Any vegetarians who added fish back in?

22Holliday22

I've been a vegetarian for just under 8 years. During this time I have occassionally eaten food-- mostly soup-- without asking if any animal products were made using it and have consequently suffered from a very sick stomach. Even if I can't taste the chicken broth in something my gut can't handle it after going so long without eating meat. So if you decide to add fish back into your diet do it very slowly-- don't eat a whole fish right off the bat or you may be very sick! If you decide to stick to your vegetarian lifestyle you can look into fruits & veggies with high iron content-- sundried tomatoes, dried apricots, and spinach are some foods packed with iron. Also you may want to look into taking an iron supplements-- I've read that if you take the supplements with orange juice the vitamin c helps the iron stay in your body. Good luck!

abrahamsitososa

There's good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. HDL and LDL.The body naturally produces cholesterol on its own and there's no need to supplement it with cholesterol.

rlmiller73190

The reason why it's not recommended to eat fish is because of the high mercury levels thanks to pollution. But if you still decide to eat fish I would suggest Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Salmon has lot's of protein and a very high level of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also happens to be less contaminated than most other fish. Just make sure it's wild caught.

Well that's scary, maybe I don't need fish. I could just eat more eggs or something..

To increase your likelihood of getting mercury poisoning, you would have to be eating fish with high mercury levels (usually top predators, such as tuna steaks, shark, and swordfish) at every meal. There are a number of low mercury level fish options available out there! I am a vegetarian who occasionally eats fish, but I prefer my fish to be local or sustainably caught, as I am a bit of an environmentalist. Monterrey Bay Aquarium released a "Seafood Watch" guide for sushi and seafood. It's pocket sized, or there's an app for iPhone (not sure about android). I personally love hogfish, salmon, and tilapia!


ETA: I should include more info about the "Seafood Watch Guide." The guide is color coded: red, yellow, green, with choices that are best for you and best for the environment!

Ely82010

The reason why it's not recommended to eat fish is because of the high mercury levels thanks to pollution. But if you still decide to eat fish I would suggest Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Salmon has lot's of protein and a very high level of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also happens to be less contaminated than most other fish. Just make sure it's wild caught.

Well that's scary, maybe I don't need fish. I could just eat more eggs or something..

Sorry but the statement that fish is not recommended due to mercury contamination is very over stated. Big fish (sword fish, shark, etc) may carry more mercury; but tilapia, tuna, mackerel, and salmon are smaller fish so the amount of contaminants is much reduced. Eating fish 2 or 3 times a week is beneficial (great amount of protein and good fats).

Don’t let the fear of mercury contamination drive you away from eating fish, if you would like to incorporate it in your diet. Or you can also increase your protein intake by adding one or two protein smoothies a day, and still be a vegetarian.

_VoV

I went vegetarian almost 40 years ago, and listened to some bad advice about B12 supplementation. Consequently, I became B12 deficient and anemic. I added fish back for about a year, but I hated all the little bones in the flesh, reminding me these were living, breathing animals once.

So, I did my research this time and took a multi-vitamin. That was 1974, and I have no regrets.

sunsnstatheart

The reason why it's not recommended to eat fish is because of the high mercury levels thanks to pollution. But if you still decide to eat fish I would suggest Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Salmon has lot's of protein and a very high level of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also happens to be less contaminated than most other fish. Just make sure it's wild caught.

Well that's scary, maybe I don't need fish. I could just eat more eggs or something..

Sorry but the statement that fish is not recommended due to mercury contamination is very over stated. Big fish (sword fish, shark, etc) may carry more mercury; but tilapia, tuna, mackerel, and salmon are smaller fish so the amount of contaminants is much reduced. Eating fish 2 or 3 times a week is beneficial (great amount of protein and good fats).

Don’t let the fear of mercury contamination drive you away from eating fish, if you would like to incorporate it in your diet. Or you can also increase your protein intake by adding one or two protein smoothies a day, and still be a vegetarian.

Actually, you have to be very careful when picking low mercury level fish and big/small is not a good guide. For example, most charts and discussions I've seen pretty much give an absolute "no" to mackerel. And tuna is absolutely not a "small" fish by any means and is one of the ones usually cited as very high in mercury. Just be careful to look at the sources of information.

VelociMama

This is directed at pregnant women, but you may find it useful for knowing which fish are highest and lowest in mercury content.

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/fishmercury.htm

FredDoyle

The reason why it's not recommended to eat fish is because of the high mercury levels thanks to pollution. But if you still decide to eat fish I would suggest Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Salmon has lot's of protein and a very high level of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also happens to be less contaminated than most other fish. Just make sure it's wild caught.

Well that's great. Except that farmed salmon generally have less mercury than wild caught.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20080605/mercury-low-in-wild-and-farmed-salmon

yourenotmine

I will never go back to eating any kind of meat unless I have to, because my vegetarianism is an ethical rather a health decision. My protein levels are lower than I would like sometimes, too, but I supplement that with protein drinks. I have also added some dairy back in (was largely vegan), because I found being vegan made me crave meat, whereas being lacto-ovo veg didn't.

If you're worried about the cholesterol in eggs, you don't have to eat the yolks. Or you could eat 1 or 2 yolks with several whites (because the yolks have a lot of other good things that the whites don't). Having said that, if you don't have a cholesterol problem, most doctors would not tell you to avoid eggs entirely for that reason.

I also don't think most drs tell non-pregnant or -lactating women to avoid fish because of mercury. Most seem to agree that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The times that I've accidentally eaten meat or had broth (I've not eaten any on purpose in over 10 years) have not made me sick, so I assume bodies can be different on that front. I'd do it slowly just in case.

SuperSexyDork

Ok well I didn't come in here telling people not to eat fish or egs. Everyone can do whatever they want with their body. Matter of fact I told her what the least unhealthy fish and eggs options are. Anyways if you(Victoria) would like to learn more about the vegan health benefits I recommend you watch a documentary on netflix called "FORKS OVER KNIVES" I think you can also watch it for free on their website. It's very interesting and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Documentaries should not be taken as truth as they are often biased opinion pieces.

Also, I would like to point out that much of the information you've provided is outdated at best and scaremongering at worst. If you would like to continue posting such things, could you please provide peer reviewed scientific evidence on behalf of your stand points?

yourenotmine

PS - maybe get some bloodwork & and an exam done? Thinning hair and anemia are not always caused by diet. I'm just throwing that out there, but it sounds like a possibility that you have had something checked since you know your anemic.

victoria4321

I was a vegetarian for 3 years and a very strict vegan for almost a year of that (don't ask, it was a phase. Probably to get my parents mad)

Anyway... one Christmas there was a big ham and I probably ate a pound of it over the course of the day. It was amazing and I felt great after. Next days to come I had steaks, cheese, bacon, anything that moved I probably ate it.

I didn't get sick or even get an upset stomach surprisingly. I didn't eat anything processed right away either so it was still tons of fruits and veggies but I just added meat back in. I honestly think the vegetarians claiming to feel sick have it all in their head.

victoria4321

Just to add I also didn't feel well being a vegetarian after a while. I was tired often and soccer practices were very hard for me. I was dizzy often too. I didn't want to make up all my protein with seitan, fake meats and soy. So I was probably not eating enough since its hard to graze on veg all day.

downtheadders

I've been vegan for five years and plan to continue to be vegan, but really it's whatever you're comfortable with. Also, I rarely if ever eat fake meats. It's not that hard to be a whole foods vegan, or close to it depending on how much you like unhealthy snacks.

That said, try this link for vegetarian protein ideas that are neither eggs nor cheese http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Also i highly recommend these Omega 3/DHA/EPA supplements http://www.amazon.com/Amerifit-Nutrition-Ovega-3-softgels-Health/dp/B004LL7AXE/ref=sr_1_fed1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1356910652&sr=8-2&keywords=vegan+omega+3+dha+epa

justal313

I ate vegetarian for almost 3 years. One time during that 3 year period I had Rice Pilaf that it turned out was cooked with/in chicken stock and not water. It made me sick.

One night when very drunk there was boiled shrimp on the table and I ate it. Didn't get sick...

I thought at that point, hey, I miss Sushi and fish is healthy, maybe I'll be a pescetarian...

About a month later I decided that Chicken breast is healthy and I should eat it, but all other meat is still out as it's not healthy.

About a month after that my Girlfriend (now wife) and I went out to the outback. My plan was to order fish. I had one whiff of someone's steak and I ordered a prime rib. It was all over after that....

The only time going off vegetarian eating made me sick was the rice pilaf made with chicken stock.


Ok, that all being said, there is a LOT of fish you won't have to even think about mercury. If you want to eat fish again, I suggest researching what is/isn't mercury laden.

abrahamsitososa

The reason why it's not recommended to eat fish is because of the high mercury levels thanks to pollution. But if you still decide to eat fish I would suggest Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Salmon has lot's of protein and a very high level of Omega 3 fatty acids. It also happens to be less contaminated than most other fish. Just make sure it's wild caught.

Well that's great. Except that farmed salmon generally have less mercury than wild caught.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20080605/mercury-low-in-wild-and-farmed-salmon

You have to be kidding me. Farmed fish is one of the worst foods you can add to your diet. Might not have mercury but what about all the growth hormones they are given and antibiotics and God knows what else? I don't know about you but I sure in the hell don't trust anything farmed. Genetically engineered fish is about to hit the market by the way.

abrahamsitososa

Ok well I didn't come in here telling people not to eat fish or egs. Everyone can do whatever they want with their body. Matter of fact I told her what the least unhealthy fish and eggs options are. Anyways if you(Victoria) would like to learn more about the vegan health benefits I recommend you watch a documentary on netflix called "FORKS OVER KNIVES" I think you can also watch it for free on their website. It's very interesting and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Documentaries should not be taken as truth as they are often biased opinion pieces.

Also, I would like to point out that much of the information you've provided is outdated at best and scaremongering at worst. If you would like to continue posting such things, could you please provide peer reviewed scientific evidence on behalf of your stand points?

So you expect me to go and dig through my books and check medical journals along with proven facts from different universities for you to believe me? Lol no I don't think so mam.

sunsnstatheart

Ok well I didn't come in here telling people not to eat fish or egs. Everyone can do whatever they want with their body. Matter of fact I told her what the least unhealthy fish and eggs options are. Anyways if you(Victoria) would like to learn more about the vegan health benefits I recommend you watch a documentary on netflix called "FORKS OVER KNIVES" I think you can also watch it for free on their website. It's very interesting and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Documentaries should not be taken as truth as they are often biased opinion pieces.

Also, I would like to point out that much of the information you've provided is outdated at best and scaremongering at worst. If you would like to continue posting such things, could you please provide peer reviewed scientific evidence on behalf of your stand points?

So you expect me to go and dig through my books and check medical journals along with proven facts from different universities for you to believe me? Lol no I don't think so mam.

Not at all surprised because frankly pretty much everything you've said in this thread is incorrect, outdated or ill informed. Feel free to use what works for you but don't confuse other people with it.

sunsnstatheart

Ok well I'm done typing to an ignorant closed minded brainwashed wall. I made my point and voiced my opinion. If anyone is interested in learning more on health benefits of plant based diets or anything that has to do with health and nutrition feel free to add ne. To the carnivores.. good luck and I hope you all reach your goals with your steaks and eggs. I'm out.

Ah yes. The all or nothing, ad hominem attack. Well done sir. It makes it so much easier to just ignore you. No one was attacking vegetarianism or pescatarianism. Both can be done in a very healthy manner but are not for everyone. The attacks were on the poor quality of your information.

Firefox7275

There's good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. HDL and LDL.The body naturally produces cholesterol on its own and there's no need to supplement it with cholesterol.

*sigh* misunderstanding and misinformation.