Mussels and clams are considered to be very healthy. However their natural ‘job’ is cleaning seawater. Considering all the pollution in the oceans which is filtered by the mussels, how can they still be healthy and not be considered dirty or even toxic ?
In: 7
Who says their healthy?
They are typically served in an insane amount of butter.
I have eaten them many times, never have I heard or considered them healthy.
The mussels and clams do filter stuff out of dirty water. However the stuff they filter out is food for them which they digest and chemically convert into stuff like more mussel and clam tissue. That is how organisms grow, they are what they eat.
Now if there are persistent toxins in the water that the mussels cannot break down and can build up in them then sure, they wouldn’t be healthy to consume. Heavy metals for example. But water dirty from something like human or animal waste is something they can biologically process.
They’re a good source of protein and healthy fats like Omega-3. They also contain a decent amount of dietary cholesterol but the jury is out on whether that’s actually a bad thing.
Who says their healthy?
They are typically served in an insane amount of butter.
I have eaten them many times, never have I heard or considered them healthy.
The mussels and clams do filter stuff out of dirty water. However the stuff they filter out is food for them which they digest and chemically convert into stuff like more mussel and clam tissue. That is how organisms grow, they are what they eat.
Now if there are persistent toxins in the water that the mussels cannot break down and can build up in them then sure, they wouldn’t be healthy to consume. Heavy metals for example. But water dirty from something like human or animal waste is something they can biologically process.
They’re a good source of protein and healthy fats like Omega-3. They also contain a decent amount of dietary cholesterol but the jury is out on whether that’s actually a bad thing.
Who says their healthy?
They are typically served in an insane amount of butter.
I have eaten them many times, never have I heard or considered them healthy.
The mussels and clams do filter stuff out of dirty water. However the stuff they filter out is food for them which they digest and chemically convert into stuff like more mussel and clam tissue. That is how organisms grow, they are what they eat.
Now if there are persistent toxins in the water that the mussels cannot break down and can build up in them then sure, they wouldn’t be healthy to consume. Heavy metals for example. But water dirty from something like human or animal waste is something they can biologically process.
They’re a good source of protein and healthy fats like Omega-3. They also contain a decent amount of dietary cholesterol but the jury is out on whether that’s actually a bad thing.
One of the problems you’re running into is that “healthy” with respect to food is pretty hard to define, but people selling food are very happy to tell you that their product is super mega healthy for everyone.
E.g. blue mussels are relatively high in calories, are slightly under one percent saturated fat, and have no fibre. Do those things make then healthy? Depends on what you need and what you’re getting.
If you’re not getting enough calories, then high calories in mussels is good.
If you’re not getting enough fibre, mussels aren’t helping you at all.
Saturated fat is easier – you should aim for zero saturated fat. But even so, if you’re already high in sat fat, even the small amount in mussels might be worth avoiding.
On top of that, mussels stay in one spot, so if there’s local contaminants like mercury or lead they can build up pretty high. And people often eat oysters and mussels in one swallow, so you’re more likely to eat several before noticing that they’re off.
So, this is long because it’s complicated, but the takeaway is this: “health” claims are always marketing, so don’t try to use health claims to understand the world
Latest Answers