Vegetarians Eating Fish

During the second half of November, I gave six Notmilk talks
in three different states (Colorado, New York, and Florida)
and met hundreds of people who described themselves in one
of four categories as being either omnivores, vegans,
vegetarians, or vegetarians who eat fish.

Many people make the transition from meat eater to
vegetarian because they no longer want to be responsible
for causing pain to animals, yet, many of these same
people continue to eat fish and incorrectly rationalize
that fish have no feelings and do not suffer from
death-related pain or trauma.

Many people make the transition from meat eater to
vegetarian because they recognize the negative health reasons
associated with animal protein, yet, many of these same
people continue to eat fish and incorrectly rationalize
that fish are not animals, and therefore are safe to eat.

I do not eat seafood because of health and ethical
reasons. If you seek more information regarding
either factor, please visit PETA's website:

http://www.fishinghurts.com

The amount of information on that website will pull you
in, hook, line, and sinker.

I am primarily concerned with your body and your health.

When you eat animal proteins, be they from fish, eggs,
chicken, beef, pork, or dairy, they will create an
acid condition in your blood. Imagine the essence of
stinky rotten eggs infusing into your bloodstream.
We cannot afford to lose bone density, but this is
how your body compensates, by leeching calcium from
your bones in order to neutralize the acid. Dr. William
Castelli, lead researcher of the Framingham heart study
(America's largest heart study) identifies homocysteine
as the key to all heart disease.

Animal protein contains a large amount of cysteine and
methionone, the two amino acids which your body uses
to manufacture homocysteine. Methionine and cysteine
contain sulfur as their center atom.

So, that is the primary reason I avoid seafood, even
though I once enjoyed eating mollusks and fish. Combined
with the way they are harvested, and the concentrated
chemicals within their flesh, I've eliminated seafood
from my diet.

If you were eliminating one food group at a time,
with the goal of eating a plant-based diet as I do,
here is the order that I would advise seeing you
give up food groups:

As a rule, the higher up one goes on the food chain,
the more concentrated are the toxins, heavy metals,
pesticides, dioxins, and PCBs in their flesh and
body fluids. Most seafood is unlike farm-raised meats
in that regard.

Fish are predatory in nature, and large fish eat thousands
of smaller living creatures before you ultimately ingest
their body fat and proteins. The same cannot be said for
farm-raised animals eating a plant-based diet. Therefore,
those vegetarians who still eat fish should be aware
that of beef, chicken and fish, the seafood choice
might be the least healthy of the three.

Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com
http://www.Twitter.com/TheRealNotmilk