Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hi Guys,

I see a lot of people saying that before they were vegan, they were a pescatarian. If it's the same as described on this wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism) then I have a question: Why stop eating meat but keep eating fish?
I never understood what, besides some kind of intolerance / allergy, drives people to make a choice like that. It can't be ethics right? I mean: there's plenty of cruelty in catching fish and there's plenty of environment-destruction in there too... So can any of you ex-pescaratians explain that to me? I would certainly help me deal with the people I bump into on vegan/vegetarian get-together's that tell me they still eat fish.
Up till now I've been very judgmental about it

Thanks

Because fish provides DHA?

I don't really know.

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So do algae... But if you're willing to make that choice for health (however, getting DHA from algae is much healthier) then why stop eating meat in the first place? Makes no sense to me... hence the question.

Huh? It all depends on why you would stop eating meat in the first place. Fish is tastier and cheaper than algae, plus it adds protein and B12 to the diet. I think most pescatarians are doing it because they don't want to eat much meat, but they do want meat, so they pick a meat that's on the healthy end of the meat spectrum.

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Learning how to be compassionate, gain wisdom, and love life.

In my experience with pescatarians, it is because they feel less empathy for fish, or no empathy at all. I've even met lots of people who say they are vegetarian, but eat fish - so they don't even consider fish to be "alive". I have met a few people who say they eat fish for health - and it is misguided, and in reality I think they are lazy more than anything.

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Well, thanks guys for the response. I don't think I agree with "on the healthy end of the meat spectrum", but I understand what you mean. As I said: I saw a lot of people (erm, at least 2 in the few posts I've actually read, lol) on here who are ex-pescatarian. So maybe they can just give us their own vision on it?

Our oceans and rivers are over fished. Of course everyone thinks fish is healthy. Enjoy your mercury, that's what you get for devastating an ecosystem.

If fish isn't meat then I am a giant fire breathing robot from Uranus. It has a complex nervous system.

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Can't say I was pescatarian.
But you can ask the same thing about vegetarian eating eggs and milk. Personally I think milk is worse than meat and other animal products.
I agree with what Richard said.
Also I think some might be scared they won't get all the nutrition they need on a total Vegan menu. Most of the people are seriously misinformed.

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I would never settle for anything less than I could be - Tony Robbins

Not only are they misinformed, they are also, most of the time, eating very unhealthy, with or without fish. I've seen people with fast-food diets not wanting to give up meat for health issues. What can you do but laugh at them?

Miss informed, stupid and afraid of what they don't know.

And what Cellar Yeti said: fish is so super toxic...

It actually very much depends on what kind of fish and where the fish is from, but I don't suppose I need to be arguing about it on the vegan forum!

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Learning how to be compassionate, gain wisdom, and love life.

I don't know... tilapia? Still a lot of junk in there to keep them from getting sick (when bred).

I ate fish before becoming vegan. I had a pet pig and I visited cows at a ranch when I was young so that turned me off to eating pork and beef. Fish I always considered healthier and I liked the taste of it. I also never saw fish the same way as I do other animals.

I did it because I prefered it over beef, chicken, & turkey. I also thought it was healthier but then was eating tilapia because of the price, when it is an unhealthy fish.

I think they follow the whole out of sight out of mind lifestyle, most people never really see fish in their life. When I first became a Vegetarian before becoming a Vegan I completely eliminated any source of meat from diet. I thought that if I ate fish then how was I a true Vegetarian and what difference was I making to the world I would have still been supporting the killing of animals, so I never thought for one moment that it would be fine for me to eat fish while being a Vegetarian.

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"Pay now for healthier food, or pay later to treat the symptoms of disease as a result of poor nutrition" Whole Foods to Thrive, Brendan Brazier.

Well where I'm from a lot of people who eat chicken/turkey are "vegetarian". LOL.

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