I have just recently become Pescetarian. Any tips would be helpful.
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Maybe I'm missing something here but isn't the only real tip "don't eat any meat that isn't fish?" That doesn't sound like THAT much of a struggle. OK, so at McDonald's you're going to be limited to fish sandwiches instead of burgers and chicken sandwiches. The struggle is real.
I was wondering the same thing. It seems to me, the only thing you would really need to do is make sure you are getting enough fats. Other than that, how hard could this be?0 -
hortensehildegarde wrote: »Farfromthetree, thank you for that! I don't think I'll ever get my hands on swordfish or shark, so I believe I will be good there. I eat tuna every day, though!
Has your research shown that tuna is safe? I LOVE tuna with lettuce and some vinegar, but seems to me somewhere I read about it being unsafe to eat a lot of (I think for mercury too IIRC) but frankly I was too lazy to research it further and just chose to eat less tuna.
I am guessing if you eat it every day that you have researched it thoroughly, so I am curious about what you found out? Are the tuna scares just hype? Is there a kind that is better than other kinds? (like is canned chunk light ok for every day, or albacore better, or any other suggestions)
Sorry to hijack and ask questions instead of offering advice. I am not pescatarian, but I do eat a lot of cod and pollock based meals. They are delicious! It's great they can come out tasting like made from fresh when actually made from frozen. Also lemon lemon and more lemon (and capers) EXCELLENT to put on fish!
I know canned Tuna is higher in mercury than tuna steaks. I dont know how much is hype and how much to really worry about. I tend to take things like this in stride since every time you turn around something else is bad for you. I am lucky if I eat tuna steaks every few weeks. (I cannot afford it
) I did read not to eat more than one can of tuna a day. I may just switch to canned salmon which is lower in contaminants and higher in omega 3's. I will not give up my tuna steaks though!! 0 -
Farfromthetree, thank you for that! I don't think I'll ever get my hands on swordfish or shark, so I believe I will be good there. I eat tuna every day, though!
My only problem with all this is that when I told my mom, she completely disregarded me, and has continued to use meat in every dish she makes. She tells me to eat around it and pick out the meat. Tonight, I looked in the crockpot, and I saw she is making spaghetti squash spaghetti for dinner. WITH MEATBALLS. Why?! My brother hates spaghetti squash so he won't even eat! And I never ate the meatballs anyway! I don't understand why she is being like this. Should I just pick out the meatballs, then?
I think your mom might be worried that you will not get the proper nutrients/protein. She is probably thinking if she ignores it, it will go away. If you are truly serious about it, try buying higher protein freezer foods such as morning star veggie burgers or beans and just use it as a substitute for the meat. Time to get creative at the super market!!0 -
Lose_It_Leo wrote: »Even though I don't eat fish (I'm a vegetarian) I would recommend you only buy locally caught fish if you can (I don't know whether you live by the coast or not but just in case) and only line-caught fish. It's also a good idea to perhaps buy the fish that aren't usually in high demand because those tend to be cheaper. All these things are better for the planet, localised ecosystems and actually broadens your choice of fish to eat. As mentioned in a previous entry, certain species of fish have higher mercury counts so try and have lower-count species. And lots of oily fish!
In terms of preparing fish, marinating fish in flavours overnight (2 days is best) can produce amazing results- e.g. spices, limes/lemons, etc.
marinating fish in lemon "cooks" it - especially if it's longer than an hour or so. It's called "ceviche"
http://www.kitchendaily.com/read/will-lemon-juice-cook-meat-and-seafood
OP is from Indiana btw, it's in her profile.
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3599.htm0 -
You can easily get large bags of frozen fish filets that are individually packaged to make them convenient. All you need to add is a small collection of herbs and spices, and a citrus fruit or good vinegar, and a little olive oil. You can Sautee, broil or bake very fast. Grilling whole fish, or baking in a salt dome, are great ways to make a large portion for leftovers or company.
And if you can afford it, shrimp are pretty much the food of the gods.0 -
My husband has been pescatarian since he was a child He hated meat and spit it out. He has always been slim and is now 60. He eats alot of legumes and cheeses. I respect his choice and cook with alot of variety. Today I made saffron and shrimp risotto. His blood work is enviable---colesteral really low, low blood pressure too. He works out at the gym and swims 4 times a week. So, yes, you can definately do this and it's very healthy. As for different types of fish and mercury, research in your area, mix up the fish you use. Today with frozen fish it's easy. Best.
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Maybe I'm missing something here but isn't the only real tip "don't eat any meat that isn't fish?" That doesn't sound like THAT much of a struggle. OK, so at McDonald's you're going to be limited to fish sandwiches instead of burgers and chicken sandwiches. The struggle is real.
I was wondering the same thing. It seems to me, the only thing you would really need to do is make sure you are getting enough fats. Other than that, how hard could this be?
Same here. Even so, if you toss in an avocado or two and a handful of nuts, it really is not that much of an issue.
Also – olive oil.0 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »There are a few others doing the same so they may be along in time since you have it in your header. I do all kinds of meat but do love fish. I eat out a lot. Have you found any places that you can get a fish meal that works for your diet at least so so?
Not really, yet. But there are a lot of good places that offer vegetarian dishes. I absolutely love Moe's, Chili's, and Qdoba. I know that Olive Garden has a salmon dish that I would love to try! And other restaurants too, I just need to go to them!
If you choose to follow a specific diet you should cook for yourself0 -
Oh! One tip though, especially if you have never cook fish before – make sure your kitchen is well ventilated and keep windows open when cooking. Ideally close the door to other rooms. ^^
Supposedly, adding a bit of lemon juice before and while cooking helps break down the smell (and this is not just a grandma solution, we actually had a chemistry lesson on this back in high school
). 0 -
depending on how much control you have over your food preparation, pescetarian is really easy. And tasty. High quality protein, low fat is available for you. Fish and seafood are my favourite choices anyway!
My wife is pescetarian, and even restricting ourselves to sustainable seafood (it doesn't mean fancy or expensive. Hello sardines!) it's super easy to come up with recipes for all sorts.
No time? Canned tuna or salmon sandwich.
Barbecue? Trout, you can even papillote it. Or salted sardines
Fancy occasion? Dungeness crab legs (I assume crustaceans are OK with you). Or harpoon-caught swordfish.
Going out? Sushi!
Think about what water-surrounded countries eat. It's very non-restrictive.
All this talk of yummy fish foods is giving me cravings.0 -
GingerbreadCandy wrote: »Oh! One tip though, especially if you have never cook fish before – make sure your kitchen is well ventilated and keep windows open when cooking. Ideally close the door to other rooms. ^^
Supposedly, adding a bit of lemon juice before and while cooking helps break down the smell (and this is not just a grandma solution, we actually had a chemistry lesson on this back in high school ).
If the fish is fresh, there shouldn't be much of a smell.0 -
As well as fish you may wish to add some vegetarian meat alternatives to your diet to keep up the variety. That way if your Mom wanted to cook spaghetti and meatballs, you could have the same dish but substitute for vegetarian meatballs which shouldn't create too much trouble.
Restaurants nearly all have fish and vegetarian options so you shouldn't have any trouble dining out.0 -
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SnuggleSmacks wrote: »GingerbreadCandy wrote: »Oh! One tip though, especially if you have never cook fish before – make sure your kitchen is well ventilated and keep windows open when cooking. Ideally close the door to other rooms. ^^
Supposedly, adding a bit of lemon juice before and while cooking helps break down the smell (and this is not just a grandma solution, we actually had a chemistry lesson on this back in high school ).
If the fish is fresh, there shouldn't be much of a smell.
Depends on the fish really. Fresh sardines for instance are wonderful to grill, but the smell of cooking will linger for a while.
Then again, I have a small, badly ventilated flat so I will have the smell of anything I cook for up to two days if I am not careful.0 -
Yes, I too am thinking about the mercury in tuna. Only eat a few times per week. I like sardines. Usually, I will consume fish 4 times per week. The rest of the time, it's without meat - supplement with a bit of yogurt - dry cottage cheese (high protein, low sodium), and maybe some egg whites. LOTS of veggies - raw is preferred...
Good luck with your mom0 -
A few nights ago I decided to become pescetarian.
Notwithstanding the general advice it would be useful in communicating to other people what the rationale for the change is? Ethical or something else?
I'd agree with the points above about stepping up to doing your own catering. that said, as pescatarian is neither one thing nor the other I can appreciate why someone might take the view that you could just not eat the meat component of a dish. It's a bit simplistic though and I'd suggest you need to improve your communications to her about your thinking.Any words of wisdom and guidance would be very helpful. Thank you!
You'll need to look for other source sof protein as well; paneer, pulses, leafy greens etc
fwiw the whole mercury contamination issue is significantly overblown.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »0
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My husband and I are pescatarians for health reasons. Don't forget to include egg dishes in your meal rotations: frittatas, omelettes, eggs in purgatory, etc. To keep calories and cholesterol lower, use a ratio of about 1 whole egg to 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid egg whites.
Don't rule out sardines. Try the ones that are skinless and boneless first, and try the in tomato and Dijon mustard sauce as well as olive oil.
Gortons makes a few frozen salmon filet products that I like: Simply Bake is inexpensive and low calorie (I like the roasted garlic and butter sauce one). Another option is the Teriyaki Salmon, which is a little more expensive and a few more calories (like, 220 or 260 instead of the 140 for the Simply Bake). I like to have them for lunch with broccoli and butter and a side of grated carrots or some other vegetable. I usually get out of lunch for around 400 calories.
For a splurge meal, I'll make ahi tun steaks. I like them seared; to me, completely cooked is almost the same taste as canned and why on earth would I pay so much extra for fresh? Just personal taste, though.
Vigo's makes a really good red beans and rice for about $1.50, and you just add water and put it in the microwave for 20 minutes or so. That's great with a salad and some cornbread.
Michael Angelo's makes some preservative-free, simple ingredient frozen dinners that are vegetarian and taste really good. We like the Vegetable Lasagna and the Eggplant Parmesan.
Lentils really are great. They are good protein, cheap, relatively fast, and can be seasoned any which way. Check out the Lentil thread on the recipe forum.
I make 90% of our food from scratch, but if you are working in someone else's kitchen, those are some relatively inexpensive easy options.
As far as your mom, see if you can be politely proactive. Ask her in the morning or afternoon if there's something you can do to help with dinner. See if you can start cooking for the family, tweaking the meal so your portions don't have meat. Depending on how broke you are and whether or not she's paying for food, you'll probably get much better results with honey. Start helping more with dinner if you can, take out your portions pre-meat, make sides that you can eat, and - without making any kind of a fuss at all or any complaints - simply choose not to eat things she's put meat in. Don't call attention to it, she'll notice on her own. If she asks you about it, just stay pleasant and say you're changing your eating habits. No one likes to have people not eat what she's taken the trouble to prepare, so it's very likely she'll end up supporting you if you handle it right and if she's at all reasonable.
Good luck!0 -
I'm not a proper pescetarian, however I do eat a lot of fish just because I enjoy it.
If you don't want to eat what your mother cooks, you probably need to cook for yourself. Or you could learn a few recipes the whole family could enjoy together.
One of our favourites is homemade fish pie. It's basically any kind of fish in a white sauce (I just use the milk I poached the fish in, add a little flour to thicken) topped with mash (I use a mix of potatoes and rutabaga so it's got some hidden veg in there). Sometimes I add a little grated cheese on top. It takes a little while to cook as you need to boil the veg and poach the fish then stick the whole thing in the oven for half an hour, but it freezes brilliantly, so I usually make several meals' worth and have a super fast, filling dinner later in the month. I serve it with some broccoli, peas or green beans on the side. It's great in cold weather.
For quick fishy lunches, I make a 'whatever veg is in the fridge' salad and top it with either fresh, marinated anchovies (LOVE!), tinned tuna, cold flaked salmon I cooked previously, tinned sardines or prawns. Yum. A hard-boiled egg goes nicely with all of those too.0 -
KarenJanine wrote: »Restaurants nearly all have fish and vegetarian options so you shouldn't have any trouble dining out.
Ha! Not in small-town Indiana they don't!
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