How often is it safe to eat sushi?
Assuming the fish is prepared properly and is sushi grade, how many times per week can I eat sushi without having to worry about mercury poisoning and/or health concerns? I'm not sure if the kind of fish is important, but I generally eat salmon, white tuna, and yellowtail.
Best Answer
Provided you go to a reputable sushi restaurant with good hygiene standards, you should have no problem in terms of bacteria or parasite-related health problems. Most fish used in sushi restaurants is flash-frozen at -20 degrees C (-4F), which kills parasites outright.
As for mercury, you can check the FDA's page detailing the amount of mercury in the various species of edible fish, to help you make an informed decision. They recommend that higher risk groups, such as pregnant women, limit their intake of certain fish to 12oz/week.
Generally, sushi is extremely healthy as it is low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals - Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world, after all: diet plays a big part in that.
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Quick Answer about "How often is it safe to eat sushi?"
According to a registered dietician, healthy adults can safely consume 2-3 sushi rolls, which means 10-15 pieces of sushi per week.Can you eat too much sushi?
According to CNN, eating sushi more than six times a week can lead to mercury poisoning. Mercury is a heavy metal that can cause severe neurological problems. Mercury exists in high levels in tuna (especially bluefin), mackerel, yellowtail, swordfish and sea bass.What would happen if you ate sushi everyday?
You might be ingesting dangerous amounts of mercury Mercury poisoning, although rare, even if you consume a lot of sushi, can lead to headaches, vision impairment, lack of coordination, as well as insomnia and irritability (via The Mic).Is eating sushi once a week Safe?
To put your mind at ease: "Sushi, which is mostly made up of seaweed, rice, vegetables and fish is a healthy meal option," says Barbie Boules, R.D.N., a registered dietitian in Illinois. (Phew.) Healthy adults can safely consume two to three rolls (10-15 pieces) of sushi per week, says Boules.How much raw fish can you eat in a week?
While there isn't a one-size-fits-all recommendation of how much raw fish you should eat, the American Heart Association recommends capping seafood intake at 12 ounces (two average meals) per week for low-mercury varieties, and less if you're including types of fish with higher mercury levels.WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU EAT SUSHI EVERYDAY?
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Answer 2
Salmon are generally riddled with parasites, so if you purchase raw salmon, only use it if you know it has been frozen in accordance with FDA guidelines, which means it was previously frozen at a low enough temperature (lower than you can get in your home appliances) for long enough to kill the worms. Fresh off the boat? Cook the salmon.
Tuna and yellowtail (Japanese amberjack) are generally not a parasite risk, but if you live on the east coast and they call their local species of amberjack "yellowtail," it is a different species that often has worms, though, to my knowledge, it is not harmful to humans (but why risk it?).
The thing about delicious large ocean fish is that they are almost all predators, which means mercury will concentrate in them. A lot of "how much" will depend on local human influence and how far a species of fish ranges. I would imagine east coast/Atlantic US fish, with a lot of the traditional coal-fired power generation, is going to have more mercury issues. It's best to check with your local state agencies, which will have advisories for which types of fish present mercury risks and at what amounts (larger fish size will have more) and how often the fish can be safely consumed, if at all.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.