I Eat Fish

Anyone else?


It's SOOOO good for you and doesn't, like red meat, plug up or rot in your tummy.


Just curious.

If you do, why?  I know that some people HAVE to because if they cut out meaty things, they'd nearly die.

I love seafood, and I have to eat it anyway because I'm super anemic.

But even if I weren't I think I would.

Does anyone here consider pescatarians non-veg?

I don't think the people here are personally offended by someone calling themselves veg when, by definition, he or she is not.  I think it just doesn't make a lot of sense to the rest of us.

I did a brief lookup of anemia on WebMD.  They say the most common form of anemia is due to a lack of iron, which is easily remedied through dietary changes and iron supplements.  I trust this does not apply to you.

Shrimp, lobster, crabs and the like are clearly invertebrates.  Invertebrate applies to any animal which does not have a backbone.  All insects are invertebrates. 

I've kept saltwater aquariums for decades, and have kept all sorts of inverts.  They clearly look and behave very similar to the land dwelling insects we are accustomed to seeing.  I say shrimp, crab, lobster, and others absolutely are insects.

That said, to many cultures, eating insects is taboo.  In addition to my personal issue with seafood (noted above), I have this thing about organ meat.  So I wouldn't eat insects by choice.  But, to other cultures, insects are a main staple in the diet, and a great source of protein.  Yum yum!

I want to add something about the whole mercury thing....

A single piece of fish does not have enough mercury to make you sick, much less kill you.  But, mercury (and lead, and other toxic metals) are not removed from your body.

Therefore, as you repeatedly eat fish, these toxins build up in your body, and can get to a level where it becomes poisonous to you.  This would occur many years down the road. Similarly, one cigarette will not kill you. But, years of smoking will eventually lead to lung cancer- if you live long enough.

I LOVE fish.  btw, the mercury comes from the ocean and most of the fish that we eat comes from fish farms.  If you eat fish from fish farms then you really have no reason to fear "mercury poisoning".  Eat up.  Fish from the farms are cheaper anyways.

I have a six year old that decided to go veg*an about six months ago...but he still eats fish. I need my growing child to have adequate protein intake.  While he will eat beans, soy-based meats and other protein-rich foods, there is a limit to the palate of a child.  I can't exactly force nutritional yeasts and the like down his throat.

I understand the point that people make about diluting the word veg*an and making others question to the point of thinking chicken is veg...but on the same token, my child can't pronounce or explain lacto-ovo-pescetarian.  He is very forward about not eating meat and explains himself well...but the only way to keep the cafeteria people from slipping him a piece of chicken nugget is for him to use the word vegetarian.  That said...I understand why some choose the word...it allows them to attempt to explain what most people don't understand anyways.

Now some people are uninformed...my 72 year old mil swears she's turned veg*an using that insane Dean Ornish diet, but still eats chicken as well.  We have tried to explain to her, chicken isn't veg*an.  But, she is so desperately trying to make a health-conscience choice...and she honestly, truthfully doesn't understand that there is a difference.  So in the end...have a little understanding for those that are loosely using the term veg*an.  It may be the only way they can express or explain the moral, ethical or health issue they are trying to get across with their dietary choices. 

A couple of things:

-Bugs are animals, so even if shellfish are bugs (which they aren't - not all invertebrates are "bugs," but let's not turn this into a taxonomy lesson), they are still animals and if you eat them, you are not being vegetarian.

-If you habitually eat fish or any animal (including invertebrates) and yet you call yourself a vegetarian, chances are you are just trying to be fashionable. Unless you are 6 and can't explain your dietary preferences, you are just being lazy or a poser by calling youself vegetarian when you aren't. 

Is that rude?  Sorry guys, just callin' 'em like I see 'em.

I didn't say all invertebrates are bugs.  That statement is incorrect.  I said all bugs are invertebrates.  But, we agree eating seafood (or bugs) is not veg.

I would not make a broad, sweeping statement that fish farm raised fish are healthier than wild caught fish.  I would suggest the opposite. 

For one, farm raised fish are kept in cramped cages in the same ways as other farmed animals.  They become susceptable to all sorts of diseases, and infested with parasites.

Second, it's common practice in Asian countries to feed the farmed fish chicken dung (which may aid in spreading H5N1 avian flu and other nasty pathogens).  I wouldn't trust a corporation to have my best interest in mind.  Who knows the quality of food those fish get.

The fertilizers and insecticides we put on our lawns makes its way into our water supply and into the fish.  I don't know of a fish farm who's water supply is isolated from the water supply, if there is, it's not common practice.

Eat all the fish you want- I don't really care.  But, remember, you are what you eat!!  Mmmm...mmmm!!

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/chic ken-dung-used-to-feed-fish-may-help-spread-bi rd-flu-520875.html

http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=12 635&t=0

Well I consider myself a vegetarian, regardless.

That doesn't mean it's true.

Original Post by alibsam:

Well I consider myself a vegetarian, regardless.

That doesn't mean it's true.

 I consider myself Brad Pitt.  But, Angelina disagrees. 

Original Post by pumpkin314:

A couple of things:

-Bugs are animals, so even if shellfish are bugs (which they aren't - not all invertebrates are "bugs," but let's not turn this into a taxonomy lesson), they are still animals and if you eat them, you are not being vegetarian.

 But I love taxonomy!

Shellfish such as crabs and shrimp can be lumped together with bugs under the Phylum Arthropoda, but that's about where it ends.

As for clams and oysters, they're more closely related to slugs and snails, of the Phylum Mollusca, Class Gastropoda.

Sorry....zoology major.

I eat fish and no other meat. I know that I am a pescatarian, not a vegetarian. But sometimes in the dining hall I will say, "I am a vegetarian, what is there for me to eat" just to ensure I don't get meat. I think that's an acceptable time to call myself a vegetarian because it's for a purpose. The woman serving my food doesn't care that I might have a piece of salmon for dinner that night. However, if I'm sitting with friends or anyone really and they ask me about my eating preferences I'll explain that I don't eat red meat or poultry but I do eat fish so I consider myself a pescatarian. Seems pretty simple, I think.

Sorry hun,  you are NOT a vegetarian.... We vegetarians do NOT eat ANY type of meat (flesh).

ok i look at it as this. people are not going to get to understand the term pescetarian or pescatarian unless we explain & the word gets out. so to me even though its just easier to say vegetarian i always explain.  the word vegan only started last century, but many (tho not all) now understand the term.

EDIT: and i say we are going to find more and more words & ways of describing the way we eat as time goes on. look at the whole locavore diet thing now.

i think all these new terms are about our increasing need for some new kind of connection with our foods and to be more aware of our foods in this over-processed day & age. sort of a slow building movement.

interesting though, when you take a look at it as a whole instead of nit picking. it'll be interesting when someone (if they have not already) starts to really analyse the new emerging patterns of our relationship with food.

I vote for pescatarians being non-vegetarian.  As for the rest of the comments here, I feel as if I'm riding on Ken Kesey's bus with the Merry Pranksters.....nice ride, man.....don't mean this to be a broad sweeping statement though.....

Fish dirty? Sometimes. Spinach dirty? Always.  Both fed on animal dung.  You show me dirt on meat, I show you dirt on vegetable.  And what prize have we won in a zero sum game.

Original Post by thhq:

I vote for pescatarians being non-vegetarian. As for the rest of the comments here, I feel as if I'm riding on Ken Kesey's bus with the Merry Pranksters.....nice ride, man.....don't mean this to be a broad sweeping statement though.....

hey i like beatniks & their crazy drumming. too bad i didn't live in san fran in those days. & i dig jazz.

ya dig daddy-o!

slide on slick...easy greasy....I remember this one night driving up towards Eureka on 101 in the old bug, steady drizzle, log trucks whizzing by....it's a wonder we weren't all killed.....and watching the fog roll up the hill towards Berkeley, just like a Ferlinghetti poem.....watching Escape from Alcatraz a few months ago brought it all back.

Original Post by thhq:

slide on slick...easy greasy....I remember this one night driving up towards Eureka on 101 in the old bug, steady drizzle, log trucks whizzing by....it's a wonder we weren't all killed.....and watching the fog roll up the hill towards Berkeley, just like a Ferlinghetti poem.....watching Escape from Alcatraz a few months ago brought it all back.

 Having left the Bay Area three years ago, I'm nostalgic enough, and often find myself regretting the move (especially when ski season rolls around...  God!  I miss Tahoe!!) But, then I get homesick for Hawaii, and I left there 11 years ago.  That tug on my heart just won't go away.  (sigh).

Anyways...  Do you honestly not see a difference in using fecal matter as fertilizer as opposed to the direct consumption by fish?

The problem with the fecal matter on spinach at Salinas wasn't related to absorption at the roots. It was a result of direct contact with the spinach leaves. I recall that it was traced to cow manure, but there were suspicions that it could have been from the pickers. Many were sickened and a few died from e coli poisoning by eating the spinach raw. This resulted in a massive recall, and a lot of spinach was plowed under as well. There are ongoing efforts to improve traceability to contain any future problems. Whether it's fish or vegetables, either wash the heck out of them or cook them well!

As far as absorption of bacterial contaminants from fecal matter into fish or plants, it's hard for me to believe that bacteria would transfer as living organisms into either the flesh of a fish or the leaves of a plant. As with the spinach example, fish taken from contaminated water would end up contaminated (a ceviche cholera epidemic in South America a few years ago comes to mind). But these surface contamination problems can be taken care of for both meat and vegetables with thorough washing and cooking.

Chemical contamination by absorption is a different matter. Fish are known to absorb heavy metals and dioxins into their flesh. I think that plants have the same propensity, but correct me if I'm wrong. I recall that there is a problem with absorption of arsenic from old pesticide residues, and that there is a concern with lead contamination of cereal grains from shotgun pellets.

makes me really wish i could have the time/space/resources to just grow my own food.  like i can't eat beets unless they are straight out of the ground, if not they start to smell funny to me.

oh hawaii to san fran to hawaii, hmmmm can't say i can feel any sympathy...

anyway im going back to visit next month. it was so much easier being a veg, i think its really the move from san fran that made me start to eat fish again. oh wait actually it was the end of san fran i started to again & my friend working at a sushi place. im too easily lead..

I eat seafood-fish, lobster, mussels, crabs mmm i love it! I just dont eat mammals or chicken and regardless of what ppl say i still call myself a vegetarian. Not to be 'fashionable'....i didnt even know ppl considered it to be fashionable or anything. W.e. most ppl around me don't care or even know the true meaning of a veg. btw i have fish like once a month, not that much.

i eat fish because where i live, they pretty much live off of seafood! i would be missing out on alot of yummy food~ ^_^