Humans have been eating fish and meat for a lot longer than they have eaten fruits and grains --- we were hunters long before we were farmers. Being vegetarian, and being healthy, for all of its left-wing touchy-feeliness, is really only possible in modern elitist societies. Without modern refrigeration and transportation, how is someone in North Dakota going to enjoy the multitude of fresh vegetables, fruits and grain products year-round? Prior to the 20th century, people had potatoes and dried vegetables or whatever they could keep moldering in a root cellar. They weren't eating fresh kiwi, tofu, oranges, lettuce, spinach and other produce grown in Mexico or Central America and flown in. Without some supplementation with animal protein, people couldn't get certain amino acids and other nutrients found only in animals and some very limited forms of plant life. Prior to our modern era, people either ate animal protein or they risked severe malnutrition.
There are people in primitive countries who subsist on meatless diets, but they tend to be in warm climates where some vegetables can be grown year-round --- and those people are not exactly the picture of health. Primitive northern people, like the Inuit, lived entirely on animal products. The Inuit diet is very high in animal fat, yet the incidence of vascular disease was very low. The key is exercise. People must now "sculpt" their diets and take statin drugs to maintain normal lipid profiles because we are lazy toads who do little. The main influence on HDL/LDL is exercise, not diet. The natural state of humans is to eat whatever is available and be active, not to be sedentary and spend hours reading nutrition books.
Thus, eat vegetarian if you want, but it is neither "natural" nor "liberal", but rather unnatural and elitist. Eat as much meat and fat as you like, so long as you exercise your butt off. Literally.
As for mercury and other so-called hazards: it amazes me that, in spite of all the supposed toxins we are exposed to, the average life expectancy continues to climb (now almost 80 ---that's AVERAGE life expectancy) and we are in danger of choking on our own elderly population.
This little toad is increasing her activity every day as it's so easy to get sucked into that sedentary pattern!
