Fish And Mercury In Food

Many people think if they just eliminate red meatemotional gratification when we eat, and most of
and poultry from their diets, their eating healthier.us are omnivores, meaning we eat everything,
This is partly true, but there are hazards to eatingincluding meat and poultry.
fish and seafood as well. The harm that humansThere are many compelling reasons to move
have done to the environment has had a directtowards a vegetarian diet, many of them
effect on the fish and seafood we eat.health-related. But many people refuse to eat
There are elements of fish and shellfish are anmeat because of the inhumane treatment of the
important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfishanimals that are mass-produced to feed the
contain high-quality protein and other essentialpopulation.
nutrients, are low in saturated fat, and containAnimal farming on the scale that it needs to be to
omega-3 fatty acids. A well-balanced diet thatsatisfy U.S. consumption is grotesquely cruel.
includes a variety of fish and shellfish canWhen you eat meat, you're eating the flesh of an
contribute to heart health and children's properanimal whose life has been artificially shortened by
growth and development. So, women and youngoverfeeding it to get it to a slaughterhouse earlier.
children in particular should include fish or shellfish inThey're kept in small pens and cages, where they
their diets due to the many nutritional benefits.endure chronic stress. If they bear their young
However, nearly all fish and shellfish contain traceslive, their babies are taken from them, sometimes
of mercury. For most people, the risk froma day after they're born. They're fed growth
mercury by eating fish and shellfish is not a healthhormones and antibiotics and kept from the
concern. Yet, some fish and shellfish contain highernatural behaviors and actions that characterize the
levels of mercury that may harm an unborn babynormal life span.
or young child's developing nervous system. ThePigs aren't allowed to root. Calves are kept
risks from mercury in fish and shellfish depend onimmobile. Chickens are kept in cages, their beaks
the amount of fish and shellfish eaten and theseared off with a burning hot knife to thwart
levels of mercury in the fish and shellfish.aggressive behaviors that are the result of
Therefore, the Food and Drug Administrationunnatural confinement.
(FDA) and the Environmental Protection AgencyDo you really think the flesh of the animal is
(EPA) are advising women who may becomeseparate from its spirit and its energy? The
pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, andagony and stress they endure in their shortened
young children to avoid some types of fish andlives infuses every cell of their bodies. Consider
eat fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.that depression and stress can make humans ill,
Is this anyway to eat? In fear of what unhealthycan infect our muscles and organs. Is an animal so
elements are lurking in the food we eat?very different? We don't need meat or milk for
Eliminating red meat and eating a more vegetariansurvival. We're no longer a hunting society; we're
diet is an excellent start on the road to moremerely a consuming society.
healthy eating. Eliminating fish and seafood is oneIsn't it time we all started thinking differently of
of the final steps towards eating a completewhat we consume to nourish our bodies? We're
vegetarian diet and the health benefits that areevolved from herbivores, and yet we've veered
your reward for making that change.off our own evolutionary path. One can make a
What are the reasons we eat food? That mightcase for hunting and eating meat when it's the
seem like a silly question, because we eat to feedonly means for survival. But that's no longer the
our bodies, first of all. Many of us also obtain ancase and our options are plentiful.