Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
>
> > Don't Take the Bait-Fish is Not a Health Food
> >
> > Physicians Committee
> > pcrm.org
> >
> > Here are four facts you may not know about fish:
> >
> > 1. Fish is high in cholesterol.
> >
> > Touted as a health food, fish has a reputation for being
> > heart-healthy. People who opt for fish to try to protect
> > their hearts might not realize that fish is often high in
> > cholesterol.
> >
> > While a 3-ounce T-bone steak contains 70 milligrams of
> > cholesterol, three ounces of shrimp contain 161
> > milligrams. Numerous studies have shown that dietary
> > cholesterol consumption corresponds with an increased
> > risk for artery blockage.
> >
> > The good news is that by eliminating foods that contain
> > cholesterol, like fish, and opting for naturally
> > cholesterol-free plant foods, people can reduce both
> > their cholesterol levels and their risk of heart disease.
> > Research has shown that every 1 percent reduction in
> > cholesterol can reduce heart disease risk by 2 percent.
> >
> > 2. Most of the fat in fish is not heart-healthy fat.
> >
> > While fish does contain omega-3 fats, most of the fat in
> > fish is not heart healthy. Between 15 and 30 percent of
> > the fat in fish is actually saturated fat, which
> > stimulates the liver to produce more cholesterol. High-
> > fat foods are associated with poor heart health outcomes.
> >
> > Fish is often celebrated for being low in fat, but this
> > is often not the case: 52 percent of the calories in
> > Chinook salmon come from fat. Plant foods, on the other
> > hand, are often naturally low in fat. Only 2 percent of
> > the calories in rice and 4 percent of the calories in
> > beans come from fat. Research has shown that diets low in
> > fat are best for preventing heart disease.
> >
> > In 1990, Dean Ornish, M.D., demonstrated that a low-fat
> > vegetarian diet is capable of reversing heart disease. He
> > put patients with heart disease on a low-fat, plant-based
> > diet, and in one year, 82 percent showed a measurable
> > reversal of their coronary artery blockages.
> >
> > 3. Supplementing with fish oil may do more harm than
> > good.
> >
> > In recent years, fish oil has been hailed as a miracle
> > cure for everything from heart disease to dementia. Many
> > people supplement with fish oil to increase their intake
> > of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for
> > maintaining cellular function. Unfortunately, studies
> > have shown that most of the health claims associated with
> > fish oil may be unfounded.
> >
> > A comprehensive Journal of the American Medical
> > Association analysis involving 20 studies and more than
> > 68,000 patients showed no link between fish oil and heart
> > health. Similarly, a study published in the New England
> > Journal of Medicine reported that patients who
> > supplemented with fish oil did not reduce their risk of
> > heart disease.
> >
> > Additionally, recent reports indicate no association
> > between fish oil supplementation and the prevention or
> > improvement of dementia symptoms. Research has even shown
> > that omega-3 supplements may increase diabetes and
> > prostate cancer risk. Fortunately, many plant foods
> > contain alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, which is the only
> > essential omega-3 fatty acid. Excellent sources of ALA
> > include walnuts, soybeans, leafy greens, flaxseed,
> > avocado, and broccoli.
> >
> > By eating a diet rich in these foods, people can reap all
> > the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids without any of the
> > side effects associated with fish consumption. Research
> > has even shown that women who follow vegan diets have
> > higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood than
> > those who consume diets rich in fish, meat, and dairy.
> >
> > 4. Fish are full of pollutants.
> >
> > Because fish and shellfish live in increasingly polluted
> > environments, toxins from the water accumulate in their
> > bodies. Studies have shown that most of the fish
> > throughout the world contain dangerously high levels of
> > mercury.
> >
> > Exposure to mercury, which is a toxic metal, has serious
> > health consequences, including increased risk for cancer,
> > heart disease, and even death. A recent study revealed a
> > link between mercury exposure and diabetes. Among nearly
> > 3,000 participants, those who consumed the most mercury
> > over an 18-year period had a 65 percent greater risk for
> > developing diabetes.
> >
> > Fish also contain unsafe levels of polychlorinated
> > biphenyls, which are dangerous chemicals that have been
> > linked to neurological problems and birth defects in
> > babies who have been exposed. A plant-based diet
> > automatically reduces exposure to these toxins.
> >
> > This site does not provide medical or legal advice. This
> > Web site is for informational purposes only.
> >
> > Full Disclaimer
> > Privacy Policy
> >
> > The Physicians Committee
> > 5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Ste.400, Washington DC, 20016
> > Email:
> >
http://www.pcrm.org/health/health-to...-a-health-food

> Forget Eating Fish - The least likely of all places in
> the world to find an uncontaminated fish is...
>
> Excerpt:
>
> Forget Eating Fish
>
> The least likely of all places in the world to find an uncontaminated
> fish is in the United States. We have the dubious distinction of
> being the world's largest producer of pesticides. We use 1.1 billion
> pounds of pesticides a year -- about five pounds for every member of
> the population. This amounts to 30% of the entire world's use. You
> may be wondering if any fish are safe. Even for research purposes, it
> is impossible now for scientists to find fish anywhere in U.S. waters
> which do not carry toxic chemicals in their flesh.
>
> A major study reported in Tufts University's Diet and Nutrition
> Letter compared the offspring of 242 women who ate varying amounts of
> fish from Lake Michigan. The study found that the more fish the
> mothers had eaten, the more their babies showed abnormal reflexes,
> general weakness, slower response to stimuli, and various signs of
> depression. Even mothers eating the fish two or three times a month
> produced babies weighing seven to nine ounces less at birth, with
> smaller heads. To learn about contaminated fish in other U.S. waters,
> please refer to the sources provided below.
>
> - Pimentel, D., "Pesticides . . ." BioScienc 27, March, 1977
>
> - Pimentel, D., "Realities of a Pesticide Ban" Environment, March,
> 1973
>
> - Turner, J., "A Chemical Feast: Report on the Food and Drug
> Administration," Grossman, 1970
>
> - "Infant Abnormalities Linked to PCB Contaminated Fish" Vegetarian
> Times, November, 1984
>
> - Robbins, John, "Diet for A New America" Stillpoint Publishing,
> 1987, pg. 334

Go vegetarian, pleads Yana Gupta in new ad

Rediff On The Net
Thursday, January 29, 2004

Would you go vegetarian if Yana Gupta
appeals to you submerged in crystal-
clear water, surrounded by a school
of exotic fish and wearing an
alluring mermaid costume?

View picture at:
http://im.rediff.com/news/2004/jan/29yana.jpg

People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals thinks some people will and
roped in the Czech-born model for
their new advertisement, which is
part of its campaign to promote
vegetarianism.

It urges people to leave the fish in
the sea to where they belong and to
go vegetarian. It was shot by ace
photographer Jatin Kampani, a release
from PETA said. The tagline Try to
Relate to Who is on Your Plate goes
on to explain that 'Fish are Friends,
not Food'.

"There are so many delicious and
nutritious vegetarian options to
choose from these days - in every
part of the world - that there's no
need to kill fish or any other animal
for food," says Yana Gupta, who is
vegetarian and who also tries to
avoid dairy products. "A vegetarian
diet is good for your health, the
animals, the environment and your
taste buds," she adds.

According to PETA, fish feel pain and
suffer and those who are caught for
food are often impaled, thrown,
crushed and mutilated - all while
still live - and then left to die
slow and painful deaths by
suffocation.

"It is unthinkable that fish do not
have pain receptors: they need them
in order to survive," says
microbiologist Professor Frank Hird.

In commercial fishing, along with the
fish, unintentional victims such as
dolphins, birds and turtles are
captured in huge nets and dragged
along the ocean floor for hours along
with rocks and debris.

PETA website:
http://www.petaindia.org/

More at:
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/jan/29peta.htm

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.jai-maharaj