DAY 6
I Smell SOMETHING Fishy!
GOAL FOR THE DAY: Pick a delicious vegan meal that normally contains fish, and “veganize” it.
Surf’s up!
People have difficulty relating to fish. Fish don’t talk to us. They can’t snuggle up to watch TV, sit in our laps for holiday cards, or play fetch. They’re always a world away from us, doing their little fishy things, with all their fishy friends, far out of sight under the water. Every now and then, we catch a glimpse of those beautiful eyes, sparkling scales, a few graceful sways and some wide-mouthed “glub glubs.” But for the most part, we really don’t know fish very well, and that makes them easy to eat. When people feel like they have nothing in common with someone, it enables them to disconnect, landing them in a comfortable, mindless zone of complacent apathy. “Who cares what happens to fish?,” folks say, “They’re just fish.”
If we brush aside our preconceived beliefs, and open our mind and heart a little bit, we’d realize that fish really do have a lot in common with us. Fish know how to use tools, perform complex tasks, have excellent long-term memories, recall the location of objects, and cooperate well with each other.1 They even pass knowledge between one another through social networks, and form monogamous relationships.2 You’ve got to admit, that’s a pretty impressive list for just a fish. But that’s only “smarts.” All animals possess a range of intelligence, and we know brilliance is subjective, so let’s set the IQ litmus test on the sidelines for now. After all, whether you’re entitled to live or die in this world isn’t based on how smart you are, thank goodness.
A far better reason not to eat fish is because, like us, they experience fear and feel pain; there are studies that back this up. When scientists gave fish electric shocks, they not only grunted, but over time they grunted merely at the sight of an electrode.3 But I don’t need science to know fish want to live, and you probably don’t either. Anyone who has witnessed a fish squirming on a hook knows firsthand fish don’t want to be taken from the water, no matter how enthusiastic good ole’ Grandpa may be. Does anyone really believe that a fish being hauled onto a ship deck with a sharp gaff piercing his eye isn’t in pain? A fish flailing above water is akin to a person struggling for air beneath. Surely it must be a horrible way to die. Drowning is what nightmares are made of. Now we just need to make the connection, and extend our compassion to the creatures of the lake, river, and sea, just like cutie-pie Luiz Antonio did when his mother served him a plate of octopus ravioli. Check out his epiphany on YouTube. In less than three minutes, this three-year-old says it all, far more effectively than words on paper ever will.
As for the “but eating fish is so healthy” mantra, you can easily get healthy fats and omegas elsewhere. There’s no shortage of healthy fats in plants: avocados, olives, nut butters, hellooo? I love them all. For omega-3 fatty acids, just enjoy some nuts, seeds, beans, or soy.4 Flaxseeds are another great option; they have both omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. I toss ground flaxseeds into smoothies almost every time I make them. Delicious! And those chia seeds? They have, by weight, more omega-3s than salmon.5 A handful of walnuts provides those healthy omegas, too.
And those heart-healthy fish oil claims? Don’t be so fast to take the bait. Despite eager Americans spending $1.2 billion a year on fish oil supplements (yes, that’s billion!), the National Institute for Health notes, “Omega-3s in supplement form have not been shown to protect against heart disease.”6 Say, what? Well, here’s the scoop. The craze for this alleged fish oil panacea arose from an expedition to the Arctic Circle led by two Danish researchers in the 1970s. The Danes set out to study the Inuit population and concluded that eating fish, coined the “Eskimo Diet,” prevents heart disease. Here’s the crazy part: they never studied the Inuits’ hearts. Since so many of the Inuits lived in isolation up in the Arctic, they often died without any doctor looking at their body at all. The medical records they studied were often incomplete, and many death records simply didn’t exist.7 Recent studies have found that this population actually had the same, or more, heart disease. Fish oil? Sounds more like snake oil to me.
For anyone concerned about food safety—and I’m hoping that’s everyone—there’s also something mighty fishy about how often fish is contaminated. Fish is by far the most contaminated food people eat, and if you think about it, it’s easy to understand why.8 Here’s how it works. Toxins flow through fish gills, settling inside fish muscles until you chow down and gobble them up. That’s not good, but making matters worse, fish eat a lot of smaller sea life, and each time a bigger fish eats a smaller one, it’s compounding all of those toxins, so by the time you eat “big fish D,” you’re consuming everything little fish A ate, who was eaten by fish B, who was eaten by fish C, before big fish D ate fish C. You know what I’m sayin’? And what exactly are the smaller fish and other sea life eating before you eat that bigger fish? Sadly, the rain washes all of our toxic air pollution down to the ground where it meets countless poisonous chemicals found on our highways, factory dump sites, parking lots—you name it—and then carries those toxins into lakes, rivers, and the ocean where fish eat. I’m not just talking about dog poop and old chewing gum being washed into the water, we’re talking a bazillion chemicals, including the heavy metals: mercury, lead, cadmium, and copper, all of which can cause damage to the brain and nervous systems of people who eat them.9
If you’re hoping the government is doing their job looking out for your well-being when it comes to consuming fish, think again. Despite the USDA’s mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law to help folks know where fish came from and how they were raised, all processed seafood is exempt. Fish sticks, surimi, mussels in tomato sauce, seafood medleys, coconut shrimp, soups, stews, chowders, sauces, pâtés, smoked salmon, marinated fish fillets, canned tuna, canned sardines, canned salmon, crab salad, shrimp cocktail, gefilte fish, sushi, and breaded shrimp are all processed.10 Good luck trying to figure out the twists and turns of their long journey before all that fishy stuff got to your plate. I’m a little hesitant to drink Japanese tea after the massive Fukushima Daiichi radiation leak, especially since so many teas have been found to be contaminated; can’t imagine someone wanting to consume any fish from Japan.11 But if you eat processed fish, how would you ever know? Even bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California was found to contain the radiation from that disaster. Not to worry, though. In a moment I’ll show you how to make a yummy vegan tuna fish sandwich, without all the toxic crud. And I’ll even let you know where the ingredients came from. Vegans like to know these things.
Vegans are also happy to know they don’t play a part in contributing to the devastating environmental consequences of factory fish and shrimp farming. Did you know tropical coastal forests are cleared for fish and shrimp farming, often destroying the entire local ecosystem? A wide range of antibiotics are used to treat disease on fish farms because, as with chickens and other animals, when you squish too many living beings into one incredibly small and stressful environment, they understandably get sick.12 Not only is it unwise to consume all of these extra antibiotics, factory fish farms are laden with pesticides and hormones, too.13 All of these chemicals, along with feces, uneaten food, and carcasses easily float through the cages and into the ocean, causing dire consequences on the surrounding sea life.14 As for sustainability, it can take up to 6 pounds of wild fish to feed 1 pound of farmed fish. Not a good investment for people, or for the fish. But hey, Monsanto’s got our back, and they’re pushing for a heck of a lot more fish farms.15 Nothing like the prospect of selling a little GMO corn feed to the “growers” of franken-fish. Does the craziness ever end? Yes. Yes, it does. With you, right here, right now.
Let’s eat!
1. Become familiar with the wide range of vegan “fishy” food that tastes so good, and you’ll skip that trip to the “fish market.” When I became a vegetarian thirty-eight years ago, I didn’t need anything to replace the taste of fish because as I mentioned earlier, I think dead fish stink. I never craved eating them. I don’t even eat seaweed because it reminds me of fish. But that’s just me. For those of you who have a nose that is less offended, you’re in luck. There are plenty of vegan options to keep both you and the fish very happy. Today you’re going to select something that’s traditionally made with fish, or other creatures from the sea, and try out the vegan version. Just take a look, and take your pick!
FISH STICKS: Gardein makes a breaded Golden Fish Filet, which you can bake or fry up very quickly. You can find them in the frozen section of most mainstream supermarkets, including Target and Whole Foods Market. They’re packed with protein (9 grams per 2-piece serving) and they’re GMO-free, too. Too fishy for me, but my husband loves them. I always squeeze fresh lemon juice on them, and usually whip up a little vegan tartar sauce. It’s super easy: just mix up a little vegan mayo, relish, mustard, and pepper to taste and BAM: vegan fish sticks with dipping sauce! Short on time? Check out Follow Your Heart’s Vegenaise Tartar Sauce; it’s very tasty. If you’d rather make vegan fish sticks from scratch, there are recipes galore online. Vegans use everything from canned hearts of palm with panko bread crumbs, to tofu and seaweed flakes to make them. Just search “vegan fish sticks” and you’ll find all sorts of great ideas.
ANCHOVIES: Some vegans have found that using a mixture of capers, tamari, and seaweed will give meals a hint of anchovy taste.
SUSHI: I know I just said I don’t like the taste of fish (eeww!), but boy oh boy, do I love vegan sushi! Instead of seaweed, I politely (always the operative word) request that it’s wrapped in soy paper, or even better, sometimes they’re kind enough to wrap it in thinly sliced avocado. If you like the taste of fish, just keep the seaweed, and substitute different veggies for the fish (carrots, cucumbers, shiitake mushrooms, avocado, etc.). Once you’re dipping your sushi in a nice mix of wasabi and soy sauce, with a side of fresh ginger, you won’t be missing that fish. Vegan sushi restaurants are becoming more widespread. You can find everything from spicy tuna rolls and tempura to crab cakes and caviar, all 100 percent vegan. So awesome!
SCALLOPS, SHRIMP, SMOKED SALMON, AND JAMBALAYA: Using elephant yam root (konjac) as a base, Sophie’s Kitchen makes a huge array of vegan seafood products, many of which are soy-free. You can find Sophie’s vegan fish in health food stores, or order online. They often have a dollar-off coupon on their website, too.
CRAB: If you’re craving crab cakes, check out Match Meats at: www.matchmeats.com. Gardein, which is available throughout the United States and Canada, has mini crabless cakes. Here’s their website so you can find their product near you: http://gardein.com/products/crabless-cakes/#where-to-buy. For crab steak, May Wah Vegetarian Market has them at their headquarters in New York City, and online at: www.maywahnyc.com. May Wah’s selection of vegan fish (and meat) is huge. Sophie’s Kitchen makes nice vegan crab cakes, too. There are also a lot of vegan crab recipes online, most of which use Old Bay Seasoning for a crab cake–like flavor.
EXTRA TIPS IF YOU’RE STILL MISSING “SEAFOOD”—ONCE BEAUTIFUL SEA LIFE:
Don’t forget, you can still enjoy sticky rice, edamame, miso soup, pickled veggies, and other vegan goodies at traditional Asian restaurants that primarily serve fish.
Seaweed (wakami, nori, kombu, etc.) is the magical ingredient for most vegan fish dishes, so don’t be afraid to experiment with it. Seaweed is healthy, too!
If a recipe calls for fish stock or oyster sauce, there are plenty of easy vegan recipes online that use a combo of ingredients, including dried seaweed, miso, mushrooms, and spices.
2. Make a scrumptious fishless meal! Well, I don’t miss eating fish, but let me tell you, for my husband, fish was the last thing to go. He craved eating fish more than eating cheese! Here’s a simple dish that I created for him and he loves it. I think you’ll enjoy it, too. You can select one of the vegan “fishy” foods I mentioned earlier or let the recipe below be your first foray into making a yummy fishless dish that still tastes like it’s straight from the sea.
SERVES 3 TO 4
One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
⅓ cup vegan mayo
1 to 2 tablespoons kelp granules, to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 celery stalk, diced ¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 heaping tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1. In a colander, strain and rinse the garbanzo beans under cold running water, then drain.
2. Transfer the beans to a bowl and smash them up with the back of a fork.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to incorporate.
4. Serve on bread, open-faced, or as a sandwich filling.
NOTE: As promised, I said I’d let you know where I got my “fishy” flavor for the sandwich: the dried kelp is from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables Inc. It’s nutrient dense, sustainably harvested, and organic. Sure beats guessing how a dead fish got to your plate.
3. Now that fish are your friends, and not food, consider incorporating a little flax into your meals for fiber, lignans, and omegas! Flaxseeds have been consumed for good nutrition for over seven thousand years.16 In our current age of fly-by-night food fads, you’ve got to admit, that’s a long time! Hippocrates swore flax helped with ulcers, and Charlemagne was so convinced of its health benefits that he ordered, by law, that his royal subjects eat it daily.17 The steadfast obsession with flax is with good reason: not only are flaxseeds a powerhouse for omegas, they’re also packed with protein and fiber, and are believed to help lower the risk for heart disease, stroke, and some cancers, too.18 But here’s the royal dilemma: flaxseeds are best absorbed when ground, not in whole seed form, but when ground they can go rancid quickly, especially if exposed to light. Ground flaxseeds have a very short shelf life. Solution? Buy flaxseeds whole, and grind them yourself, as you need them. I found a little coffee bean grinder online for ten bucks that I only use for seeds, and it works great. Freshly ground flaxseeds in a flash! Done and done. Feel free to zip ahead to Day 9: Fast, Cheap, and Easy!, if you want to see how I make my morning smoothies with flaxseeds in My Vegan Smoothie (here).
Surprised by the abundance of wild salmon available during off-season, Marian Burros, a veteran reporter for The New York Times, bought “wild fresh salmon” from eight different stores in New York and sent them off to a lab to see if they really were “wild.” The lab examined each fish sample using a method of testing that was acceptable to the FDA. The verdict? Only one fish was actually from the wild.19 Speaking of labels, genetically modified salmon doesn’t need to be labeled as such. According to a 2015 poll, 93 percent of Americans think the government should mandate the labeling of GMO foods, yet once again, we’re left in the dark. GMO—just three letters. Is it really that difficult to print? No matter what side of the GMO debate you’re on, something stinks here, and it’s not just the fish!
According to a 2003 study by Dr. Lynne Sneddon, director of Bioveterinary Science at the University of Liverpool, trout have twenty-two pain receptors in their face.20
Watch out for fish in strange places. Anchovies show up in Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s makes a good vegan version), and Asian restaurants occasionally add one big chunk of fish “just for flavor” to the giant pot of miso soup in their kitchens.
Checklist
□ Did you make a yummy meal that tastes like “seafood” without using any sea life?
□ Did you consider adding flaxseeds to your shopping list?
□ Are you still using vegan alternatives to eggs and dairy throughout the day?
Thought FOR THE Day
“Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.” —ALBERT SCHWEITZER