Is eating fish a religious requirement?!

I eat fish because I think it's delicious.

fish IS good for the brain. as far as this religous bs? whats that have to do with anything??

eating fish is good for us, of course, observing limitations with fish likely exposed to mercury. it's good for everybody but the fish. it's good for the brain but also the oils help the heart, too.

I'm not sure which religion requires you to eat fish, but I think that most people eat it for its taste and nutritional content.

1) Eating fish has even more than those two aspects, actually. As a vegetarian, I know that the decision of not eating fish implies having to replace some nutrients that could be found in fish with their vegetarian counterpart. "Vegetarians normally don't eat fish, and usually consider that fish is meat, since it is the flesh of an animal." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_(food%29 2) As to the religious aspect, it is interesting to notice that fish consumption in Lent did not arise from the fasting requirement itself, but rather as a dispensation (exception). Here some references to fasting and religious fasting: - "Fasting" (real fasting means only to drink water and not eat anything, actually): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting - "12 "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food": http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%201:8-16&version=NIV - "During the early Middle Ages, meat, eggs and dairy products were generally forbidden. Thomas Aquinas argued that "they afford greater pleasure as food [than fish], and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust."" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent - ""Religious rites and rituals regarding food also tend to classify the birds of the air and the fish of the sea separately from land-bound mammals." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_(food%29#In_religion 3) "Fish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history." "Fish, especially saltwater fish, is high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are heart-friendly, and a regular diet of fish is highly recommended by nutritionists. This is conjectured to be one of the major causes of reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases in Eskimos. It has been suggested that the longer lifespan of Japanese and Nordic populations may be partially due to their higher consumption of fish and seafood. The Mediterranean diet is likewise based on a rich intake of fish. Fish are also great for the skin. Nutritionists recommend that fish be eaten at least 2-3 times a week." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_(food%29 "The most widely available source of EPA and DHA is cold water oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. Oils from these fish have a profile of around seven times as much n−3 as n−6. Other oily fish such as tuna also contain n−3 in somewhat lesser amounts. Consumers of oily fish should be aware of the potential presence of heavy metals and fat-soluble pollutants like PCBs and dioxin which may accumulate up the food chain. After extensive review, researchers from Harvard's School of Public Health reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2006) that the benefits of fish intake far outweigh the potential risks. Even some forms of fish oil may not be optimally digestible. Of four studies that compare bioavailability of the triglyceride form of fish oil vs. the ester form, two have concluded that the natural triglyceride form is better, and the other two studies did not find a significant difference. No studies have shown the ester form to be superior although it is cheaper to manufacture. Although fish is a dietary source of n−3 fatty acids, fish do not synthesize them; they obtain them from the algae or plankton in their diet." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Fish It should be noticed that fish is not the only source of Omega-3 fatty acid. There are also botanical sources. 4) Various studies support the nutritional advantage of eating fish. The old idea that it directly helps brain health is not entirely clear: - "A study conducted for the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging analyzed fish-eating patterns of more than 800 men and women ages 65 to 94 and the rates at which they developed Alzheimer’s disease within several years. The researchers found that those who ate at least one fish meal per week were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who never ate fish. This study supports other research on the positive role of omega-3 fatty acids in brain cell health. Omega-3 DHA is known to keep brain cell membranes healthy and appears to aid communication within brain cells." Source and further information: http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_3957_ENU_HTML.htm - "fish is apparently food for the brain. Like many old wives' tales about food and eating, how this claim got started is not entirely clear. Some believe that it may have grown out of a theory that humans evolved in coastal areas because certain nutrients in fish, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, were necessary for brain development. But whatever the origin of the claim, multiple studies have provided some evidence to support it. One study this year at Harvard, which looked at 135 mothers and their infants, found that the more fish the mothers ate during their second trimesters, the better their infants did on tests when they were 6 months old." Source and further information: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/03/health/03real.html?_r=1 - "Fish oils in fatty fish are the richest source of a type of fat that is vital to normal brain development in unborn babies and infants. Without adequate amounts of these fatty acids, normal brain development does not take place." Source and further information: http://www.fao.org/FOCUS/E/fisheries/nutr.htm However, there is also some controversy about this: "The bottom line: We really don't know yet if Grandma was right about fish and the brain. We go along wholeheartedly with the recommendation to get omega-3s from fish. Fatty fish (such as salmon, herring, and mackerel) is definitely good for your heart. Omega-3s cut the risk of blood clots and thus lessen the chance of a heart attack. The American Heart Association now recommends that you eat two servings or more of fish a week. A diet that benefits your heart is likely to benefit your brain as well. Words to the wise about fish-oil supplements: We don't recommend them. They can have adverse effects: nausea, diarrhea, belching. In people with uncontrolled hypertension or those taking anticoagulants, high doses of fish oil may increase the risk of stroke. Fish oil in liquid or capsule form may contain contaminants, too. Omega-3s are like many other nutrients: more isn't necessarily better. However, people with psychiatric disorders such as manic depression might discuss the possible benefits of fish oil capsules with their doctors." Source and further information: http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2001/wlFeatured1001.html

Being raised as Catholic, yes...eating fish on Friday does follow the religious rule, but we're not Catholic anymore, and eat it on friday out of an "unconscious habbit", but fish is very good for you. ! +5

3-6-9 Omegas. Bigger than all three !!!!