Comments on: Is Shrimp Healthy For You? http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/ Researching a Better Diet Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:01:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Greg http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-739 Greg Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:01:33 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-739 Thank you for the thoughtful response Bob. I wrote about shrimp because no article for <strong>Is shrimp good for you?</strong> mentioned pollution or the Harvard Nurses Health study. In fact, none of them other than the CNN piece made reference to any studies at all. Many of us who like to read food studies believe the low fat craze of the 80's and 90's was probably more marketing hype than healthful eating. There are some convincing arguments that wild shrimp is good for you. However, 90% of the wild caught shrimp in the U.S. comes from the Gulf. The media may have forgotten, and the industry is quick to tell everyone that disuprsants and oil pose no risk to our food supply, but I'll play it safe. The fact is, the sea food the Norwegians ate in the 40's just doesn't exist anymore. Thank you for the thoughtful response Bob. I wrote about shrimp because no article for Is shrimp good for you? mentioned pollution or the Harvard Nurses Health study. In fact, none of them other than the CNN piece made reference to any studies at all. Many of us who like to read food studies believe the low fat craze of the 80′s and 90′s was probably more marketing hype than healthful eating.

There are some convincing arguments that wild shrimp is good for you. However, 90% of the wild caught shrimp in the U.S. comes from the Gulf. The media may have forgotten, and the industry is quick to tell everyone that disuprsants and oil pose no risk to our food supply, but I’ll play it safe. The fact is, the sea food the Norwegians ate in the 40′s just doesn’t exist anymore.

]]> By: BobBiologistPhD http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-737 BobBiologistPhD Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:36:36 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-737 Seafood and shrimp are bad because of us, not because they're meat. We've poisoned the oceans and lakes, and now shrimp are burdened with things like mercury. Farmed fish and shrimp are just as bad, especially since they tend to feed them more dead fish, and they're often housed in poor conditions or partitions sections of natural bodies of water. Fundamentally, however, shrimp and other seafood are the best meats that omnivorous people should be considering. They're a virtually unparalleled source of lean protein and DHA/omega-3/omega-6. People wonder why those in Norway saw such a huge drop in coronary heart disease and similar ailments during WWII. Some people, like the fraud Campbell, would have you believe it was because of circumstances forcing them on a plant-based diet. But it was actually because of the huge increase in fish consumption. Eating shrimp and fish can be super healthy. Much more so than beef. Your headings are very misleading and scientifically skewed based on a technicality. Of course a vegan website is going to say shrimp is unhealthy. The reason they're unhealthy now is because of the crap we've essentially put into them. In short: meat by itself = not bad, not poison, not guaranteed cancer and clogged arteries. Meat after we've altered it = very bad. We just need to stop poisoning meat. Technicalities are fun, eh? Seafood and shrimp are bad because of us, not because they’re meat. We’ve poisoned the oceans and lakes, and now shrimp are burdened with things like mercury. Farmed fish and shrimp are just as bad, especially since they tend to feed them more dead fish, and they’re often housed in poor conditions or partitions sections of natural bodies of water. Fundamentally, however, shrimp and other seafood are the best meats that omnivorous people should be considering. They’re a virtually unparalleled source of lean protein and DHA/omega-3/omega-6. People wonder why those in Norway saw such a huge drop in coronary heart disease and similar ailments during WWII. Some people, like the fraud Campbell, would have you believe it was because of circumstances forcing them on a plant-based diet. But it was actually because of the huge increase in fish consumption.

Eating shrimp and fish can be super healthy. Much more so than beef. Your headings are very misleading and scientifically skewed based on a technicality. Of course a vegan website is going to say shrimp is unhealthy. The reason they’re unhealthy now is because of the crap we’ve essentially put into them. In short: meat by itself = not bad, not poison, not guaranteed cancer and clogged arteries. Meat after we’ve altered it = very bad. We just need to stop poisoning meat. Technicalities are fun, eh?

]]> By: Greg http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-728 Greg Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:37:09 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-728 That's a fair question. And my answer is that the shrimp your grandfather ate simply doesn't exist anymore. Farmed shrimp is a terrible product due to unethical producers, lack of regulation, and the overall capitalist system that values income over health. You think wild shrimp is the perfect alternative? Well, there are several reasons that I don't eat wild shrimp. The main ones are: 1. Wild shrimp populations have been harvested to the brink. Commercial fishing has been all but non existent for more than 20 years. 2. There's this little company you may have heard of called BP. They insist gulf sea food is safe, but after the millions of tons of chemical dispersants and unimaginable quantities of oil that were dumped into the gulf, I'm not going to get my food out of it. I'm sure most of the pollution has settled to the bottom, and I'm not expert on the life patterns of aquatic life, but I'm going to play this one safe and avoid shrimp. Having said both of those, you can eat almost anything in small quantities and still be a happy, healthy person. What's more, as long as you're not getting more than 10% of your protein from animals, you'll probably still get all the benefits of a vegetarian diet. That’s a fair question. And my answer is that the shrimp your grandfather ate simply doesn’t exist anymore. Farmed shrimp is a terrible product due to unethical producers, lack of regulation, and the overall capitalist system that values income over health.

You think wild shrimp is the perfect alternative? Well, there are several reasons that I don’t eat wild shrimp. The main ones are:

1. Wild shrimp populations have been harvested to the brink. Commercial fishing has been all but non existent for more than 20 years.
2. There’s this little company you may have heard of called BP. They insist gulf sea food is safe, but after the millions of tons of chemical dispersants and unimaginable quantities of oil that were dumped into the gulf, I’m not going to get my food out of it. I’m sure most of the pollution has settled to the bottom, and I’m not expert on the life patterns of aquatic life, but I’m going to play this one safe and avoid shrimp.

Having said both of those, you can eat almost anything in small quantities and still be a happy, healthy person. What’s more, as long as you’re not getting more than 10% of your protein from animals, you’ll probably still get all the benefits of a vegetarian diet.

]]> By: gabe http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-727 gabe Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:50:20 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-727 I'm looking at switching to a whole foods diet...or at the very least...drastically decreasing my meat/animal protien intake. While I do believe that science supports the benefits of a whole foods diet...why do you fail to recognize that there may be some nuritional advantages to shrimp. Seems to me that in moderation...especially if they aren't farmed they would be ok in a diet. Thoughts? (Maybe a vegan site isn't the best place to ask this :)) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107 I’m looking at switching to a whole foods diet…or at the very least…drastically decreasing my meat/animal protien intake. While I do believe that science supports the benefits of a whole foods diet…why do you fail to recognize that there may be some nuritional advantages to shrimp. Seems to me that in moderation…especially if they aren’t farmed they would be ok in a diet. Thoughts?

(Maybe a vegan site isn’t the best place to ask this :) )

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107

]]> By: fidel http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-665 fidel Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:55:51 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-665 Med: You must not be familiar with the work of Bruce Ames at UC Berkeley and numerous others with respect to your comment, "vegetables, and fruits do more harms [sic] to your body than you think, since they are produced using dangerous pesticides." Ames' work, replicated by many others and now the gold standard in human toxicology, clearly shows that even consuming conventionally-produced fruits and vegetables in the U.S. extend longevity in humans, improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs. Many grocery stores sell produce with no detectible pesticide residue, and many producers of produce, especially where most of the U.S.'s produce is grown, California, use the lowest amount of pesticide in the world. I choose organic produce whenever I can, but it is not because I worry that eating fruit and vegetables "harms" my body. Gosh, even our mothers taught us when young, "eat your vegetables." Med: You must not be familiar with the work of Bruce Ames at UC Berkeley and numerous others with respect to your comment, “vegetables, and fruits do more harms [sic] to your body than you think, since they are produced using dangerous pesticides.” Ames’ work, replicated by many others and now the gold standard in human toxicology, clearly shows that even consuming conventionally-produced fruits and vegetables in the U.S. extend longevity in humans, improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs. Many grocery stores sell produce with no detectible pesticide residue, and many producers of produce, especially where most of the U.S.’s produce is grown, California, use the lowest amount of pesticide in the world. I choose organic produce whenever I can, but it is not because I worry that eating fruit and vegetables “harms” my body. Gosh, even our mothers taught us when young, “eat your vegetables.”

]]> By: Med http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-427 Med Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:31:22 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-427 With all the respect to all of the comments stated above, I do not think any food in the world right now is safe. With the over-grown world population, there is more demand on food. The food industry is growing and they have to match demand, and the only way to do it fast is to use different chemicals, genetically engineered product, and with the use of different method of harvesting and growing vegetables, fruits animals fast enough to match demand. Don't think that you're safe if you stop eating shrimp, or tuna, or all meet together; vegetables, and fruits do more harms to your body than you may think, since they are produced using dangerous pesticides, and do not think the FDA will protect you. FDA says as long as the product does not kill people in 10 years range it is safe to use it. You don't want to live your life in fear all the time, you cannot circumvent from everything, like eating in the restaurant not knowing that the guy who prepared your food did not clean his hand when he went to the bathroom. We are living in an era where there is no escape from eating the food sold in our markets or the chemical we use in our household or the air we breathe in our cities. We just have to live our life without worry; the fear itself will shorten our lives. Our parent did live longer without having to worry about anything. Thanks With all the respect to all of the comments stated above, I do not think any food in the world right now is safe. With the over-grown world population, there is more demand on food. The food industry is growing and they have to match demand, and the only way to do it fast is to use different chemicals, genetically engineered product, and with the use of different method of harvesting and growing vegetables, fruits animals fast enough to match demand.
Don’t think that you’re safe if you stop eating shrimp, or tuna, or all meet together; vegetables, and fruits do more harms to your body than you may think, since they are produced using dangerous pesticides, and do not think the FDA will protect you. FDA says as long as the product does not kill people in 10 years range it is safe to use it. You don’t want to live your life in fear all the time, you cannot circumvent from everything, like eating in the restaurant not knowing that the guy who prepared your food did not clean his hand when he went to the bathroom. We are living in an era where there is no escape from eating the food sold in our markets or the chemical we use in our household or the air we breathe in our cities. We just have to live our life without worry; the fear itself will shorten our lives. Our parent did live longer without having to worry about anything. Thanks

]]> By: Greg http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-302 Greg Sun, 27 Jun 2010 16:11:46 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-302 Thanks for taking the time to comment Sage. Taking a critical look at the way we eat is one of the hardest things any of us ever has to do. My greatest concern with the heavy use of Urea, a fertilizer, is the extensive damage it causes to the environment in runoff. Toxic algae blooms have been devastating the gulf of Mexico for decades before the most recent oil spill. I spent some time working in a hospice where every client was dying a painful death from the many forms of cancer. The scientific evidence has been mounting for a number of years that our reliance on a meat-based diet laden with chemicals and pesticides has been contributing to the raising number of cancers in the western world. The evidence suggesting a link between heavy meat consumption and heart attacks is even more compelling. If you'd rather eat shrimp from the oil soaked gulf or from shrimp farms with, at best, questionable practices, that's your choice. We choose the safer path for our family, but it's a choice each of us has to make for themselves. Since none of the chemicals are required to be on the label of the food product we buy, we really have no way to know what was put into our food. Thanks for taking the time to comment Sage. Taking a critical look at the way we eat is one of the hardest things any of us ever has to do. My greatest concern with the heavy use of Urea, a fertilizer, is the extensive damage it causes to the environment in runoff. Toxic algae blooms have been devastating the gulf of Mexico for decades before the most recent oil spill.

I spent some time working in a hospice where every client was dying a painful death from the many forms of cancer. The scientific evidence has been mounting for a number of years that our reliance on a meat-based diet laden with chemicals and pesticides has been contributing to the raising number of cancers in the western world. The evidence suggesting a link between heavy meat consumption and heart attacks is even more compelling. If you’d rather eat shrimp from the oil soaked gulf or from shrimp farms with, at best, questionable practices, that’s your choice. We choose the safer path for our family, but it’s a choice each of us has to make for themselves.

Since none of the chemicals are required to be on the label of the food product we buy, we really have no way to know what was put into our food.

]]> By: Sage http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-300 Sage Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:43:27 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-300 Urea is not a "toxic chemical." In fact your body makes it on a regular basis. It's a key ingredient in Urine and it's relatively harmless. This post is just as one-sided and full of false propaganda as posts from people on the opposite end of the spectrum who endorse meat. This is a gross exaggeration. How do you explain people who eat diets high in beef, eggs and/or shrimp and live to be in their 70's and 80's? I guess they're just super-human aliens who can somehow withstand the flood of live-destroying chemicals that get pumped into meat by the gallon every day. Misinformation is misinformation; it doesn't matter if you're on the "good" side or the "bad" side. Ever seen those Truth commercials regarding cigarettes? They were just as dishonest and one-sided, which is deplorable regardless of the positive message they intended to convey. Urea is not a “toxic chemical.” In fact your body makes it on a regular basis. It’s a key ingredient in Urine and it’s relatively harmless.

This post is just as one-sided and full of false propaganda as posts from people on the opposite end of the spectrum who endorse meat. This is a gross exaggeration.

How do you explain people who eat diets high in beef, eggs and/or shrimp and live to be in their 70′s and 80′s? I guess they’re just super-human aliens who can somehow withstand the flood of live-destroying chemicals that get pumped into meat by the gallon every day.

Misinformation is misinformation; it doesn’t matter if you’re on the “good” side or the “bad” side. Ever seen those Truth commercials regarding cigarettes? They were just as dishonest and one-sided, which is deplorable regardless of the positive message they intended to convey.

]]> By: Greg http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-147 Greg Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:46:49 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-147 When I first stopped eating meat, I tended to waver when it came to fish. A lot of reporters like to write about how healthy fish oil is. My father was a commercial fisherman until fishing died; there's simply not enough fish left in the ocean for people to eat. Anyone who spends time reading about farmed fish and shrimp will very quickly realize how gross the entire process is. I was wondering where that Facebook traffic came from, thanks for posting it. When I first stopped eating meat, I tended to waver when it came to fish. A lot of reporters like to write about how healthy fish oil is. My father was a commercial fisherman until fishing died; there’s simply not enough fish left in the ocean for people to eat.

Anyone who spends time reading about farmed fish and shrimp will very quickly realize how gross the entire process is.

I was wondering where that Facebook traffic came from, thanks for posting it.

]]> By: Chandelle http://www.thecasualvegan.com/is-shrimp-healthy-for-you/comment-page-1/#comment-145 Chandelle Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:42:39 +0000 http://www.thecasualvegan.com/?p=570#comment-145 Wow, that picture is worth a thousand yucks. I posted this one to Facebook. I haven't eaten shrimp in years but it's good to be reminded of all the really gross reasons to keep on keepin' on. Wow, that picture is worth a thousand yucks. I posted this one to Facebook. I haven’t eaten shrimp in years but it’s good to be reminded of all the really gross reasons to keep on keepin’ on.

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