Musician Robbie Williams has returned to a plant-based diet after a medical exam showed extremely high mercury levels in his blood.
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Is Robbie Williams Back for Good? The 46-year-old singer has switched back to a plant-based diet after a medical test revealed the ‘highest mercury poisoning levels his doctor had ever seen’.
Williams went plant-based back in 2017 but had recently begun to re-introduce animal products such as fish into his diet.
“Robbie is known for enjoying a wild time in the spotlight but over the past few years he has been really health-conscious,” a source told The Daily Star.
This new health scare has caused the star to once again switch to a plant-based diet.
Omegas and a vegan diet
Long-term vegan Miley Cyrus recently shocked fans, revealing in a podcast with Seth Rogan that she was no longer eating a plant-based diet. She claimed that her vegan diet was causing her ‘brain not to function properly’ and therefore she had reintroduced ‘fish and omegas’ into her life.
But Dr Matthew Naga highlighted this claim as misinformation. He clarified that these illnesses can actually be caused by a ‘myriad of issues’ and not necessarily diet-related. He added that “research on omega-3 supplements (EPA/DHA) and cognitive function is mixed, with potential benefit in older adults specifically.”
It is entirely possible to achieve adequate levels of omega-3 in the body on a vegan diet, from foods such as flax and walnuts, and algae-based supplements. Therefore, it isn’t necessary to incorporate oily fish into your diet, just to get a dose of omega-3.
Moreover, Dr Naga added that “on a physiological level, it’s impossible for a few meals of seafood to drastically change omega-3 levels, especially within the brain.” This means it is unlikely that Miley actually saw an improvement in her brain just from eating some fish – and it was more likely a placebo effect.
Is it safe to eat fish?
Numerous studies have shown that mercury levels in fish are a real threat to human health. This is because fish can accumulate high levels of mercury and carcinogens. Moreover, the world’s oceans are becoming increasingly polluted, and therefore eating fish is like playing Russian roulette with your health.
It’s not just these pollutants that fish-eaters have to worry about, research has shown that they also ingest up to 11,000 tiny pieces of plastic each year. These tiny particles can become embedded in tissue and wreak havoc on the human body.
With such great vegan omega-3 supplements on the market, there is no need to turn to fish and you can thrive on a vegan diet.
Worried about how to provide your kids with the perfect plant-based meal-plan?
Read our guide to Feeding vegan kids: What healthy vegan children eat.
