Q: Is it wrong to eat about 30 shrimp in a 24 hour period?
A: Depends on the shrimp.
I did it...and I paid for it with a nice little headache. Don't feel too sorry for me. I went to bed with ice wrapped around my head and woke up feeling great. Since I have eliminated almost every possible trigger with my "Migraine Plan", it is rare that I have these annoyingly painful experiences. You might be wondering why anyone would eat 30 shrimp in 24 hour period. So, let me explain: I prepared a shrimp dish for dinner Wednesday evening and not wanting to be wasteful, I consumed it for lunch and dinner on Thursday. Perplexed about the cause of my headache, because I truly felt like had my plan down to a science, I put on my detective hat. It doesn't take a great detective to discover 30 shrimp as an outlier in my routine. It is unusual for me to eat this many shrimp. I may split a shrimp appetizer with Bryan on occasion yielding a 3 shrimp intake, but I would guestimate my usual maximum is probably closer to 8 shrimp in a 24 hour period.
With my detective hat on, I started researching shrimp. At first I thought my problem with eating 30 shrimp might be related to sulfites. After further research, I learned about a little something called sodium tripolyphosphate. Unfortunately, the bag of frozen shrimp I bought on Wednesday included Raw Shrimp, Salt, and Sodium Tripolyphosphate. Please excuse the quality of the ingredients photo containing sodium tripolyphosphate. This food detective is suspicious this little ingredient might be where her headache trigger lies.
A: Depends on the shrimp.
I did it...and I paid for it with a nice little headache. Don't feel too sorry for me. I went to bed with ice wrapped around my head and woke up feeling great. Since I have eliminated almost every possible trigger with my "Migraine Plan", it is rare that I have these annoyingly painful experiences. You might be wondering why anyone would eat 30 shrimp in 24 hour period. So, let me explain: I prepared a shrimp dish for dinner Wednesday evening and not wanting to be wasteful, I consumed it for lunch and dinner on Thursday. Perplexed about the cause of my headache, because I truly felt like had my plan down to a science, I put on my detective hat. It doesn't take a great detective to discover 30 shrimp as an outlier in my routine. It is unusual for me to eat this many shrimp. I may split a shrimp appetizer with Bryan on occasion yielding a 3 shrimp intake, but I would guestimate my usual maximum is probably closer to 8 shrimp in a 24 hour period.
With my detective hat on, I started researching shrimp. At first I thought my problem with eating 30 shrimp might be related to sulfites. After further research, I learned about a little something called sodium tripolyphosphate. Unfortunately, the bag of frozen shrimp I bought on Wednesday included Raw Shrimp, Salt, and Sodium Tripolyphosphate. Please excuse the quality of the ingredients photo containing sodium tripolyphosphate. This food detective is suspicious this little ingredient might be where her headache trigger lies.
Let me tell you what I learned about sodium tripolyphosphate:
1. It is produced on a large scale and used in many domestic and industrial products including detergents.
2. There are problems with eutrophication due to it's widespread use.
3. It is also known as STPP and is a preservative for seafood and meats.
4. It is used as an emulsifier and to retain moisture.
5. It substantially increases the sale weight of seafood (they can charge me more for less shrimp).
6. Other uses include: leather tanning, flame retardants, rubber manufacturing, and antifreeze (visualize me consuming 30 antifreeze pellets).
7. The FDA lists this product as "generally regarded as safe" (generally, they don't count on people eating 30 sodium tripolyphosphate laden shrimp in a 24 hour period).
My research included a visit to a local Wholefoods and visiting with their fishmonger, Brian. He assured me I could be safe eating 30 of their shrimp in a 24 hour period. Whole Food's standards prohibit use of antibiotics, added growth hormones, added preservatives like sulfites and phosphates, genetically-modified seafood, and animal by-products in feed. They contract with fish farms that adhere to their standards. I ventured into their frozen foods to check out the ingredients on their frozen shrimp.
1. It is produced on a large scale and used in many domestic and industrial products including detergents.
2. There are problems with eutrophication due to it's widespread use.
3. It is also known as STPP and is a preservative for seafood and meats.
4. It is used as an emulsifier and to retain moisture.
5. It substantially increases the sale weight of seafood (they can charge me more for less shrimp).
6. Other uses include: leather tanning, flame retardants, rubber manufacturing, and antifreeze (visualize me consuming 30 antifreeze pellets).
7. The FDA lists this product as "generally regarded as safe" (generally, they don't count on people eating 30 sodium tripolyphosphate laden shrimp in a 24 hour period).
My research included a visit to a local Wholefoods and visiting with their fishmonger, Brian. He assured me I could be safe eating 30 of their shrimp in a 24 hour period. Whole Food's standards prohibit use of antibiotics, added growth hormones, added preservatives like sulfites and phosphates, genetically-modified seafood, and animal by-products in feed. They contract with fish farms that adhere to their standards. I ventured into their frozen foods to check out the ingredients on their frozen shrimp.
I just never thought I would have to check the ingredients label of shrimp. I assumed it was just frozen shrimp. I check my meat labels for nitrites and nitrates, hormones, and antibiotics and now I will be making sure my shrimp is just shrimp and nothing else. Another headache lesson learned--avoid sodium tripolyphosphate.
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