Is Tilapia healthy ? - Healthy living

Five years ago, nobody had heard of tilapia. Now this is a sold in supermarkets because of their low price and sweet tasting fish. But you have had a tilapia ? Have you ever heard of someone catching a tilapia ? I really did not, so I started to wonder if it was some sort of mutant fish genetically modified livestock or just a fish known as obscurely finally reached in the general population.

Most of the tilapia consumed in the United States (475 million pounds in 2010) is harvested from pens or cages in Latin America and China. Tilapia is cheap because it is easy to grow. It has been called "the perfect factory fish". It feeds on a diet of corn and soy, unlike other farmed fish that require based on the most expensive meat diet. It grows rapidly, reaching their market weight in about 9 months of intensive diet and can survive in overcrowded pens and polluted waters of foreign farms. 

Tilapia survival also means you can easily invade natural habitats and threaten native fish populations in places where open systems are used.

Tilapia does exist in nature and is native to North Africa, but the 2.3 million tons of tilapia produced each year, 73 percent is cultivated.

As low fat, low calorie, sources of animal protein, the tilapia is a good choice. But as far as the heart and brain healthy omega-3's will, tilapia is short. The salmon has 10 times the healthy fat such as tilapia. Other rich sources of omega 3 fatty acids are durable herring, albacore tuna, mackerel and sardines.

According to Seafood Watch, most tilapia farms in the U.S. use in systems that protect against leakage and contamination close inland. However, less than 10% of the tilapia consumed in the U.S. is grown here. The majority comes from China and Taiwan, where contamination and leakage are much more common. Here's a thought : if you do not want to drink water there, why eat fish from there ?

This does not mean you should stop eating tilapia. The bottom line is , pay attention to where the fish comes. Look at the packaging, if you buy frozen, ask your waiter in a restaurant and ask the fishmonger in the market or grocery store. 

Tilapia grown in the U.S. is your best choice, followed by tilapia in Central and South America. Avoid tilapia from China and Taiwan.