Fish have long been heralded as a healthy necessity for the diet and protector against heart attacks, stroke and even prostate cancer thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids that oily fish contain.
However, these days it’s a miracle that the fish can even survive in the waters that we have polluted over the years.
Along with those omega-3 fatty
acids, your serve of fish is now likely to be heavily contaminated with toxic chemicals such as mercury; PCBs, which cause liver damage, nervous system disorders, and fetal damage; dioxins, which are linked to cancer; radioactive substances like strontium 90; and other dangerous contaminants such as arsenic and lead.
According to Australian naturopath Robyn Chuter, mercury is the most toxic, non-radioactive metal on the planet, which damages the nervous system. Babies and children are particularly at risk of this as they do not eliminate mercury from their system as well as adults do. Research shows that women who eat fish twice a week have 7 times the amount of mercury in their system as women who rarely eat fish and children who eat fish frequently have 40 times the national average of mercury contamination in their blood. 40 times!
Not to mention the fact that it is estimated that a staggering 90% of the ocean’s largest fish are now gone due to over-fishing. Many fish now come from intensive factory farms with conditions similar to those in the most shocking livestock farms. In Australian and New Zealand waters, “Intensive cage finfish farming is, quite literally, suffocating marine life via the spread of contaminated wastes, mass escapes, uneaten feed, mass mortalities and the deaths of dolphins and other marine species,” says Don Staniford, a keynote speaker at the conference “Charting the Best Course: The Future of Mariculture in Australia’s Marine Environment” in 2003.
Seafood is also the number one cause of food poisoning.
There is good news though! There are plenty of safe ways to get your omega-3 fatty acids! These include whole grains, sprouts, flaxseed or flaxseed oil, tofu, soyabeans, walnuts, leafy green vegetables and legumes.
Also keep in mind that fish have an elaborate system of sensory cells around their mouth and studies have shown that they feel things in a similar way to animals and mammals. So do your health a favour and please save what little fish we have left in our oceans so that our children may enjoy their beauty and grace. Be love – Be peace – Be vegan.
