questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition - PaleoHacks.com

questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-18T16:02:15Z

I was browsing the archives and saw some negative bias towards pescetarians, based on what I would assume is the notion that a sea animal based diet is somehow deficient in essential nutrients that only land animals can provide. I am not fully pescetarian, because I do eat chicken, bison, and pork, but those amount to less than a pound a week combined, sometimes less than a pound every 2 weeks. I would say that over 80% of the animal products that I've consumed over the past year and a half are from seafood.

Are there some essential nutrients I can only get from ruminants? *Is there something wrong with a pescetarian paleo diet? I get bi-annual blood work do*ne, and b12 and vitamin D status are always well within range. As far as I can tell, seafood is preferable to ruminants because of the more bioavailable omega 3s (brain and cellular health), zinc (reproductive health), and iodine (thyroid health)....and of course protein for muscles. Seafood does not provide iron or carnitine (that I know of), but I am not anemic (I can still donate blood) and I eat spinach with provides iron and a very low phytic acid diet with virtually no coffee (diminishes iron absorption). Again, I do eat chicken and red meat, but only about 1x per week and not in large quantities (usually surf and turf with only about 4-6oz of meat). Right now I'm eating about a half dozen free range eggs a week too, but my egg consumption is inconsistent throughout the year.

Also, Do you have any other suggestions that I could use as a staple (i.e. fish/seafood that's low in mercury and PCBs and high in nutrition)? I've been eating a lot of shrimp, scallops, lobster, and canned sardines (Wild Planet, BPA free) as my staples. I also eat fresh and canned wild salmon (Wild Planet, BPA free cans), fresh ahi tuna, and light tuna packed in olive oil (Crown Prince BPA free, usually). I eat oysters 2-3x per week (out) and whitefish occasionally. I really like canned sardines, and probably average about a can a day but *I worry that the omega 3 is oxidized in the canned sardines- does anyone know if these concerns are warranted or not?

Thank you in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

Answer by Dave S. for questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-18T16:42:05Z

Why either/or? I include both liberally. The Inuit suffered from nose bleeds, presumably from high levels of omega-3. Red meat is high in methionine and iron. I tend to think that eating a wide variety of both plants and animals should lead to a lower toxic exposure overall and therefore better health - but I am willing to be shown the error of my ways.

I'd say the way you are eating looks fine. Just my opinion. Frankly, I think we worry too much about these details - just avoiding wheat/sugar/veg oils is probably enough for most people. Or simply eating real food. Heck, Kwaniewski's patients seem to do pretty well on a lot of pork and lard for what it's worth.

Answer by Colin for questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-18T16:57:35Z

I've been thinking a lot about this lately too and I see no problems with a high seafood diet. The sardines your eating are fine small fish don't have the levels of mercury that larger fish do, not to say large fish are bad to eat. The more I look into it it seems that the benefits of seafood far outweigh any downside from any toxicity that may or may not be there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9EuSfbInCc&feature=relmfu

I would think the main concern for seafood around here is toxicity, if your looking for a staple then I would use something that's high in selenium as the selenium acts like a magnet to mercury and you don't absorb it.

http://www.wfoa-tuna.org/health/ralstonraymond.pdf

I don't know of any nutrients that you can't get from seafood and the omega 3 question I think was answered here:

http://paleohacks.com/questions/106708/canned-salmon-are-the-omega-3s-oxidized#axzz23rV98N4r

Just as a side note I started increasing seafood in my own diet and was interested in how you feel after eating that way for a while?

One more thing this article from Chris Kesser mentioned that pcbs are higher in beff & chicken so I think your diet is spot on.

http://chriskresser.com/is-eating-fish-safe-a-lot-safer-than-not-eating-fish

Answer by thhq for questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-18T17:01:13Z

Jeez that sounds good. How about adding some freshwater fish like trout or whitefish? Not for nutrients but variety. More fresh mollusks maybe...squid and mussels...in preference to the canned sardines and salmon.

Answer by The Quilt for questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-19T01:04:39Z

1.http://jackkruse.com/brain-gut-5-paradigm-drifts-paradigm-shifts-epi-paleo/

2.http://jackkruse.com/brain-gut-6-epi-paleo-rx/

Read everything you can from Dr. Stephen Cunnane.

Remko Kuipers also spoke at AHS 2012. His work is amazing too.

Answer by Monte for questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-19T04:34:19Z

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/98777831/poster10.pdf

Moving away from the sea is precisely the cause of many of our modern ills. We need need to go back to what gave us our big brains and our nutrition. They talk about depleted soils and rampant mineral deficiencies...where do you think it all went? Washed into the sea. I now incorporate up to a pound of seafood in my diet everyday and I've never felt better!!!

Eating the standard "paleo" diet had me stalled and frustrated. Put a standard paleo "muscle meat" (Not the idealized organ meat fantasy) diet next to a typical pescatarian diet and there will be no comparison at all.

Answer by stephenj for questions: seafood vs ruminant nutrition

2012-08-19T06:43:54Z

Personally I avoid large fish and particularly salmon because of my ethical concerns about over-fishing and fish farming. I do eat sardines and locally grown shellfish though (I live in New Zealand and mussels are very cheap and good). I would eat a lot more fish if I could stop thinking about the extinction of all large sea life soon, and I speak as someone who doesn't just like eating fish but loves catching them too.