When it comes to eating healthy, you probably think of fish, aside from fruits and vegetables, as among the best sources for the nutrients our bodies need. Tilapia has become a favorite of many people because it is cheap, great tasting (in fact, it doesn’t taste as fishy as other types of fish), and is easy to prepare. Unfortunately, most of the tilapia fish that we consume today are farmed fish.

Farming, in general, is performed on an industrial scale, which means there are thousands and thousands of fish being gathered and harvested on a daily basis. While this makes the tilapia fish quite easy to obtain and inexpensive, there are several reasons why farmed fish is bad for your health:

1. The main reason is that the fish don’t receive natural food. In the wild, tilapia fish eat lake plants and algae. Farmed fish, on the other hand, are given genetically modified organisms (GMO) corn and pellets of soy. They are fattened up and unfortunately, those modified grains that the fish receive could be ingested by us humans as well.

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Tilapia don’t receive natural food / PicHelp

2. Another reason why tilapia is not good for you is because they are unhealthy, particularly the farmed ones. We all know that protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients can be found in fish. Unfortunately, because of the food they eat, the healthful oils in the tilapia fish are almost absent, which definitely negates the biggest reason why we should eat fish.

3. There are some recent studies that show farm-raised tilapia fish can cause inflammation. Too much tilapia or eating the fish on a regular basis can cause diseases that are related to inflammation and this includes terrifying ones, such as heart diseases and some cancers. Even if you don’t develop these diseases, there are other health problems you could have, including asthma and arthritis. If you’re already at risk of heart disease, it is suggested that you stay away from tilapia, since its inflammatory potential is much greater than pork.

4. Aside from causing inflammation, which may result to inflammation-related health issues, farmed tilapia has higher amounts of carcinogenic pollutants. This is because of their toxic GMO diet, along with the chemicals, such as antibiotics and pesticides that they are exposed to. It turns out that fish feed uses chicken feces as one of the main ingredients. Not surprisingly, eating farmed tilapia can increase the risk of cancer.

There is no reason to avoid tilapia fish altogether – except farmed tilapia. Always do your best to go for wild tilapia as well as other types of fish. They are not only healthier, but they are also the safer option.