I am a vegan but the reason that i kind of started this was
because i had a fish that was highly intelligent
i would come to the door and this blowfish would
go to the side and get excited. I was vegan for a
for a very long time
I've had to introduce fish and omegas into my life
because my brain wasnt functioning properly
Miley Cyrus who is well-known for being vegan
has recently started eating fish again
Due to health reasons. So lets take a look at Miley's decision.
And see what the evidence and the science says
about eating fish. We often told that fish-
is a health food. But with the growing number of toxins-
in our oceans and
proliferation of disease and antibiotics in fish farming-
is this actually true? And what about oily fish?
And fish oil? Are they even healthy for us to begin with?
We perceive fish to be important for us becase they-
contain essencial fatty acids such as Omega 3
Essencial fatty acids are important for-
a variety of reasons including regulating blood pressure
immune and inflammatory responses and brain health
So lets look into the two main purported benefits-
of eating a fish. Firstly heart health.
The idea that consuming oily fish and fish oil is-
good for hearth health has become so widely believed-
that the fish oil industry is now a multi-billion dollar-
industry with over 100 thousand-
tons of fish oil being consumed-
every single year. However-
meta-analysis conducted by Cochrane
a global non-profit that is regarded among-
the scientific community as being the gold standart when it comes to the reliability of its reviews-
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA)
looked at 79 randomised trials
involving more than
112.000 people. And concluded that increasing-
long chain fatty acids from oily fish
or fish oil supplements was not associated-
lower risk of all-cause mortality. Cardiac death
hearth attack or stroke
The original idea that consumption of oily fish-
and fish oil is good for the hearth came from the study-
in the 1980's. However the same group of researchers -
who conducted the original study then did a follow up
that involved %50 more participants-
and concluded that those who are advised with oily fish-
and particulary those supplied with fish oil capsules-
had a higher risk of cardiac death.
Meaning;
even the original study was consequently
disproven by the original researchers
and when all of the evidences collated i review publish in the
Journal of the American Medical Association states:
Given this analysis
and other negative meta-analyses
our job should be to stop highly marketed
fish oil supplementation in all of our patients.
It is also worth noting that fish-
contains cholesterol which can cause heart disease
and the top of this
a 2018 review published by the British Journal of Nutrition
found a higher intake of Omega 3
from plant foods was actually linked to reduce risk of heart disease
the next purpoted healt benefits
of eating fish is related to brain health-
and cognitive function. Now, undeniably, the consumption of Omega 3-
is incredibly important when it comes to brain health
But studies have shown that higher fish consumption has the inverse results
In fact higher concentrations of
fish-based Omega 3's were associated with high levels of-
cognitive impairment and even dementia.
It is tought, that this is because of the neurotoxic contaminants-
found in fish. Such as mercury, dioxins and PCB's
which negatively impact not only-
brain development but aging brains as well
It is well-known that our oceans are-
badly polluted and the consumption of fish from the ocean
means we too are consuming these chemicals
by consuming wild-caught fish
When it comes the farmed fish
they have also being shown to be high in contaminants
Sometimes even higher than-
fish caught in the wild
This is due to industrial pollution that i dumped in lakes, rivers and oceans.
And because many types of farmed fish such as salmon and sea bass
are fed wild-caught fish as food due to them being carnivorous.
Meaning that whether we choose to consume wild-caught or-
farmed fish we still in ingesting dangerous pollutants
and contaminants
a 2003 report from the enviromental working group found that
"Seven out of ten farmed salmon purchased in grocery stores
in several major cities across the US
were contaminated with cancer-causing PCB's
at levels that raise health concerns"
Not only that but huge amount of antibiotics are used-
in farmed fish with it being estimated that farmed salmon
are fed more antibiotics per pound than any
other farmed animal
And an investigation by Consumer Reports, found that
%60 of frozen shrimps samples contained
harmful bacteria such as salmonella, listeria
E. Coli and even
MRSA
The levels found with shrimp were higher than previous testing done on chicken, turkey and pork
The issue of pollutans
and toxins is so concerning
that pregnant and breastfeeding women are advised to moderate
or avoid seafood altogether. Yet at the same time-
We also paradoxically refer to fish
as a health food.
But can you get the Omega 3 fatty acids that-
you need on a plant-based diet
The three most important types of Omega 3 fatty acids are
ALA, EPA and DHA
ALA is the most common Omega 3 fatty acid
in our diet and is found mostly in plant foods.
Especially foods like flaxseed and chia seeds
which are among the best sources Omega 3 on the planet
But its also found in wallnuts, hemp, kale, spinach
soy beans and many more.
And unlike fish, these foods are healthy and safe
for everyone. At all stages of lives
and do not pose a risk to pregnant women or their unborn children
EPA and DHA are found most notably
in fish and seafood
However vegans get DHA and EPA by their body
creating it for converting the ALA they get from their diet.
There has been some speculations
that because the right of conversion appear low
those on the plant-based diet are unable to convert the required amounts necessary
to be healthy
with the conversion rate of ALA to DHA being somewhere around 3 to 5% average
However
According to the FDA a 3 OZ serving of canned Tuna
provides around the 170mg of DHA
But the 20 grams serving of flaxseed
working on a
conversion ratio of 4%
will provide around 190 mg of DHA
In fact according to the findings of a study
looking at over 14.400 men and women
which is published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Even though vegans have lower intakes of EPA and DHA
the blood levels of boths were approximately same as regular fish eaters
which indicated that when people do not consume
EPA and DHA their bodies respond
by increasing the conversial levels from their intake of ALA
That being said if you are concerned about EPA
and DHA, you can get them from foods like Marine Phytoplankton
or in the form of an Algae Supplement
which is no different to take in a fish oil supplement
Except it removes all of the harmful chemicals, pollutans, enviromental consequences
and the needless death of an animal
and provides the positive health benefits of consuming the essential
long chain fatty acids that we require
In the end, consuming fish is responsible for the suffering and death
up to 2.7 trillion marine animals
every single year
It is responsible for the degradation and destruction
of our oceans. And its not only unnecessary for us to live
But it is actually damaging for our health. If we want to protect animals,
our enviroment and indeed ourselves
It is time for us to leave the fish where they belong
in the oceans. And instead it is time for us
to live VEGAN
and oppose these industries that cause needless violence
needless destruction
and needless harm
So if Miley wants to improve her health and cognitive functions
She shoud consume more Omega 3 rich plant foods
and take a algae supplement which will give her all the benefits
that she is seeking from fish
without all of the harm to herself, to the planet
and to all of the animals that she is defended up until now