Question about vegetarianism and fish?

Question

I have been a vegetarian for one year. I eliminated all types of meat including fish and chicken. I recently started to worry about not having enough protein in my diet ( I admit I rarely ate protein and had too many carbs ) so I started eating fish. Is this a good idea? What are the benefits of protein and is it ok to eat fish every day ( something having to do with too much mercury or something like that)?

Answer 1

You are not a vegetarian if you eat fish.

It is extremely difficult to have a protein deficiency, even if you don't eat meat or other animal products. Protein is found in almost every food, but if you're seriously concerned about your protein levels (which you shouldn't be, unless you eat only junk food!) stock up on beans, lentils, nuts, soy products, and leafy green vegetables- foods that are probably already present in your diet. And yes, fish tends to be full of mercury and othr pollutants. Delicious. XP

Answer 2

There is no such thing as vegetarianism and fish.  Fish are not nor have they ever been a part of any type of vegetarian diet no matter what.

Protein is easy to get with out animal flesh.  Whole grains, legumes and nuts are high sources and almost everything else you eat has protein in it.

Answer 3

yes I think it is a good idea.

fish is so healthy and you can eat them 2-3 times a week.

extreme is not good at any thing.

Answer 4

Vegetarians do not eat animals.

Fish, shrimp and clams are animals.

Protein is found very easily in a vegetarian diet so protein is definitely not a reason to eat fish.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/prot...

Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in flax seeds and Minute Maid sells a juice blend that contains DHA from algae.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/fat

If you want to see other reasons to avoid fish, I recommend that you watch Earthlings.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...

Bread, pasta, cereal, rice, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies can easily offer everything that you need except B12.

http://www.veganhealth.org/sh

http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo

All vegetarians should take a B12 supplement regularly since most people eat meat, dairy AND fortified cereals yet still have a B12 status that is lower than recommended.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/b12

It may help you if you see proof that vegetarian people have the same potential as anyone else.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sto...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/phpBB2/...

http://www.macdanzig.net/bio.php

http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php

If you need meat or dairy during any stage of your life or to live any certain lifestyle, why does the American Dietetic Association say otherwise?

http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada...

Answer 5

Don't worry about labels. Vegetarians don't eat fish, but whether you want to be vegetarian or not depends on what you believe is right for you.

Protein is essential to the body and is used to construct or repair damage tissue and muscle; but you only need a limited amount of it daily, approximately 50-80 grams.

Vegetarians can get all the protein they need from plant sources and a well-balanced diet. Tofu, beans, nuts, soymilk, and seitan (wheat gluten) are all great sources.

Eating fish may have health consequences, but more important is that overfishing is leading to population collapse, and fishing is highly damaging to other species such as sharks, dolphins, and whales.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overfishing

"A major international scientific study released in November 2006 in the journal Science found that about one-third of all fishing stocks worldwide have collapsed (with a collapse being defined as a decline to less than 10% of their maximum observed abundance), and that if current trends continue all fish stocks worldwide will collapse within fifty years.[2]"

"Overfishing has depleted fish populations to the point that large scale commercial fishing, on average around the world, is not economically viable without government assistance. By the 1980s, economists estimated that for every $1 earned fishing, $1.77 had to be spent in catching and marketing the fish."

http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/global...

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_d...

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_d...

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_d...

Answer 6

Incorporate more soy, beans, and nuts into your diet. There is no need to eat fish. also despite popular belief you only need about 16 grams of protein per day

Answer 7

I don't think it's a good idea because you can easily get protein from green vegetables, certain fruits, and SOY. DUM DUH DUH DUMMM!!! Soy is soyy good. There is no reason to eat fish with the harsh ways they treat them when you have these alternatives. Good luck!

EDIT. I frgot about omega 3, wich is also in fish, but you can buy special vitamins for that.

Answer 8

You can get protein from many sources. If you are vegetarian you can get lots of protein from dairy. If you are vegan you can get plenty of protein from soy-based products like soy milk, tofu etc. You can also get lots of protein from nuts and seeds. Especially hemp seeds or hemp seed powder which makes an excellent supplement for vegans as a protein boost.

Here is a delicious recipe containing hemp seeds as an ingredient:

http://www.recipezaar.com/196401

Hope this helps

EDIT - As for an alternative to fish oil, there is a supplement  made from marine plankton (which are single-cell, sea algae) completely plant based. One such product is Neurogen DHA by Genestra Brands. The research on marine phytoplankton has shown it to be a super food which has amazing benefits to human health.

For further information I would encourage people to view this link:

http://www.marine-phytoplankton-works.co...

Answer 9

If your eating a balanced vegetarian diet you don't need extra animal (fish) protein. About the only thing vegetarians are missing from not eating fish is mercury and omega-3. Mercury is poison and you can get omega-3 by using flaxseed oil and, or taking a supplement.  

Answer 10

There are vegetarians who eat fish. Don't worry.

Protein is essential for growth, repair and maintenance of your body.

Fish is one of the best sources of protein. Yes, you may eat it as much as you want. There are many health benefits...go Google.

Don't worry about the mercury issue, its like saying you should not eat vegetables because they are affected by pesticides and fertilizers. Do you know anyone who died from such?

Vote me best answer, thanks.