To Fish or Not To Fish….
Meat or Fish? There appears to a growing movement away from meat for three incredible important reasons; Personal Health, Animal Health, and Planet Health. As many will decrease meat consumption, they will be moving to eating more fish with the concept of eating something more healthy. It’s like saying, “It’s okay to eat fish because it’s not meat and it’s healthy!” There even seems to be a deeply ingrained notion that aquatic animals are not part of the animal kingdom classification and that consuming fish is similar to consuming plant foods. However from a heath standpoint the negatives far out-way the positives. Here are 4 key negative points:
1. Fish have Cholesterol and saturated fat. Three ounces of bass has some 74 milligrams of cholesterol, about the same as the 75 milligrams of cholesterol found in a 3-ounce serving of beef. For all intense purposes, the Cholesterol in fish is just as bad as the Cholesterol in meat. Now, as humans, we do not need to eat any cholesterol in our diets. Let me repeat that, as humans we do not need to consume any cholesterol…none!! Our own bodies synthesize all the cholesterol we need for our physiologic functions. Eating cholesterol is problematic for our health, as it increases our risk of developing heart disease, the number one Cause of Death (COD) in the United States;
2. Animal Protein. Animal protein produces increased levels of IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor), which stimulates cell division and is connected to an increased risk of cancer development;
3. Contaminants and pollutant s; our oceans and waters are heavily contaminated with PCBs, pesticides, heavy metals and plastic; all very toxic substances for us; and
4. Fish do not have the beneficial substances such as fiber, phyto-chemicals, carbohydrates and the good macro-nutrients for our health, which makes it a poor choice as a health-promoting food.
So should we be eating fish to promote health? No. Fish only contain omega-3 fatty acids because they get them from the plants they eat. Omega-3 is found in whole plants like nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables and fruits in adequate amounts; we can get all the Omega 3 we need from plants.
Conclusion: Consumption of fish should never be encouraged from a health perspective.
Stay Healthy My Friends, Vegan Doc
