branded “unhealthy” just because it’s high in omega-6s. Choosing this fish isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re eating fish mainly to reap the benefits of omega-3s, you can do a lot better than tilapia. “The big winners are salmon, mackerel, albacore tuna, and trout, which give you more than a gram of omega-3s per 3 ounces,” Chilton says.
Myth #3: Tilapia Can Cause Cancer
When it comes to dioxins, tilapia is like a lot of farmed fish. So, it depends on where it was raised. If you are concerned about contamination, look on the label for fish raised in the U.S.
Although there are some highly reputable global producers that grow healthy fish in an environmentally sound fashion — namely the world’s largest producer, Regal Springs — there are many farmers, especially in Asia, that do not.
Many foreign producers in under-regulated nations have been found to raise diseased tilapia in too-tight quarters, pumping fish full of antibiotics, clearing forests to make room for on-shore tanks, and even feeding fish feces. Such measures not only yield poor-quality fish but can cause major damage to the surrounding land and water.
RELATED: What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Too Much Seafood
To ensure that we receive safe, healthy tilapia that’s also been farmed responsibly, there are now more checks and balances in place that go far beyond the Food and Drug Administration’s spot-testing of tilapia shipments for