Fish

Hey just a question Im turning vegetarian and have been doing pretty good for 3 days :P

so is fish a anti-vegetarian?

What do you mean by anti-vegetarian?  Fish is an animal, yes.

It depends. I know some vegetarians who think it's okay to eat fish and I know some who don't think it's okay. Strictly speaking I think most vegetarians would call fish a meat.

I think that fish would be pro vegetarian because they wouldn't get eaten ;D.

And yes, fish is considered meat because it's still a living creature.

What to eat is a personal choice.  Vegetarians don't eat living beings that must be killed.  Some do eat fish but no other meats.  Some do eat dairy products and eggs.  Some eliminate every trace of animal products, including things like gelatin, yeast and honey.

It's up to you.

Pescatarians (sp?) eat fish I believe but not other animal meats/products.

Original Post by smwhipple:

Pescatarians (sp?) eat fish I believe but not other animal meats/products.

Yup.  Eating fish disqualifies you from vegetarianism.  I'm a pescatarian myself -- I tried to go strictly vegetarian but for my lifestyle, I found it a little to constrictive, so I'm just doing what I can to stop eating animal flesh in a way that works for me and it good for me.

It's all about *why* you're going vegetarian.  If you're going vegetarian because you don't want to eat animals, then well, yes, fish are animals.

I could rant for ages about what I think of 'not eating animals' as a reason for being vegetarian, but if that's your reason, then yes, fish are off the list.

If you don't want to eat certain animals - and I do know some people who are vegetarians for this reason - then it's all about what animals you consider off the list.

If you're doing it for health - well a lot of people are pescetarians because fish are an excellent source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.  If you are a strict vegan (no animals or animal products), your only significant sources of omega-3s are certain somewhat-obscure plant products like flaxseed oil.

If you want to be vegetarian so that you're not killing anything...well I won't get into it, because then I *would* have to rant.

Re: going veg for health reasons.  While eating fish may be the lesser of the "meaty" evils, there are certainly compelling health reasons for not eating fish as well.  For example many fish are contaminated with pollutants such as mercury and their flesh contains startlingly high concentrations of toxins.  Additionally fish are still comprised of animal protein which has been linked to many chronic diseases and cancers.  Although it is unknown what it is exactly about the animal protein that does this, there are many theories, and studies show that people who eat fish as their only animal protein source still have higher disease rates than those who do not consume any animal protein.

If you are concerned about getting enough omega-3, ground flaxseeds (not the oil) are a good source and are not that obscure.  My regular grocery store (not a health food store or whole food store) carries at least 2 brands, and they are also added to some cereal products such as Kashi.  They are also readily available in any bulk foods department of the aforementioned health/whole foods store.

Rant away, lion, I *am* curious to hear what you have to say.  I suspect it's something along the lines of how people inadvertantly kill animals every day for things other than food, etc, etc. That may be true; however, some of us prefer to keep the killing to a minimum.

Original Post by lionpaw:

If you don't want to eat certain animals - and I do know some people who are vegetarians for this reason - then it's all about what animals you consider off the list.

If someone only wants to eat "certain" animal flesh, they are NOT vegetarian.  Plain and simple.

Flax seeds are not the only plant source of omega-3s.  Walnuts are excellent, as is canola oil.  Soy is also a source of omega-3s, but walnuts and canola oil contain more.  If you use flax seeds make sure to grind them up before eating, otherwise they'll just go right through you and you won't get any nutrients from them at all.

Trid

I forgot about walnuts, but that's true - they are a good source.  I can't eat them because I'm allergic.  :)

vegetarians dont eat any animal flesh but pescetarian's eat fish but no other meat, then you have the pollo (something or another) who eat chicken but no other meat, etc, etc.  

i succumb to fish about once a month but when i buy fish i buy the sustainable kind. so i call my diet pescatarian & yes i have to explain it many times, but its my choice & i don't mind telling people as its not widely known (yet). some of the stories my father's friends who were fisherman were just sad.  most of them are retired & a couple of them got into sustainable fishing & while not perfect its still better than dredging up the entire sea for a couple of fish &/or killing off the species in a specific region. 

but i've been eating more flaxseeds & i have found that my uh, um... "movements" have been much easier, so i would say they seem to be more healthy in that respects then fish for my body.

I consider myself a vegetarian, although I suppose by the technical definition I am not at all. I do not believe in eating meat that has come from factory farms, which eliminates most of the meat at the grocery store. Factory farms are harsh on both the animals and the environment so I try to avoid them at all costs. However, I live in New Hampshire where wild meat is abundant and I will occasionally (maybe once a month) eat meat that has lived a natural life in the forest and was hunted for either sustenance or population control (not for sport). I will also eat fish that was wild caught and from an area that has not been over-fished. So I would say that what you eat as a "vegetarian" depends on what your reason for becoming a vegetarian is.

Make your food decisions not based on whether it is part of a "category: vegetarian" or whether other people do it.  Eat what you want.  If you don't want to eat beef, but you still want to eat fish, then eat fish.

Nevermind...

i don't eat meat for health purposes. I don't think meat is very healthy to eat, and i also don't like the taste very much. But I still eat fish because I don't want to completely deprive myself of protein and fish is the healthiest animal to eat.

Original Post by reginalove:

i don't eat meat for health purposes. I don't think meat is very healthy to eat, and i also don't like the taste very much. But I still eat fish because I don't want to completely deprive myself of protein and fish is the healthiest animal to eat.

 When you say "deprive yourself of protein" do you mean an easy source of concentrated protein or just protein in general?

Original Post by omnicrom:

Original Post by reginalove:

i don't eat meat for health purposes. I don't think meat is very healthy to eat, and i also don't like the taste very much. But I still eat fish because I don't want to completely deprive myself of protein and fish is the healthiest animal to eat.

When you say "deprive yourself of protein" do you mean an easy source of concentrated protein or just protein in general?

i mean an easy source of concentrated protein. I know myself and if I didn't eat fish i probably wouldn't get enough protein cause I don't many beans or nuts. On days when I don't eat fish or eggs or something like that I hardly get any protein at all.