Pescetarianism

In this entry I am going to discuss my pescetarianism: why I chose this diet, how I'm finding it, how I hope it will help etc.

'Pescetarianism, also called pesco-vegetarianism, is the practice of a diet that includes seafood and excludes other animals.'

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. One eye opening moment came when I was preparing a chicken for a Sunday roast style meal. As I handled the chicken and prepared it to go into the oven I felt suddenly very uncomfortable. My Dad owns several hens and they are truly lovely creatures. I've often picked them up and cuddled them so as I stood there, preparing the chicken for the oven, I imagined it as a living thing. I was holding it in the way I'd pick up a hen. I saw and felt it as something that was alive. We so often disconnect ourselves from the truth behind the food we eat. At that point I started to cut back on eating animal protein. 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 5 months or so.

Now I didn't initially take up the pescetarian diet due to moral reasons. I started modifying the way I eat and the way I look at food after reading Kimberly Snyder's 'The Beauty Detox Solution' which I would recommend to anyone. One thing I love about her book is that nothing is forced upon you. She doesn't guilt trip you into thinking you can't have something. It's not another fad diet - in fact she doesn't call it a diet. It is a 'beauty detox' and instead of putting an emphasis on losing weight to look good it teaches you how you can utilise your diet to give yourself more energy, to get shiny hair and nice skin, to prevent certain illnesses and cancers. If followed then yes, you can use this method of eating to lose weight too if you want to. It's something you can work around your life and your needs.

Snyder's book, within the first chapter, had me re-evaluating my relationship with food. She provides a wealth of information about the benefits of certain foods and the problems with others. She explains key things about our digestive system that we'd previously not even have thought about. She'll explain why fruit doesn't make a good post-meal dessert, what order you should eat foods on your plate in, what really makes for the best breakfast.

Now because of the freedom this book gives you I decided to give up meat but I knew that would be very difficult for me. You think coming out to your parents is hard? Try telling your Scottish, carnivore parents you don't eat meat. My father looked at me with a mixture of astonishment and confusion. He still refers to Quorn as 'plastic food' but is slowly becoming more supportive. My sister is now experimenting with Quorn too. 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. Hey, if it's good enough for Gollum...

(Sorry - a little morbid, I know, but I'm a massive LOTR fan)

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 including the kind that killed my grandmother. 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!


Links
Kimberly Snyder's 'Beauty Detox Solution' from UK Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kimberly+snyder+beauty+detox+solution

'Beauty Detox Solution' for US Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/175-0278429-0185119?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kimberly+snyder+beauty+detox+solution

Kimberly Snyder's blog: http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/

Bodybuilding,com's response to pescetarianism: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lobliner20.htm

Beers and smoothies – but not to drink.

Well you know what they say, right? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Or, more appropriately, beauty is in the eye of the BEER HOLDER.

An old pun a friend of mine used to tell, sure, but tonight I found myself quite literally living out this strange joke.I’ve recently found myself very much intrigued with health and beauty noting that the two terms can be interchangeable. For a while I’ve wanted to test the old theory that pouring flat beer onto your hair and washing it out after a few minutes (like a shampoo) leaves your hair with a nice, glossy shine. Obviously as a student I found no shortage of beer – in fact I’m sure it could make cleaning up after late night parties a lot more profitable (just think – the room is full of free beauty products. Frickin' ace.)

Since I’m notoriously good for forgetting I have a drink when all too engrossed in what’s on my laptop screen I had a spare beer that was more than ready for my little experiment.

That said I’ve also recently been following the work of clinical nutritionist Kimberly Snyder who advertises her Glowing Green Smoothie which I had been drinking religiously for a week or so now. It may look heinous and not taste wonderful but it’s already worked wonders for my skin and the thought hit me: if I have left over smoothie why not use it instead of throwing it away? (I’d put it on a compost heap or feed it so plants in a garden but I live in an apartment so I do what I can) I wondered to myself if, since the ingredients are all natural, would that also provide nutrition to my hair?
I decided to test both.
At the same time.

Guys.
At the time it seemed like a great idea.

Like one of those urban myths or tales that if you do something it'll have a really great outcome.
Nah....

Sure – if this were some actual scientific experiment I’m sure they would test them both individually to compare results and so on but I’m impatient, I had all the ingredients and my hair needed cleaning. First I put the leftover smoothie onto my hair and ran it from root to tip. I let it sit for a while, looking rather ridiculous with my hair full of organic pulp, and then rinsed it out. I continued showering and after a while moved onto the beer. Admittedly I think, in hindsight, that one is meant to apply the beer to dry hair but hey – what’s done is done and fun was had!
I poured it onto my wet hair and allowed it to settle.

The result?
After exiting the shower, towel on head, I found that there were still tiny bits of the smoothie in my hair – bits of celery no doubt. I also found that the beer had left a slight smell upon my hair though it was complemented by the fruity tones.
Success rating?
Although it left my hair with a nice sheen an additional wash was needed to get celery out of my hair. It was a long shot, and a little crazy, but there’s a first time for everything and I’m always up to try new things. It gave my hair some smoothness, a nice scent and gave me a new anecdote to discuss in the future.

The next day I was going out to an alternative night in Leeds and whilst crimping my hair all I could smell was burning celery.

Maybe next I’ll try with just the beer!