| StokedUp said: Go pescatarian instead, you can still eat fish so you still get plenty of protein and the added goodness of the healthy oils fish meat contains. |
I think the arguments for pescetarianism from a health point of view are fairly strong. Not as strong as being on a whole food plant-based diet, but nonetheless fairly strong. Strong with one major caveat that is: we're screwing over the oceans (and lakes, and rivers, and...) with pollution, so with every passing year you have to be more and more careful which seafood you eat. The levels of metals and toxins in seafood keep increasing, as they bioaccumulate up the food chain. At first it was recommended that we avoid bottom feeders. Now it's recommended that we avoid seafood that eat the bottom feeders. Unless you expect humanity will wake up and suddenly start treatings its oceans a tonne better, there'll be more seafood on the list of those recommended to avoid as time goes on.
Your protein recommendation isn't relevant, as plants also have plenty of protein. Plants are, after all, where animals get their protein from (either directly by eating plants, or indirectly by eating animals who've eaten plants)! :) Most people eat too much protein (more than their bodies can even absorb, which at best means the excess is wasted, and at worst it can actually interfere with the absorption of other nutrients). Most people couldn't even tell you a single symptom of protein deficiency, and yet they're very concerned about it for no apparent reason; these same people are probably deeply fibre deficient, which is a much more common and serious problem. So being panicked about replacing your protein if you go vegan is largely a non-issue. Omnivores not getting enough fibre is a pretty common health concern however, but whole food vegans have no worries in this department (I struggle to imagine how you'd construct a whole food vegan diet that was fibre-deficient).
From a food chain point of view, being on a plant-based diet has never looked better since plants are so low on the food chain and toxins bioaccumulate up through the food chain. From a strictly health point of view, I'd recommend people eat only plants and insects. The variety of insect-based options are increasing (I saw a protein bar made from insect protein recently), and it's considered a new food frontier by many people. If I were still an omnivore, I would probably explore it.
