Why I don’t eat shellfish and why you shouldn’t either…
Shellfish are ‘scavengers of the sea’ making them very prone to parasites, bacteria and toxins and cause allergic reactions in many people.
Although this meme isn’t entirely accurate, shellfish and insects are remarkably similar.
“Crustaceans, arachnids and insects belong to the same family—arthropods. They share similar distinctive physical characteristics, like;
No backbone,
Hard exoskeletons
Jointed legs
Segmented bodies
Shrimp, barnacles, lobsters and crabs etc., fall into the crustacean family. Crustaceans are not insects, but they are closely related to them. Insects and crustaceans were classified as two of the main groups within the phylum Arthropoda family; however, there is DNA evidence suggesting insects have evolved from crustaceans which would explain why they share similar characteristics.”
https://lifeofbugs.com/are-shrimps-and-lobsters-insects/
You may not know that lobster used to be considered a “poor man’s food” and used as fertilizer. In other words, people did not want to eat it unless absolutely necessary.
Check out this history of the now-beloved lobster.
“Between the 17th and 18th centuries, lobsters were plentiful—too plentiful. Colonists often found massive mounds of shellfish along the Massachusetts shoreline (some piled up to a man’s knees), and children could spend a few hours fishing and come home with buckets full of dinner. In fact, there were so many lobsters that people got sick of them. Instead of eating them with butter, people started serving lobsters to their pigs, cows, and cats while Native Americans used them as fertilizer and fish bait.
The crustaceans eventually acquired a stigma, and—according to American observer John Rowan—became “signs of poverty and degradation.” They were only served to prisoners and indentured servants, but even these slaves and crooks had rights. Indentured servants from Massachusetts got so fed up with eating lobster every day that they took their masters to court, and the judge ruled in their favor, ruling the servants would only have to eat lobster three times a week.
Fortunately for foodies everywhere, the lobster’s fate took a lucky turn in the late 1800s. Railway managers discovered if they billed it as a delicacy, passengers who didn’t know of its disgusting reputation thought it was delicious. As the years went by, lobster started showing up in salad bars, and by the 1920s, it had become the food of choice for the world’s aristocrats. The lobster’s popularity took a dive during the Great Depression, once again becoming a food for the poor, but by the 1950s, it was back in vogue and had become the luxury food we eat today.” https://knowledgenuts.com/lobster-was-once-a-poor-mans-food/
Pork is also not in my diet for similar reasons which you can read about here: https://eatsmartmeals.com/…/why-dont-the-maximized…/
LAST NOTE: Get ready for insects as food too! Insects are being touted as a great source of protein, sustainable, good for the environment, etc. However, they contain toxic chitin, cause allergic reactions (namely because of their exoskeleton like shellfish), are highly prone to parasites and bacteria. I’ll write more on this at a later time but put it on your radar now.
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