Pescetarianism for Beginners

I have been a pescetarian for over a year now and it has certainly been a life changing experience for many reasons. I am aware that there are many people over the world with various dietary choices or limitations. Many of you may have considered/be considering cutting out meat but with the worry of how to go about it.

Within this post I will briefly discuss how I have found the move into pescetarianism, what a pescetarian diet is, the health benefits of it and so on. My hope in doing so is to enlighten you to consider or maintain such a diet not only for moral reasons but for a wealth of health benefits that come with it.

A pescetarian is someone who follows a pescetarian diet. A pescetarian diet is much like a vegetarian diet, but a pescetarian still may eat some fish and sea food from time to time. Pescetarians are sometimes called pesco-vegetarians.

I became a pescetarian for a few reasons. Firstly, I had read The Beauty Detox Solution by Kimberly Snyder which really taught me a lot about how our body processes the food we eat and how we can harness our diet in new ways. It made me realise how it is harder for our bodies to consume and digest a lot of meat and the problems meat can have on our health. If you want to know more then I highly recommend you buy and read the book. It's a life changer. I instantly wanted to alter my diet. Secondly, I keep hens. They are lovely creatures. We rescue ex-battery hens and let them live out their days in peace and freedom. One day I was prearing a Sunday Dinner with all the trimmings. As I was preparing the chicken to be put into the oven there was a horrible moment. As I held the chicken in my hand, hovering over the baking tray, I could feel where the chest was and imagined where the head would have been. The reality of the situation hit me. This was a little chicken once that probably had a life my ex-battery hens had suffered without getting rehomed before the end.

Of course the transition was hard. I had cravings for a few weeks. It was sort of like giving up cigarettes in that you experience cravings, moments of weakness. Eventually the whole change beganincluding Tom Hiddleston.So there.

to make sense. With food products like soy, Quorn and the fish that remains in my diet I do not even miss meat. If you've started a pescetarian diet - stick with it! It's only now I really know how bloated or sluggish I could feel after a meal with meat as my body tired itself out trying to digest such food. My diet now is so much more healthy, my tastes more refined. This is not just because of the pescetarian diet. I do really follow a lot of Kimberly Snyder's advice about nutrition. It may seem lame but Kimberly Snyder has worked for many film stars and celebrities

I understand that this isn't the diet for everyone. I grew up with a father who hated fish to an almost phobic degree as he was always scared of the potential of little bones in it having choked on one in his childhood. We are living in the generation of the Big Mac and KFC's seem to be everywhere. Meat is all around us and it is so easy to detach a bacon sandwich from a little pig but it is something that most of us do every single day.

 Now I'm sure you may be asking 'Why not cut out fish too? Why go pescetarian?' and I suppose the answer is simple: I simply don't have the same emotional connection to fish as I do with other animals. I'm not saying at all that they are lesser beings in my eyes but you know what they say... 'There's plenty of fish in the sea' so I like to think I'm keeping the numbers down by eating them. Ha. Jokes aside, I acknowledge that still keeping fish within my diet is like a first step. Perhaps full vegetarianism will come next, this way I can ease myself into things slowly and have been doing pretty well for the past year.

Maybe I'll eventually stop eating fish too however if the fish is responsibly sourced and eaten in small quantities to avoid an internal build up of mercury fish consumption has many health benefits.

Supposedly the smaller the fish, the less mercury it'll probably contain. Apparently mercury in fish is a veritable health issue for women who are (or trying to become) pregnant, nursing mothers and young children. Mercury is toxic - the less mercury in your body the better so if you are going to attempt a pescetarian diet do so with caution. Think about what fish (and how much) you are consuming.

. Because of this I tend to eat a lot of prawns and occasionally I'll eat tuna, salmon or haddock. Hell - I do also love a good anchovy. I tend to eat fish when I'm craving protein, almost using it like a meat substitute for when I miss chicken or ham.

Has it been difficult to maintain? Certainly. It's particularly hard as someone who used to really enjoy meat to see people around you eating it. That said it has been easier than I thought. All you have to do is consider the moral/health benefits and suddenly the decision you made becomes a lot easier to cope with. There are still so many foods I can enjoy so it hardly feels like that much has changed. Thankfully I am someone who enjoys vegetables - this made it a lot easier to follow Kimberly Snyder's book and method of eating. For Christmas one of my aunts gave me a wonderful gift: it looks like a bracelet but it is made from a curled ornamental fish knife. It's utterly stunning and it sits on my arm every day reminding me to be strong and to not give into temptation when it presents itself. It was such a thoughtful gift and acts as a lovely representation of my new, healthier lifestyle. My hopes are that, in cutting out meat, I will be healthier. 

Cutting out meat lowers your risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer. You have less chance of cardiovascular disease and a lower level of cholesterol. Those who eat less/no meat do tend to live longer. It can help prevent type 2 Diabetes. Your food will contain less hormones. Your skin will be less clogged, more healthy. You'll have more amino acids and a better internal pH balance from eating a more plant based diet. You eliminate the risk of salmonella and certain food-borne illnesses. You'll have more energy because your body isn't fighting to digest things that are harder to break down. You'll avoid a lot of toxic pesticides and residue found in animal protein. You'll also hopefully help to spare the lives of animals, raise awareness and spend less on your groceries.

If you're reading this then why not try a pescetarian diet for a month to see how you feel as a result?
I'd also recommend buying and reading Kimberly Snyder's book, your eyes will be totally opened to the world of nutrition and you may reconsider some of the things you eat on a regular basis or simple food habits you have. I also recommend reading Kim's blog which is listed in the links below. If you too are a pescetarian/vegetarian/vegan and wish to discuss your experience, please feel free to comment about it below as I'd love to hear your story. If you're now inspired to change your diet based on this information - let me know your thoughts in the comments!

If you are starting a pescetarian diet then know it's OK to have cravings. It's OK to feel a little weak at points. What you're doing takes a good deal of self restraint at the beginning. It will get easier as time goes on. Minimising your relationship with the meat industry and animal cruelty is hugely beneficial and cutting meat from your diet is incredibly healthy. Stick with it, lovely.