Monday 13 August 2007

Something fishy?

Fish and seafood form a big part of my diet. I was a vegetarian but made the decision to re-introduce fish into my diet about 4 years ago. I have always believed that fish is a great source of protein as well as valuable nutrients like omega 3. Unfortunately the benefits of eating fish are now being outweighed by two factors - Firstly, pollutants in our seas and rivers means that some fish contain unsatisfactory levels of metals such as mercury and secondly, we have the moral issue of depleting fish stocks - should we being eating fish that are becoming endangered?

The classic example of a fish becoming extinct is Cod - for years Cod has been common on our British menus and is the classic fish for dishes like fish and chips, however in recent years as numbers have declined we are being encouraged to avoid Cod and try alternatives such as Bream or Brill. If we make a moral standpoint to buy fish that are sustainable then we allow Cod the chance to flourish again. I believe that in addition to that we need to take measures to reduce pollution in our waters.

I found a great forum thread that gives quite a bit of info on what fish we should be eating and which fish we should be avoiding click here for more info. I do still eat fish but am trying to choose carefully which fish ends up on my plate.

Well, Jo has been away for a whole week now and not only am I missing her but I am starting to get a little bit of muscle fatigue so will have to take it easy this week to avoid any muscle damage. I did overwork my quads on Saturday whilst teaching a two hour hen party so apologies to the participants because if my quads are hurting today then theirs are probably in agony.

Off to grab a quick drink on the Hoe before returning to the office to finish my end of year accounts (very boring). Lastly Thanks to Amytree for reminding me in her blog how lovely Bigbury and Burgh island are - I spent the day there yesterday with my husband and treated myself to an ice cream from Salcombe Dairy (great local ice cream - a little bit of fat in the diet is OK) and a pint at the Royal Oak Inn - Bliss.

Stay Healthy

Sam x

2 comments:

MrsG said...

Isn't the ice cream there wonderful?! I gave in and had Bramble & Cream - I hear there are no calories if you eat it standing up... :-) x

Laura said...

Hi Sam!

I have a friend who is very passionate about fish, aquaculture, etc (she's a marine biologist). I wasn't able to access the forum thread you linked to, so perhaps you've already seen it mentioned, but if you're interested in the subject of fish as food you might want to check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch site. Apparently it's a really good resource (they have printable wallet cards grouping seafood options by sustainability, customized for particular regions, for example) and also well-researched and reliable.

I'm missing you guys a ton, by the way. =) I'll probably drop you an email later in the week about pole parts, because I'm undergoing some serious withdrawal here! <3