Saturday, January 19, 2013

Green book review: Killer Fish by Brian Clement

We're back to our weekend green book reviews and our first book for 2013 with a thought provoking book on a very interesting topic from a great publisher - Book Publishing Co. 

Our book for today is Killer Fish: How Eating Aquatic Life Endanger Your Health by Brian Clement, PhD, NMD, LN.

What this book is about?

People the world over are eating more fish than ever before and assuming fish to be a healthful alternative to meat as well as an excellent source for omega-3 fatty acids. Killer Fish alerts consumers to how eating aquatic life endangers their health.

An acclaimed expert in the fields of preventive medicine and natural health, Brian Clement separates myth from fact as he presents powerful evidence of deadly toxins—particularly mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pharmaceuticals—that travel up the food chain and concentrate in the tissues of both farmed and wild fish and then into the humans who eat them.

Readers are provided with an overview on how aquatic life became contaminated, how fish consumption affects human health, whether farmed fish are safer to eat than wild, the problem of overfishing and the decimation of fish species as well as the true health effects of consuming fish oil. For those who depend upon fish as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, a list of safe alternatives is provided.

The far-reaching health consequences suffered by people who eat these fish have rocked marine scientists and medical communities around the globe. Modern attempts designed to reverse this plight, such as producing genetically engineered fish, have only provided a new set of problems. With Killer Fish, the public has a chance to become educated as to the depth of this problem. Hopefully this awareness will not only safeguard their health, but be part of the solution.


Our review:

In an effort to “get healthy” people all over the world are trying to eat more fish. We are being told on tv and in magazine, and from our doctors, that this is a healthier alternative to animal meats, whether red or white, and that fish is one of the big sources for the Omega-3 fatty acids that we all need more of. This book, however, brings out new data on how we are not only endangering our health with our fish consumption, but we are also hurting the planet as well with over fishing.

The author, Brian Clement, is an expert in the fields of preventive medicine and natural health. He spends a good portion of the book discussing what are the facts and what are fictions in what the media is telling us about the consumption of fish. He provides documented reports and other evidence about the toxins found in fish. I know personally, that Women are told when pregnant about the dangers of eating certain fish due to the mercury content. However according to this book there are many other toxins that no one really mentions, that are bad for humans whether pregnant or not. These toxins include: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), betamethylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), Dioxins, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and many, many more. The list was huge and a bit overwhelming.

I was surprised how Killer Fish really got me thinking about what I eat and what it can do to my health, if I don’t pay attention. The book tries to educate its readers on the dangers of fish consumption, in an easy to read format with plenty of tables and lists for easy reference. It also doesn’t just give you the information and send you on your way. It provides resources and alternatives and ways you can make a change for the better. I was quite impressed with the content in this book. Also, I am happy to note that there is not a lot of wasted words in the book. The author gets right down to the point from word one. All in all I found this book to be a very interesting and thought provoking read.


You can purchase the book on Amazon.com