainable, but that&#8217;s doesn&#8217;t mean it&#8217;s good for you.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I know lots of folks eat it, and I wouldnt want to start something over it, just wondered if swai was raised under similar conditions. American raised tilapia Im sure is much better (chemicals), but still has the omega 6...not to mention, I have yet to see American tilapia in the supermarket. Every package I have checked is China

here are a few more articles ...readers digest, 
Is Tilapia Bad for You? | Reader's Digest

Tilapia: The fish that is as bad for you as bacon - WTOP.com

http://pdf.gaalliance.org/pdf/GAA-Flick-Jan08.pdf


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

There used to be huge tilapia farms in central America but I suppose the Chinese have forced them out of the business.

American catfish farmers tried to get imported catfish labeled by country of origin but the big money boys fought it despite testing that showed the fish were contaminated with pesticides illegal in the US. They've even kept funding for food testing on imported seafood to a minimum. There's too much money at stake to let food safety interfere with profit taking.


----------



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Thanks, beaglebiz, for posting this. That is the first time I've heard of this... yikes!
Here is a link for mercury in fish for the PNW- another eye opener, as that is what we generally eat from the Columbia River. http://public.health.oregon.gov/HealthyEnvironments/Recreation/Pages/fishconsumption.aspx


----------



## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

This is why I don't feed my family any fish at all anymore. I love seafood too. The only time I eat it now is if/when I go out to eat. I order salmon. So now I eat fish maybe twice per year.  I wish I had a pond. I'd raise my own.


----------



## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

2011 NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/science/earth/02tilapia.html?pagewanted=all

For the moment, Seafood Watch lists tilapia raised in the United States as a âbest choice,â tilapia from Latin America as a âgood alternativeâ and tilapia from China as âto be avoided.â Less than 5 percent of the tilapia consumed in the United States is farmed within its borders, and that is mostly whole fish. 

2011 ttp://www.fishchoice.com/For-BUYERS/Seafood-Market-Summaries/Tilapia/tabid/324/Default.aspx?skinsrc=%2FPortals%2F0%2FSkins%2Ffsh%2FPrintPage

Tilapia is tight. Through August, a 10% decline in U.S. imports of fresh fillets from Latin America and a 14% drop in imports of frozen fillets from Asia has sent buyers scurrying for what used to be one of the best fish values out there. The decline in fresh tilapia fillets is due almost entirely to production problems in Costa Rica, which shipped just 1,742 metric tons, less than half the amount shipped last year.

Tilapia AKA cichlids can be pretty aquarium fish.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Honestly Joshie, no American (North or South) tilapia here in the midAtlantic. I have looked, and I frequent a large number of stores.
Also, your article supports mine. (corn diet resulting in damaging omega 6 fatty acids, poluted water, low nutrition value)


"&#8220;It may look like fish and taste like fish but does not have the benefits &#8212; it may be detrimental,&#8221; said Dr. Floyd Chilton, a professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center who specializes in fish lipids. 

Environmentalists argue that intensive and unregulated tilapia farming is damaging ecosystems in poor countries with practices generally prohibited in the United States &#8212; like breeding huge numbers of fish in cages in natural lakes, where fish waste pollutes the water. &#8220;We wouldn&#8217;t allow tilapia to be farmed in the United States the way they are farmed here, so why are we willing to eat them?&#8221; said Dr. Jeffrey McCrary, an American fish biologist who works in Nicaragua. &#8220;We are exporting the environmental damage caused by our appetites.&#8221;


----------



## Mulegirl (Oct 6, 2010)

Beaglebiz, I'm not seeing anything bad about swai yet--Monterey Bay aquarium is listing it as a "good alternative." So if you like it, I guess, eat it! I think we're going to try it ourselves--we've been getting haddock as our cheap yummy fish, but swai is even cheaper . . .


----------



## salmonslayer (Jan 4, 2009)

Sounds like it wont be added to our diet regimine at this time; thanks for the info.


----------



## kimmom2five (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks for the info. I had not seen some of this before.


----------



## Old John (May 27, 2004)

Yeah, Thanks for the information. I generally just pick up whatever they have on hand at the time. We do eat Tilapia, once in awhile. Orange roughy, is great, when we can get it. I usually bake or grill our fish for dinner.
When we go out, there's a little place we get "all you can eat" fish dinners, for $7.99.
And for that they always let me bring 2 or 3 pieces home with me. I think it's perch or norther pike, & fried well.
My DSW has a couple big bags of frozen filets in the freezer now, of cod and pollock. We eat fish or seafood of some kind at least once a week. And, I get tuna or sardines for lunch on occasion too.

ETA........Ooops! I never heard of Swai, fish, though.


----------



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

thank you for the info beaglebiz. I had no idea


----------



## Guest (Apr 24, 2012)

Iridescent shark - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What the heck is &#8216;swai&#8217;?

Swai - Seafood Watch | Monterey Bay Aquarium


----------



## 4nTN (Jan 28, 2005)

Lucky for me and my county our High School raises Talapia.They grow organic vegetables and water plants over the fish runs in a greenhouse warmed with geothermal heat.
They sell it to local restaurants and the public cleaned,filleted and frozen.
I`m proud of what our High school is teaching our Future Farmers.


----------



## MoonShine (Mar 17, 2003)

4nTN said:


> Lucky for me and my county our High School raises Talapia.They grow organic vegetables and water plants over the fish runs in a greenhouse warmed with geothermal heat.
> They sell it to local restaurants and the public cleaned,filleted and frozen.
> I`m proud of what our High school is teaching our Future Farmers.


Wow, that is great! How awesome for those students to learn that at school.

I didn't know any of that about Tilapia, though, I've eaten it quite a bit.


----------



## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

It really makes me sad to think of all the different things people are afraid of anymore; their cooking pots, drinking bottles, milk, seeds, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, and, in this topic, fish.

I think we're all a thousand times more in danger of the diseases created by overeating and underexercising. 

My theory is, if you can trace the origins of 99% of these reports from 'experts' they are usually folks with a political axe to grind, someone who has something to sell, or someone who has to justify the expenditure of a study grant. 

Here's a soup I make with tilapia and shrimp. It's delicious, healthy, quick and economical, and I eat it with no fear. 








[/url][/IMG]


----------



## eaglequest (May 12, 2002)

recipe for that soup??? It looks yummy and I eat Talapia fairly regularly.


----------



## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

We eat only the fish DH catches. Since we are only 5 minutes from the saltwater, this means all kinds of seafood (Salmon, Shrimp, Clams, Oysters, but has to go where the season is open for Lingcod, Halibut, and other varieties). DH does his best to limit on everything he can, then we put it all up. We never buy fish at the store. We are also local to freshwater, so DH can catch Trout.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

lorichristie said:


> We eat only the fish DH catches. Since we are only 5 minutes from the saltwater, this means all kinds of seafood (Salmon, Shrimp, Clams, Oysters, but has to go where the season is open for Lingcod, Halibut, and other varieties). DH does his best to limit on everything he can, then we put it all up. We never buy fish at the store. We are also local to freshwater, so DH can catch Trout.


Lucky you!! we catch mostly freshwater, and go salmon fishing in the fall...

Just thought Id mention, I have no fear of any food or fryingpan. It is my responsibility to make sure my family is eating food that is safe. I like organic foods, and buy local meat, so they are not subjected to hormones and antibiotics. I have used a cast iron frying pan my whole life. This is just our lifestyle. As this is a homesteading forum, I believe many of us feel the same way about safe, chemical free food. Thats why I asked the question about swaii. To say some of us are afraid, and you are sad for us, is silly.
Im not advocating folks eat it or not, I personally would not serve it to my family.


----------



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

beaglebiz said:


> Lucky you!! we catch mostly freshwater, and go salmon fishing in the fall...
> 
> Just thought Id mention, I have no fear of any food or fryingpan. It is my responsibility to make sure my family is eating food that is safe. I like organic foods, and buy local meat, so they are not subjected to hormones and antibiotics. I have used a cast iron frying pan my whole life. This is just our lifestyle. As this is a homesteading forum, I believe many of us feel the same way about safe, chemical free food. Thats why I asked the question about swaii. To say some of us are afraid, and you are sad for us, is silly.
> Im not advocating folks eat it or not, I personally would not serve it to my family.


Can you use a cast iron pan on a flat top ceramic stove?

We try to eat similar to you...not to really 'live longer' so much....but to live 'better'. 
I have found that being selective in what my family eats has been beneficial to their health in numerous ways!!
And saved us a TON of cash in not going to the dr!!
Thanks for this information. 
I had no idea. Actually tried tilapia for the first time ever about 6 weeks ago. 
Bought it at Whole Foods thinking 'well it has to be better than the frozen stuff at Kroger'.....:help:


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Laura, my adult son has one of my grandma's skillets, and a flat top range. He uses his, but he is very careful. I suppose you could say you run the risk of setting it down too hard. Stainless, copper or a combo of both are probably a good choice, but remember, you can bake in your cast iron too...I use it for cornbread, biscuits, upside down pineapple cake, roasts, meatloaf etc. It gives you such a beautiful crust, and adds iron to your food. We also use ours directly on a fire or the grill...makes nice pizza 
As for the Whole Foods tilapia, did you check country of origin?? If its American, and labeled organic, I would probably try it. As I mentioned, we just dont have anything but the Asain stuff here (PA)


----------



## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

beaglebiz said:


> Lucky you!! we catch mostly freshwater, and go salmon fishing in the fall...
> 
> Just thought Id mention, I have no fear of any food or fryingpan. It is my responsibility to make sure my family is eating food that is safe. I like organic foods, and buy local meat, so they are not subjected to hormones and antibiotics. I have used a cast iron frying pan my whole life. This is just our lifestyle. As this is a homesteading forum, I believe many of us feel the same way about safe, chemical free food. Thats why I asked the question about swaii. To say some of us are afraid, and you are sad for us, is silly.
> Im not advocating folks eat it or not, I personally would not serve it to my family.


I feel the same way and don't take my blessings for granted, either. We are on a Gluten free, Paleo style diet here (I am stricter with it than DH). We eat organically, also growing enough fruits/veggies to feed us all year-around. Like you, cook on cast iron, too. I wouldn't serve Tilapia to my family, either.


----------



## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

eaglequest said:


> recipe for that soup??? It looks yummy and I eat Talapia fairly regularly.


My pleasure. Hope you give it a try.







[/url][/IMG]

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large potato, Russet or baking type, peeled and diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, w. leafy top, diced
3 cups cold water
3 tablespoons diced onion
1/4 cup frozen peas
two green onions, sliced
4-5 large, frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled and deveined (save the peels)
2 tilapia, or any other white fish fillets, thawed
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlice powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
salt and black, coarse pepper, to taste

In a medium pot saute the onion, carrot and celery in the tablespoon of olive oil until they are tender, but not brown. Add water and the reserved shrimp peels. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 5 minutes. 

Remove shrimp peels and add diced potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are very tender and give off some of their starch. Add shrimp, fish, peas, diced green onions, onion and garlic powders, turmeric and curry powder, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to gentle simmer, just until the soup bubbles very slightly and cook, stirring once or twice, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily and the shrimp are nicely pink. About 10 to 15 minutes. (The flavors will deepen the longer you cook it.)
(Add only enough water to cover the soup ingredients. Too much water dilutes the flavors. This makes two very generous servings.)


----------



## bee (May 12, 2002)

I fell in love with tilapia fish..it was mild flavord and (at the time) cheap. Then I found out that it was largely produced in China. The country that was sending us poison in a wide range of products, dogfood to toothpaste. I made the choice to avoid chinese products wherever possible. I bought fresh fillets of tilapia as long as the market "origins" board said Columbia. When the board dissapeared I stopped buying and did not even ask. My favorite panko crusted frozen tilapia proudly sported "product of USA" on the front of the box. Last time I bought it that was missing. I won't buy it again.

When I go to the market if you watched me you would see me turning packages over looking for "product/produce of" information. You would see a lot of head shaking as the product goes back where I got it. It is truely eye opening to see how much we use/consume is made in China.


----------



## ronbre (Apr 26, 2009)

thanks for the heads up, I just checked the package of tilapia in my freezer and it does say "product of china" on it..didn't notice that before..I WILL eat what I have but I won't buy it again..now that I know..

yeah, I was trying to add more omega 3 fish..you are right..but I can't waste it.


----------



## jen74145 (Oct 31, 2006)

bee said:


> I fell in love with tilapia fish..it was mild flavord and (at the time) cheap. Then I found out that it was largely produced in China. The country that was sending us poison in a wide range of products, dogfood to toothpaste. I made the choice to avoid chinese products wherever possible. I bought fresh fillets of tilapia as long as the market "origins" board said Columbia. When the board dissapeared I stopped buying and did not even ask. My favorite panko crusted frozen tilapia proudly sported "product of USA" on the front of the box. Last time I bought it that was missing. I won't buy it again.
> 
> When I go to the market if you watched me you would see me turning packages over looking for "product/produce of" information. You would see a lot of head shaking as the product goes back where I got it. It is truely eye opening to see how much we use/consume is made in China.


You and I should shop together sometime. DH doesn't understand why it takes me so long. I usually just buy whole ingredients so it goes faster, but when it comes to meat I am painstakingly picky. 

FIsh is a big one for me, it seems my only acceptable option from the store is wild salmon, unless someone is carryng fresh steelhead, and like you, I have to watch for the China label. It's just one of my hills. I wish they'd just make it straightforward and start color coding packages as to country of origin. But no... why ping someone's radar that maybe there is a cause for concern?

I'm so glad they're labelling with the sustainable harvest stamp now, it helps. I won't eat a fish that shouldn't be eaten, whether due to toxins or unethical harvesting, so.


----------



## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

jen74145 said:


> You and I should shop together sometime. DH doesn't understand why it takes me so long. I usually just buy whole ingredients so it goes faster, but when it comes to meat I am painstakingly picky.
> 
> FIsh is a big one for me, it seems my only acceptable option from the store is wild salmon, unless someone is carryng fresh steelhead, and like you, I have to watch for the China label. It's just one of my hills. I wish they'd just make it straightforward and start color coding packages as to country of origin. But no... why ping someone's radar that maybe there is a cause for concern?
> 
> I'm so glad they're labelling with the sustainable harvest stamp now, it helps. I won't eat a fish that shouldn't be eaten, whether due to toxins or unethical harvesting, so.


The frozen wild caught salmon I saw today in the supermarket was labeled "product of China"


----------



## MoonShine (Mar 17, 2003)

Stef, that soup looks soooooo good. Oh man, I just ate lunch and now I'm hungry again 
Thanks for posting the recipe.


----------



## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

beaglebiz said:


> Laura, my adult son has one of my grandma's skillets, and a flat top range. He uses his, but he is very careful. I suppose you could say you run the risk of setting it down too hard. Stainless, copper or a combo of both are probably a good choice, but remember, you can bake in your cast iron too...I use it for cornbread, biscuits, upside down pineapple cake, roasts, meatloaf etc. It gives you such a beautiful crust, and adds iron to your food. We also use ours directly on a fire or the grill...makes nice pizza
> As for the Whole Foods tilapia, did you check country of origin?? If its American, and labeled organic, I would probably try it. As I mentioned, we just dont have anything but the Asain stuff here (PA)


It was labeled organic from America.....I just didn't care for the texture. 
Thanks for the tip on the cast iron. Maybe I can smash the glass top with the skillet, and get a gas top/convection oven!!!!


----------

