Why do vegetarians say meat isn't healthy when fish has Omega 3?

Question

I admire people who stand up for what they think is wrong but if it has only to do for health reasons shouldn't a diet that offers healthy veggies and meats be considered? The mediterranean diet offers the best of both worlds. Why does all meat get a bad rap from vegetarians?

Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Why do vegetarians attack with this meat kills nonsense?

Turkey - Is one of the leanest meats and good source of protein. Turkey is Rich in B vitamins and zinc and a great source of tryptophan a brain boosting nutrient. Like chicken it's a very healthy meat

Answer 1

Many fish are also loaded with toxins like mercury, PCBs, lead, chromium, arsenic and other similar compounds. Also, the waterways are often contaminated with sewage run-off - feces and the like, which contains E. coli.

Also, fish have a highly developed nervous system. Killing them actually hurts them. Being gutted alive isn't something you'd want, right? Neither do they.

Fishing also contributes to the pollution and depletion of the ocean. Cast-off and bycatch contributes to the deaths of endangered sea turtles, dolphins, manatees, seals/sea lions, whales, coral, and non-"eating" fish. It's estimated that 1000 marine mammals die each day because of fishing. It's also estimated that something like 85% of some fishing catches is made up of non-target fish (waste).

Turkey is loaded with all kinds of things that you WOULDN'T want to eat. Antibiotics, hormones, etc. I won't get into the cruel treatment of the animals, but it is horrendous. A simple google search could show you plenty of examples.

All the plusses you've listed here can be readily found in vegetarian form. Why kill animals if you don't have to?

Answer 2

Okay, first, I'm sure that the Mediterranean diet is very healthy. But, you haven't researched it very well. A lot of the people I know from that area don't eat meat.
Chicken and turkey may be healthier than red meat, which is bad for CO2 emissions, but it's still bad for you. Salmonella, bird flu, exposure to wild, untamed diseases are just some of the reasons that chicken and turkey are actually some of the worst meats to eat.
Meat does kill. It kills the animals they get the meat from. The omega 3 fatty acids can come from fish, but they also come from other things that are better overall for you. If you didn't eat so much meat in the first place you wouldn't need so much omega-3, your risk of heart disease would be automatically reduced.
They do consider the healthy veggies and meat diet. Many of them discard it for their ethical reasons, not even formulating an opinion on whether or not it's healthy.
You forget that there are different kinds of vegetarians. Some of them eat fish and seafood. Some of them eat poultry. You really can't judge all vegetarians, we're not some Borg collective.

Answer 3

Some vegetarians just preach extremist gospel that all meat is bad because it is cruelty to animals. As far health is concerned, meats like beef and pork have high fat contents (not to mention the methods some people use to cook meat) and have been proven to cause illness and cancer when eaten in high amounts.

Plus some meats are produced using hormones, unsanitary and unethical methods and result in numerous negative consequences. Fresh-water fish have lead and mercury from the water.

Vitamins and even those omega acids can be found in non-meat sources, so vegetarians/vegans have alternatives to meat without compromise.

Answer 4

It isn't that it is completely unhealthy. There are a lot of reasons people become vegetarian. Some don't like the way animals are treated in commercial slaughter houses. Others don't like the idea of eating other animals. Others still don't see the need to eat meat. Americans eat way too much protein as it is. Protein is expensive too. Lean meats like turkey and fish are healthy, in my opinion. I can tell you that I was vegetarian (pretty strict) for over a year, and it was the healthiest I have ever felt. I ran a marathon, a 134 mile relay race, and just had more energy than you can imagine. Also, I didn't ever have to watch how much I ate. If I didn't eat meat, I could eat as much as I wanted, and I would maintain about 11% body fat. That is very lean, and like I said, I had loads of energy. I was a Soldier at the time, and I was scoring better on my physical fitness test than ever before.

Answer 5

Fish get their omega 3 from other sources than meat, so why not just jump over the fish and go straight to the source?

Besides, fish is one of the most exploited creatures, it is an animal not a vegetable, so from the ethical point of view it is wrong to eat it, for a veg*n. Overfishing has awful consequences for the enviroment as well.

You can live perfectly fine without consuming fish, so why eat it then? Flaxseed oil contains omega-3.

Answer 6

Because fish is full of fat and you can get omega 3 from a lot of other sources.

One serving of halibut (baked even) has 94 mg of cholesterol.
Herring? 143 mg
Orange roughy 68 mg
Salmon 112 mg

Toasted turkey breast without the skin has 69 mg of cholesterol.
Mock tender beef has 54 mg of cholesterol.
Roasted chicken breast with no skin has 119 mg of cholesterol.
Interesting. i thought chicken and turkey and fish were SO much healthier than beef. Just because something is LESS awful doesn't make it good, anyway.

Tryptophan is only one amino acid that we need for protein and vegetarians rarely have problems with protein deficiencies, despite the hype.

The olive oil in your Mediterranean diet is giving you loads of omega 3, by the way.

Guess how much cholesterol I have in my diet. ZERO.

Answer 7

You've conveniently left out beef and pork, which contribute mostly to health problems more than any other 'meat.'

That's because they do not possess any significant nutrients that are exclusively offered by beef and pork.

Seafood can have health benefits, but there's also mercury poisoning which is possible as well.
I get my Omega 3 without having to consume fish.
I get my amino acids without having to consume beef.
I get my proteins without having to eat any meat at all,
as well as my B vitamins, calcium, Vitamin C, etc.

As I said before, the two meats that contribute to most health problems are beef and pork.

But I oppose consuming any animal, regardless of it's health benefits or detriments, because it's against my morals and beliefs.
I am not missing out on any of the nutrients that I need by omiting all 'meats' from my diet. Therefore choosing a vegetarian lifestyle does not mean I'm lacking nutrients.
Any nutrients/ vitamins that we need I am able to get in many other meatless foods.
Whenever a vegetarian/vegan posts an answer stating how those consuming meat are prone to heart disease,high BP, high cholesterol, colon cancer, among other diseases, it's mainly regarding beef and pork!
But the human body was not designed for any type of meat consumption anyways(including poultry), which is why our stomach acids cannot completely assist in the digestion process, including killing off any dangerous bacteria. Which is why animal omnovores can eat raw flesh without getting sick-they have the adequate stomach acids, yet we do not. We also do not have the teeth for it. Omnivore animals have rows of sharp teeth and long canines, while we have rows of mostly flat teeth and short canines.
In closing, my point is, I do not need to consume beef,pork,fish, turkey or chicken to be healthy and to get all the neccessary nutrients that I need to be able to sustain a healthy life. I have excellent BP, and low cholesterol and adequate iron intake.
I get all of the nutrients that those 'meats' offer, and THEN some-and I didn't even need to eat a single piece of 'meat' for it either.

Answer 8

Do you work at a slaughterhouse or something? Where in the world do you get your info, TV commercials?

Omega 3 that is sometimes found in fish flesh is from microalgae, which is vegan - but the microalgae doesn't have all of the chemical and pesticide buildup that the fish flesh does. So you are correct that omega 3 fatty acids are healthy, but fish isn't the best source of them.

Answer 9

Protein is no problem at all... sugars and fats are basically the only groups that have no protein... even vegetables have protein, but to get doses of protein comparable to meat eat beans and quinoa (complete protein with all amino acids). For omegas buy some hemp or flax (powder or oil) and just add it to your food or shakes.

Answer 10

Just because it has a couple of nutrients in it, doesn't mean it's a good food to eat. Many vegetarians won't eat meat because it's killing an animal and many won't eat it because it tends to contain high levels of mercury and heavy metals.

Besides, fish isn't the only food that contains omega-3. Plant sources include chia, kiwi, perilla, flax, ligonberry, camelina and purslane. I guess your agricultural industry has brainwashed you from looking for other alternatives.