In today’s world, raw fish has become one of the most favorite and commonly preferred items on our menus. A lot of restaurants in the US these days serve a wide variety of sushi, out of which, the most popular ones are Nigiri, Sashimi, and Maki Rolls among others. Everyone’s favorite sushi is actually made from raw tuna fish that is seasoned with some of the most delicious spices, which makes it a hard-to-ignore menu item.
Eating raw fish can be good for your nutrient-rich diet but eating it too often has its own risks. So, is eating raw fish bad? If you are also looking for the answer to this question, then you have just come to the right place. In this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about making raw fish a part of your diet.
First of all, let’s find out more about the variety of raw fish dishes that people love to prepare and eat.
The Most Popular Types of Raw Fish Dishes in Today’s World
Fresh catch from the open sea right into your stomach. We have come a long way in treating ourselves with raw fish flavored and seasoned differently. It is a very amazing thing because there is no cooking involved, the entire magic is of seasoning and spices. Here is a list of some of the most famous types of raw fishes dishes around the world.
Carpaccio: It is prepared from very thinly sliced and marinated swordfish or tuna. The dish originates from Italy.
Ceviche: It’s a raw fish dish marinated with different species, depending on the region where it is being made.
Poke: This dish is based on a Hawaiian raw fish salad.
Sashimi: It is a mixture of thinly sliced or cut raw seafood. It is actually dipped in soya sauce before someones take a bite of it.
There are only a few of the many different types of raw fish dishes you can find around the world. So, is eating raw fish bad for your health? The question still remains. To answer it in a proper manner, we have to take a look at its benefits first.
Benefits of Eating Raw Fish
As we have already discussed, raw fish helps you with a nutrient-rich diet. Most of the fish species and oceanic animals have a lot of omega-3 fatty acid in their meat. It can boost immunity in humans against different types of heart disease. It is also known to be good for your brain health and help diabetic patients to cure.
Try to use healthy spices while eating raw fish. If you are using high-calorie ingredients like a lot of creamy sauce or mayonnaise, then it would be equivalent to a quarter-pound burger. Gluten-rich ingredients could easily take away all the health benefits of eating raw fish.
According to health experts around the world, if you are serving a raw fish dish in a healthy way, it is one of the most ideal post-workout meals as it would be loaded with essential nutrients and proteins.
However, it would not be ideal for you to consume raw fish dishes on a regular basis because eating them more often could pose serious health risks. Let’s learn more about them in the next section of our article.
Why is Eating Raw Fish Bad? The Risks Involved
One of the biggest reasons why people cook meals, especially the ones that are based on any kind of meat, is to get rid of bacteria and parasites. With no cooking involved, you could be easily exposed to the different types of harmful microorganisms that are present in the meat of fish or any other oceanic animal that is eaten raw.
Healthy people may not be at as much risk as to the ones with weaker immune systems. This is why a lot of doctors advise their patients to limit their consumption of raw food. Tapeworms are also one of the most common types of parasites that could enter your body if you are eating uncooked fish meat. These parasites can severely infect humans and have the tendency to grow up to 30 feet long.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infections and serious illnesses that are caused by consuming raw fish meat are becoming more and more common in North America, Europe and Asia, where raw fish dishes are eaten the most.
How to Reduce Risks When Eating Raw Fish?
If the aroma and flavor of raw fish is something that you just can’t resist, then there are different ways with the help of which you can reduce the risks while eating it. Try eating the raw fish that has been frozen. Bacteria and parasites can’t stand freezing temperatures. Their activity naturally slows down with time and they eventually die.
Make sure that the fish meat you are about to consume has been frozen for at least a week at a temperature of around -4 degrees Fahrenheit. By lowering the temperature, you can speed up the process of killing bacteria from raw fish meat.
For instance, instead of waiting for a week, you can freeze the meat for 15 hours at a temperature of -31 degrees Fahrenheit. It is one of the most effective and recommended tips by health experts to reduce the risk when eating raw fish. It is important to mention here that nothing can completely eliminate the risks of infections associated with consuming raw food.
Who Should Not Consume Raw Food at All
There are people who have weaker immune systems or could develop some kind of allergies from raw meats. Health experts advise them not to go anywhere near any kind of raw meat including seafood. Young children and elderly people should also avoid consuming raw fish.
Pregnant women are also not supposed to eat raw fish at all. Such conditions usually make a woman’s immune system highly vulnerable, which is why they are treated with extra care, especially when it comes to their diet. Bacteria and parasites present in raw fish meat could pose serious health risks and during pregnancy, it is very important to ensure the health of the mother and child.
This brings us to the end of our detailed article on raw fish dishes in which we have detailed their most popular types, health benefits, and risks. For more interesting articles, log on to Openiun.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and like us on Facebook.
