Sushi is raw fish poured into an art form. Sushi is an extremely popular food, and in some cities there is a sushi restaurant on every street corner.
It’s super healthy, full of sea fish and omega-3 fatty acids. It’s fresh, so it’s better than processed food….
Well, not exactly…. Sorry to disappoint you, but if you love sushi, you should read on. You won’t believe what’s behind these delicious creations.
We’ll start with some not-so-bad side effects of eating sushi. But by number 3, you better put down your chopsticks, and by number 8, you won’t want to eat anything at all.
Not so healthy
Sushi contains a lot of sugar. Rice is mixed with sugar and rice vinegar. There is one tablespoon of sugar in each cup of rice. The rice itself raises the blood sugar level, so you get twice the amount of sugar. Add to that the sugar in the sauces, and you haven’t had a very healthy meal.
Wasabi gives sushi a special kick. But it’s not real. Most restaurants serve dyed horseradish. One dye, Yellow No. 5 food coloring, is a known carcinogen.
Mercury Poisoning
Forgot where you left your car keys and are upset about it? Feeling weak and numb? Your sushi from last night may be poisoning you.
Marine fish such as tuna, yellowtail, bluefin tuna, sea bass and lobster contain a lot of mercury. Mercury is a byproduct of industrial pollution. Fish absorb mercury, and when you eat fish, you get mercury. The more you eat, the more mercury you absorb. Cooking doesn’t help either.
Mercury poisoning is unpleasant and can have long-term effects on fetuses and children.
Listeria
If you are pregnant, avoid sushi. Mercury is bad for the fetus and listeria is even worse. Listeria is a bacterial infection caused by eating contaminated food, including raw fish.
Pregnant women, newborns and people with weakened immune systems are at risk. Symptoms include headache, stiff neck, confusion and convulsions. Pregnant women may have miscarriages or stillbirths, or the newborn may be very sick.
Listeria can appear the day you eat bad fish, or it can develop up to 70 days later.
Salmonella
Salmonella is a bacterial infection that you usually get from eating improperly handled food. Usually, someone who works in food processing has not washed their hands after going to the bathroom.
Salmonella was found in tuna. Freezing the fish will not prevent you from getting Salmonella. Cooking can protect you from salmonella as long as the contamination does not occur after cooking. If you had the stomach flu, you probably had Salmonella.
Food poisoning
If you don’t live on the coast and get your sushi fish directly from the ocean, you risk food poisoning from Scombroid. Never heard of it? About 38% of seafood food poisonings are scombroid poisonings.
If the fish is not adequately refrigerated during transport, it will begin to rot. When the muscle breaks down, histamine is released. An allergic reaction occurs with redness of the skin, rash, headache, dizziness and sweating. Such a severe reaction can lead to anaphylaxis.
Man-made toxins
For thousands of years, we have used the oceans as a garbage dump. As a result, fish are full of PCBs and pesticides. Eating contaminated fish is almost as bad as eating toxins in their original form.
Another man-made toxin (fertilizer) leads to ciguatera. Ciguatoxins normally occur, but fertilizers in seawater cause a “bloom” of ciguatoxin-causing algae.
Fish, especially reef fish, concentrate it by feeding. Ciguatera causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, neurological symptoms, and hallucinations or anxiety. Symptoms may persist for several years!