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As a converted vegetarian, I used to make exceptions for fish. Not because I thought they were mindless creatures, but because I had heard that they were rich s

• stock_toaster 12y ago
  Some fish are also very high in mercury[1] content these days. [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_in_fish http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_in_fish
• orbifold 12y ago
  Just so you know the omega-3 acids in fish and walnuts are different. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid, essentially plant oils contain only the ALA variant, while fish oil and some other animal products contain EPA and DHA. Humans can synthesize EPA and DHA from ALA but only with an efficiency of less than 5%. This and a few other facts led me to abandon a strictly vegetarian diet, as I would prefer to not monitor my nutrient intake too carefully .
  • bane 12y ago
    This is why, to successfully get all your nutrients from a plant only diet, you really have to understand the science behind nutrition -- at a very high level. Lots of book reading at the local organic food store and wikipedia articles is astonishingly insufficient. Many of the health problems that this kind of diet createscan take decades to take do noticeable health damage and by then it's too late.
    • thomk 12y ago
      Lifelong vegan here. Any links to scientific studies to help me fully understand your point here?
      • judk 12y ago
        Sadly, the theory of fatty acids proves that you are in death's doorstep, and have a severe neurological developmental delay, so any attempt to to teach you proper nutrition would be cor a benefit of strictly limited duration and anyway be beyond your capacity to understand. As Michael Pollan says: Eat food, not what food eats, and eat a lot of it, and you might survive till Christmas.
      • orbifold 12y ago
        Just to give another example beyond omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 is in no non-animal derived food sources, it is stored by the body for years. Once you run out however, it has severe and potentially deadly consequences. Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12_deficiency http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12_deficiency for a description of the symptoms and consequences. They can go as far as brain damage and memory loss. Of course there is Vitamin B12 fortified food by now, but this demonstrates that humans are not supposed to be on a vegan diet. Then there is protein intake, if you don't want to eat meat then you have to usually combine two sources of protein each day to get all the nescessary amino acids, because (almost?) no plant source has all of them. And no it does not matter that Gorillas only eat plants and they are really strong too, that has little to no relevance as A) their digestive system is not identical to that of humans and B) they have convenient access to just the food they need. I'm not nescessarily a big fan of eating meat or animal products, because I am aware of the production conditions and environmental impact. But I would rather not have to follow several advice books in order to have a healthy diet.
        • hrjet 12y ago
          Thanks to all the replies in this thread; I am little wiser about Omega-3 sub-types now. Personally, I don't shy away from reading and getting more info if it helps me avoid meat. I am not a strict vegan; eggs and milk products are par for my course. So, I think I can cope up with a little less meat on my plate. Aside, in the part of the world where I live, it is more common to be a vegetarian than a meat-eater. AFAICT, the vegetarians are not worse-off health-wise. I suspect that the ability to cope up with various nutrition deficiencies might vary among populations.