http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020121/food.html

An ineresting article on the health benefits of certain foods.

That IS an interesting article. Thanks for posting it. I agree with everything there, except for their recommendation of salmon.

Eating lots of natural foods really is the way to go!

MsSueM-I was wondering. What are your thoughts on salmon???

Hope you are not taking me as being argumentative here. Just wondering if you had some information that might be useful.

L-Rodd,
You don't seem argumentative at all.
Here's my stance on salmon:
I don't agree with recommendations to eat salmon because I'm a vegetarian. I don't believe it is EVER necessary for humans to eat meat to acquire the nutrients they need.

One thing I like about the article you linked is their explanation as to WHY salmon is frequently recommended. The only benefit from salmon (and a few other fish) is their concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids. These acids are not produced by the fish; the fish acquire them through eating sea algae (a plant). So, the highly touted Omega 3 acids are actually a plant-based nutrient. It's just more common for people to consume them through the second-hand source of the fish. It seems to me it would be much more efficient (and humane) to harvest and consume these acids from their source, a sea plant, rather than from an animal.

Some cultures do eat seaweed and algae, but it's unrealistic to expect Americans to do so! The only Omega acid supplements I've seen are derived from fish oil, but I'd assume it would also be possible for scientists to produce supplements directly from sea algae. I don't know why they are not currently doing this; probably complacency...it's just easier to exploit fish.

The whole subject of essential fatty acids is interesting because it's more complex than most people know. Here are a few webpages I found about this. These discuss the different kinds of Omega 3 acids (ALA, EPA, DHA) and Omega 6 acids.
I follow the principle that consuming plant-based ALA acids is enough, since the body converts them to the other forms.

wholehealthmd.com

healthy advice

What's a Vegetarian to Do?

One question I formed from reading your article is: where do most of the salmon Americans eat come from? The article stated salmon that are free to roam the ocean acquire high amounts of Omega acids, but does this describe what most people are eating? I've heard of salmon farming where the fish are kept contained in nets. Are farmed fish as high in this nutrient? If they aren't, and if farmed fish are what most people eat, then people may not be deriving as much benefit as they believe. I don't expect you to research this for me; your article was just thought-provoking!

Farmed or fresh, salmon, like the big trout known as steelhead, after spawning swim downriver to the ocean and stay there until time comes for them to swim back up. Near where I live, the Columbia River flows into the sea at Cape Disappointment, where the water is so turbulent the Coast Guard trains there. Salmon are often to be found there, near the sea. My husband caught so many of them there that my freezers were both orange inside and I got to hate salmon.

There are more nutrients in salmon than Omega Acids or whatever. It's good for you, and many vegetarians eat fish without discernable harm coming to them.

Catty (go fishie, go fishie)

http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=516856

The above article describes the toxins found in farmed salmon (the cheapest kind most commonly eaten). Similar to the mad-cow scare, caused by improper feeding, salmon are now rife with PCBs and are not necessarily loaded with Omega acids (due to not being fed PLANT ALGAE in captivity).