"B12, Omega-3's, and the Vegan Diet" or "Should I Eat Fish?" - Page 3

[Lisa Lubner]

one thing i will say about the vegan diet... i DO have fabulous blood pressure!

obviously a person who eats horribly, whatever diet they follow, is going to be less than healthy. this goes for meat eaters who eat too much fast food, and vegans who eat soda and chips all day... really though, i think it's totally unhealthy to overindulge in meat. but i wont say that eating some meat in moderation is going to give a person health problems. the vegan thing for me has ALWAYS been about the ethical issue, period. if i end up having to eat meat for my health, it will be whatever will give me the most benefit while causing the least amount of suffering.

i'm not going to try it just yet, i don't think. i am going to give up seitan and tofu (except for maybe on special occasions )... and i'm going to look more into some of the stuff that people mentioned here, the dha and the spirulina etc... i don't love the idea of living on supplements, but if they work i think i might rather do that then eat an animal. i don't think it's the most natural way to live, but i'm just not sure i could ever stomach cooking and eating flesh. the broth and maybe the fish oil sound a bit more doable though... we'll see how i do with the supplements though first.

thanks everyone for your input.

PS... i have had bloodwork done... lots and lots of bloodwork. i am definately not deficient in B12 or vitamin D etc., probably because i do eat a ton of fortified foods. i am mostly concerned about the EFAs. i mentioned B12 in the title just because it happens to be one of the things i was reading about... i probably shouldn't have though, because i'm not all that concerned about it at the moment.

[mz_libbie22]

Originally Posted by LoveMyLittles

one thing i will say about the vegan diet... i DO have fabulous blood pressure!

obviously a person who eats horribly, whatever diet they follow, is going to be less than healthy. this goes for meat eaters who eat too much fast food, and vegans who eat soda and chips all day... really though, i think it's totally unhealthy to overindulge in meat. but i wont say that eating some meat in moderation is going to give a person health problems. the vegan thing for me has ALWAYS been about the ethical issue, period. if i end up having to eat meat for my health, it will be whatever will give me the most benefit while causing the least amount of suffering.

i'm not going to try it just yet, i don't think. i am going to give up seitan and tofu (except for maybe on special occasions )... and i'm going to look more into some of the stuff that people mentioned here, the dha and the spirulina etc... i don't love the idea of living on supplements, but if they work i think i might rather do that then eat an animal. i don't think it's the most natural way to live, but i'm just not sure i could ever stomach cooking and eating flesh. the broth and maybe the fish oil sound a bit more doable though... we'll see how i do with the supplements though first.

thanks everyone for your input.

PS... i have had bloodwork done... lots and lots of bloodwork. i am definately not deficient in B12 or vitamin D etc., probably because i do eat a ton of fortified foods. i am mostly concerned about the EFAs. i mentioned B12 in the title just because it happens to be one of the things i was reading about... i probably shouldn't have though, because i'm not all that concerned about it at the moment.

Good luck and keep us posted!

I bought some Spirulina last winter and I'm trying to force myself to take it regularly. I think I may need to start taking a zinc sup. too. I *hate* pills but like you said the alternative is not much more appetizing

[kaydee]

Originally Posted by toraji

If you are wondering how well your body converts EFA's, then you can do a simple vegan test. Try taking a vegan DHA supplement (extracted from algae) and see if you feel better over just your plant oil supplements. If you do notice a difference, then you are probably having some problems with conversion.

Good suggestion!

I use the O-Mega-Zen vegan DHA supplement by Nu Tru. I buy mine online at www.veganessentials.com/

[kaydee]

Originally Posted by mz_libbie22

I don't know, I think from an environmental/animal rights perspective land animals from small pasture raised farms or local "game" meat would be better than fish. Fishing is done on such a large scale with other animals getting caught along with the fish, they die a slow death by suffocation, and even the organic fisheries are pretty crowded and the fish can't swim the long distances that they would in nature. There are environmentally sustainable and humane farmers as well as factory farmers, so maybe the same can be said about fisherman? I don't know, from what I've read wild caught salmon is the best choice from a health perspective and probably from an enviro/animal rights perspective as well.

What is an "organic fishery"? I didn't think that there was organic certification for fish farms--at least not in the US (not sure about elsewhere).