Why I'm Still a Vegetarian.

     I wrote a while back about my decision to become a vegetarian. You can read all about it here. Since then I've been posting lots of vegetarian recipes and you can read all of those by selecting the "Tasty Tuesday" tag in the keywords section to the left. Honestly, I wish I became a vegetarian much earlier in life. I've never felt better. I'm way more energetic, healthier in every respect from blood pressure to cholesterol, my grocery bills have shrank considerably, and I'm actually stronger than I've been in over 10 years. Since my energy levels have increased I've been able to spend more time in the gym and have the results to show for it. In addition to strength my cardiovascular health has greatly improved and I ran a half-marathon in April and I did that on a vegetarian diet too. Because I'm in better health overall I can honestly say that I am even a happier person.

Contrary to popular belief I do eat more than just lettuce and shredded carrots, I promise.

     Those are my personal reasons for being a vegetarian and that's all the reason I need to maintain this lifestyle. However, there is a greater argument for eating a vegetarian diet. In my first post I spoke of the U.S. factory farming system and all the ills that are associated with it from threats to biodiversity, environmental concerns, and over use of antibiotics. This time I would like to talk more about fisheries and I'm calling out you sushi eaters. Over the past few months people have asked me about being a vegetarian and mostly all asked the same question. "You still eat fish, right?". When and how did fish become an acceptable part of a vegetarian diet? No, I don't eat fish. I don't eat meat of any kind. I thought that is what vegetarian meant?

     I don't eat fish and this is why. A report just published by the International Programme on the State of the Ocean and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) stated that the world's fish stocks are collapsing mainly due to pollution and over fishing. This will subsequently lead to higher food prices and starvation in areas where fish is a main diet staple. But, you probably already knew that.

     So, how about this. Researchers at the University of British Columbia used ecosystem models, underwater terrain maps, fish catch records and statistical analysis to render the biomass of Atlantic fish at various points this century. You can read the study here. The fish included in the study are the most eaten Atlantic fish such as bluefin tuna (which is already endangered), cod, haddock, hake, halibut, herring, mackerel, pollock, salmon, sea trout, striped bass, sturgeon, turbot.

     The graphic above shows that fish stocks were already heavily exploited over a century ago and today, due to a century of over harvest, fish stocks are incredibly low. Fortunately, current fishing regulations are trying to rejuvenate fish numbers but this may be too little too late.

     I think this all boils down to one thing and that is knowing where your food really comes from. Most people are quite happy not thinking about the fact that the steak they are eating was once alive but I've never understood this type of willful ignorance. We have become completely disconnected from where our food actually comes from and this has lead to all sorts of problems, factory farming is just one example. We're destroying the world's oceans, we're poisoning our meat with the over use of antibiotics, and we have turned food into a commodity and not a means to gain proper nutrition. Stop turning a blind eye to reality and think just for a moment. Do you honestly enjoy eating pre-packaged lunch meats? Do you really like how it tastes? Have you ever eaten fast food and been happy that you had just eaten there? Have you ever had a can of tuna that "blew your mind"? Has Subway ever made anything that didn't taste like cardboard? Do you even bother to really taste the foods you are eating or do you just choke it down?

I don't know of a positive way to end this entry so I'm just going to stop. Comment if you want. I'd like to hear what you think.