Pescatarianism: Week 6

So I think this will be my last post about this issue, since it's starting to get stale (to me anyway). I'm still working on the pescatarian diet and to be quite honest. I've even gotten past the craving to chicken, which had gotten really strong for a while. I don't miss cheeseburgers either, which I thought I would, and I actually feel a lot better when I come home from eating fast food (since I don't eat the cheeseburgers). I still can't bring myself to eat veggie burgers since I think they look gross, but I do love smart dogs as I've mentioned before. I've been pretty spot on about eating like this for a month and a half now so I think my stint is going to slowly wind down.

I'm still going to eat more vegetables and less meat product. But I'm not going to rid my diet of meat, but I'm going to keep myself pescatarian conscious as I pick foods. I guess I'll still be an omnivore though I think the term flexitarian is what's used when you eat more vegetables than meat...same thing though. Anyways, I went back up to NYC again and this time I ate alot better than the other time. Either we found better places to eat, or I just wasn't managing my food as well last time because I found all the protein I needed to make me through the week healthy. Perhaps I was just freaking out because I had to look for the options I needed to stick with my diet. This time I just went with the flow and everything went much smoother. I'm not even trying anymore and it seems easier than when I was.

So now I have to think of a new topic to talk about. Perhaps comic books? We'll see.

Pescatarianism: Week 5

So even after all that bitching, I can't bring myself to eat meat. More or less for the reason that I'd feel like I failed. I am no longer pescatarian in the sense that I'm restricting my diet to only fish but I am eating more like it and have only eaten one turkey sandwich since my last post. The rest has been fish, beans, and tofu.

I am feeling much better than last week when I was deathly ill and since that point I have had a distaste for tuna fish sandwiches for no reason at all besides the fact that I ate it during my sickness. So tuna fish and mayonnaise on bread is a no go for me for the time being. I have found solace in the fact that I really like SmartDogs, alot more than I care to admit since I really don't like the idea of fake meat product because if you're going to be meat free you might as well admit it to yourself. They are a little gelatonous when cooked which took a bit of getting used to but they do taste good. Not like hot dogs but good.

My next big hurdle is finding bean recipes. I feel I have been neglecting these flatulance inducing proteins a bit, though they're bound to be healthier than getting tons of unecessary estrogen boosts for soy-made products. Hopefully at least.

Pescatarianism: Week 4

This week began and ended in misery. I was sick, sick, sick! Disgusting. Therefore, I was cranky and tired and all I wanted was chicken. So I ate it and I loved it and I think that being a pescatarian is not for me. I spent alot of time eating faster foods this week since I couldn't prepare anything substantial which left me eating veggie pizza (again) and tuna fish. I have to say that I'm so sick of tuna fish sandwiches I don't think I'll be able to eat it again for a long long time.

Vegetarian foods don't come cheap (as I've stated in my other post) especially if you want it convenient. Now I'm not poor but I am frugal and I find it riduculous that Imitation chicken nuggets cost more than real chicken nuggets. Not to mention they probably have more real food product in them than the imitation ones do (how else do they get them to taste like chicken?). I'm beginning to feel pretentious with all the money I'm wasting.

I also think I'm sick of trying to scavenge for protein. I have to say I think the cold took longer to get through my system because of my diet (this head cold took an entire WEEK). I may be completely ridiculous on this, like other things I say but I'm not sure this is as healthy as I thought. Perhaps if I lived in Japan or another island it would be better for me...but I don't think the U.S. of A. is the best place for healthy dieting...

Pescatarianism: Week 3

First, I'd like to mention I know this weeks picture has nothing to do pescatarianism but when I googled "fish eating" this is one of the first images that popped up and I found it funny.

Okay, now that that has been cleared up let's move on. So week number three has gone on without any botches. I did not eat one single meat other than fish (hooray!). This being said I also did not get the major headaches I'd had the previous week so I'm beginning to believe that to be the case.

The week itself went fine, though I do have to mention we went up to New York City for the weekend and that's where I hit a few snags. It wasn't really the fact that I couldn't find food. Lord knows NYC probably has the most vegetarian options of any other place in the United States. It was the fact that I couldn't find food with protein in it. I ate mostly carbs and fats, plenty of vegetables, but not enough protein. This left me feeling weak and sickly by the time I got home on Sunday (which I then ate a HUGE bean burrito with tons of protein in it...that wasn't such a good idea either).

My biggest motivation for not eating meat as a protein was the awful headaches I had the previous week. If I hadn't had such a problem, I think I would have just eaten the meat and been done with it but instead I gorged on bagel's with cream cheese and vegetable pizza. My stomach felt a little empty sometimes and others it felt like I had a brick that just wouldn't digest. I'm not sure if I'm just a big baby or if this diet change is really affecting me that much. I'm kind of inclined to believe it is, since I've never changed my diet like and at the age of 25, it's taking some time to adjust.

On a brighter note, even with my weekend diet I did feel healthier. Though I slept on an ikea mattress on the floor with throw pillows I slept soundly and did not tire while walking around the big city. This compares to a few months ago while I was there which I was sluggish and exhausted most my time (and I slept on a bed that time too). So this week was a week to notice positive (and negative) health changes.

Pescatarianism: Week 2

So I'm a little late on this post, but I just wanted to let everyone know week number 2 went fairly well. I had two meals that I could not avoid meat. One at a friends barbeque where there was nothing but Hamburgers and hot dogs (not even baked beans this time) and another barbeque where I just couldn't get around it. Both times I had major headaches after the fact (migraines). I'm not sure if it's the weather that gave me the problems (it's been really hot and muggy out) or if it was the actual food but I haven't had headaches at all besides after those two meals.

All in all, the diet is going well. I'm actually dropping a small amount of weight, though my cheese consumption has definitely gone up, which I'm not proud of. I've tried tempeh and I have to say it tastes like rubber erasers (just as it looks). Maybe I don't know how to cook them but I soaked the suckers for two days in garlic before cooking them and they still tasted like shit. I've vowed them off so I'm trying legumes this week instead.

Speaking of legumes and other non-meat proteins. Buying vegetables and beans is just as expensive as buying meat. In fact, it's been more expensive since I started this diet and I fail to see how rich dieters can tell their poor diet counterparts that it's cheaper to eat veggies. It's not. Case closed.

Which brings me to my last point. Since I spent more money on groceries, I've come to appreciate the fact that I have enough money to do so. I'm beginning to feel middle class...and appreciating it. I've never felt so thankful that I can maintain a diet that is on the more expensive side than what is cheapest. So that has been my epiphany this week. Feeling thankful for what I have.

Pescatarianism: Week 1

After a little thought on the subject of health and dieting. I've decided to try being pescatarian for a while (the article from my last post I found while doing research on the healthiest diets for a human). I don't expect to be a fanatic about this nor am I doing this for any reasons other than health. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I want to track how my body takes it. What the pros and cons are of this diet and how my perception of food changes. On a side note, I still eat what I want (I had three pieces of cake the other night so I'm not diet-ing) I'm just adding a restriction on what kind of meats I eat.

So far I've lasted a week on this diet. I did botch up just once on Saturday where we were at a barbeque and the only protein not hot dogs and hamburgers was baked beans...not exactly my favorite and I wasn't going to be a prude and ask for something else. My diet has mainly consisted of nuts, tofu, eggs, and fish for protein but am looking for recipes that incorporate legumes and tempeh as well (though tempeh looks a little too similar to rubber erasers and I'm not sure how much I want to stick it in my mouth). Already I notice that I'm using alot more fresh vegetables in my recipes and cooking alot more creatively. This I have found to be alot of fun and very exciting (don't make fun of me).

As for eating away from the home, so far I've begun to scrutinize dishes more. I'm more conscience of ingredients and especially of vital nutrients (protein and carbs being the two I'm most interested in). I'm careful to make a choice on a well rounded meal with both a protein and vegetables with some type of carbs to help me with energy throughout the day. That and I never realized how many dishes are only meat and carbs...not really anything else. I haven't craved anything I can't eat yet either, which has made this pretty painless. However, I am beginning to find picking out food a little exhausting at times because of the process it takes for me to select it.

The way my body is handling has been positive. I'm not so sluggish in the morning and overeating is much more rare since I don't just shovel what I see into my mouth. Plus, each meal seems to suppress my appetite a little while longer so I don't get as hungry as fast as I used to (this even with the fact that I'm exercising more). I think this is in part with the fact that I'm more conscious of what I'm putting into my body rather than my restriction. I have done alot more research on foods since I decided this diet than I ever have before but it still remains to be seen.

Vegetarian vs Omnivore

For all those vegetarians out there that think meat eaters are dumb and fat please click here. Just so you know you won't inherit the earth from us anytime soon.