Why I No Longer Eat Fish

My daddy was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish---but especially fish. He fished every spare moment he could--both deep water fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean and in lakes, rivers and streams. Before I was born, my family moved to Washington State because my dad wanted to live in the great Northwest so he could spend most of his time camping, hunting and of course fishing in Puget Sound. I was almost born in Yellowstone National Park when we camped there on the way to Washington. Fishing was truly a way of life for my dad and he took the family with him many times when he went fishing or crabbing.

When I grew up I married a man who had no interest in fishing, so I lost interest too.
However I still loved to eat fish and since we lived in places like Hawaii and Florida I also loved to eat seafood.

When my own children grew up, my daughter married a man who thinks of little else but fishing. He is a fly fisherman and has literally fished all over the U.S. and in fact in many places around the world.

So when I began a plant-based diet a few years ago, I found it very difficult to give up fish and seafood. I mean, lets face it you can't go to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville and NOT have seafood---or can you?

The main reason I decided to try out a plant-based diet was because I wanted to lose weight. However, the more I read about a plant based diet, the more I realized that adopting such a diet wasn't only good for my health, but also good for the environment. Not only that, but I found out that a plant-based diet is the most sustainable diet there is. The oceans have been devastated by overfishing in order to feed the ever growing human population. Our lust for animal protein has been harmful to the planet. Humans eat fish faster than they can reproduce and our lack of concern for the environment has caused pollution of the ocean with the end result being a decline in sea life. Freshwater fish are also cause for concern as industrial pollution from runoff containing pesticides, herbicides and manure from factory farm overspills have contaminated streams, rivers and lakes.

So I no longer eat fish. I think I am better for it and so is the world.

To learn more about why you should not eat fish and seafood, read the link below.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/jun/confessions.htm

The McDougall Program



Over 40 years ago, Dr. John McDougall was practicing medicine in Hawaii when he noticed that first generation Japanese and Filipino workers on the sugar cane plantation where he was the doctor, did not have the lifestyle diseases that second generation ones did. He realized it was because their diets were made up of mostly rice and vegetables with little to no animal products. Tired of treating his patients with only pills, he decided to revamp how he treated his patients. He began to promote a plant-based diet, one with starches like rice, potatoes, corn, beans and grains at it's center. This eventually became known as The McDougall Program or "The Starch Solution." Thousands of people from all over the world have benefited from this lifestyle approach to preventing and treating conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, obesity and other problems that plague modern humans. You can learn more about Dr. McDougall and The Starch Solution at his website: https://www.drmcdougall.com/about/

Why a starch centered, plant-based diet?

Starchy foods have been the staples of humans for most of their existence except perhaps in the far extremes of cold climates and during the two major ice ages. With the advent of farming, 10,000 to 12, 000 years ago humans began growing their own crops. Crops such as potatoes, legumes, corn, wheat and other grains became known as "staples" because they made up the bulk of the human diet. They could also be stored without refrigeration for long periods of time for use in times of famine. These foods contain all the nutrition the human body needs. During the late 1970's the United States developed a chart with suggestions for a healthy diet. It was known as "the food pyramid" and the bulk of the diet was plant-based with starches and other plants making up most of the pyramid. A few years ago, the pyramid was replaced with "My Plate," but again starches and other plants are dominant.

Eaten with very little sugar and without fat, starchy foods are not only healthy, but will keep you slim. They contain all the vitamins you need and will fill you up without filling you out. Athletes have known for a long time that they need carbohydrates for energy. That is why many marathon planners provide a pancake breakfast or spaghetti dinner before a race.

You may ask, "Don't we need meat to supply our bodies with protein?" The answer is that while meat certainly has protein, so do plant foods. Beans have almost as much protein as meat and along with other plant foods such as potatoes and grains, you can get enough protein on a starch-centered, plant-based diet. The average person only needs 40-60 grams of protein a day and most meat eating Americans eat two to three times that much. Excess protein can lead to kidney problems, gout and osteoporosis.

It can be seen over and over again that when countries become rich enough to afford meat more health problems occur and they need more and more health care. One of the best ways to reclaim your own individual health and lower the need for healthcare is by eating a healthy diet.

Please read the link below to find out more about a starch centered, plant-based diet.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/eat-starch-lose-weight_b_1723073.html