Advice for a new Pescetarian?

justkrissy
justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I've recently decided I want to become a Pescetarian. What happened is that I have always loved animals, and I feel really strongly about animal abuse, but I also grew up my entire life eating meat. I've known for a long time that the meat I am eating comes from animals who have been tortured, and murdered, but I refused to allow myself to read or watch anything on Factory Farms because I knew it would deter me away from eating meat, and the idea of living without meat seemed impossible. Of course living in blissful ignorance is just as bad as knowing exactly what happens to these animals and still eating meat, so I told myself that if I can watch a few videos on Factory Farms and not be affected by it, then I can continue to eat meat without being hypocritical. I ended up watching the Tyson Video on the "Walmart Cruelty" website and bawled my eyes out. Needless to say, the idea of eating pigs and cows now makes me feel sick to me stomach.

As ruthless as it sounds, I have no emotional attachment towards fish and seafood (aside from dolphins/sharks/whales). I don't know why but that is just how I feel, so I have decided to keep fish and sea food in my diet because at least this lets me be congruent. Now my issue is that I have been really successful in my weight loss during, and I am afraid this diet change may have a negative effect on my success. I was just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice on how I can prevent myself from ruining my weight loss success while also changing my diet to Pescetarianism.

Replies

  • Squidgeypaws007
    Squidgeypaws007 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I've been vegetarian for a long time Krissy and there is no reason you should have a negative effect on your diet from the change - just so long as you handle it properly!

    Tuna has a load of protein in it, so effectively all you're doing is cutting out the larger amounts of fats and calories in red meats which is good! Just make sure you're balancing your macros - I used to eat a HUGE amount of carbs per day (obviously without the fish it was even less balanced), so that would be my advice!

    Congratulations on deciding to make the change though - it's a big decision :)
  • 1shauna1
    1shauna1 Posts: 993 Member
    Unless you were to start just eating fried fish & seafood, you should be good. Lots of oily fish (like salmon and mackerel) have fats in them but they are the good kind. Shrimp and scallops are low fat (prepared without the garlic butter!). I don't see how, if you make smart choices about what you're eating, you wouldn't continue to lose weight! Good luck!
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    Thanks for your comments! I will probably do some additional research on it as well. ^_^
  • asianmonkie
    asianmonkie Posts: 264
    Remember your fiber! I went on a pescetarian diet and was so constipated. Hahaha! Good luck though. It's a really good diet when done right.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    Seafood is an excellent source of protein, so there should be no problems there.

    My *personal* problem is with those videos you mentioned. They are designed to scare people, and obviously they work. While the big farm machine can be pretty gruesome, small farmers (such as myself) do NOT fit into that category. I have both black angus cows & pigs, both of which will feed my fmaily. But while they are with us, they are very well kept in large areas & allowed to roam as they please. If you find it difficult to give up meat entirely, might I suggest only purchasing meat from locally owned farmers?

    I hate those damn "documentaries" because of the fear they instill. Come to my farm. You would probably eat steak that I raised with no qualms whatsoever.

    Sorry to hijack, but those things make my blood boil.
    /rant
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    Seafood is an excellent source of protein, so there should be no problems there.

    My *personal* problem is with those videos you mentioned. They are designed to scare people, and obviously they work. While the big farm machine can be pretty gruesome, small farmers (such as myself) do NOT fit into that category. I have both black angus cows & pigs, both of which will feed my fmaily. But while they are with us, they are very well kept in large areas & allowed to roam as they please. If you find it difficult to give up meat entirely, might I suggest only purchasing meat from locally owned farmers?

    I hate those damn "documentaries" because of the fear they instill. Come to my farm. You would probably eat steak that I raised with no qualms whatsoever.

    Sorry to hijack, but those things make my blood boil.
    /rant

    I was actually considering that, but I'm also a student in college, and I probably cannot afford meats from real farms, and even if I can, I'm not positive if I want to. I think it is something I need to think more on because a part of me feels it is okay if the animals lived a life where they were treated humanely, but on the other hand, I think about how I would feel if those animals in a properly maintained farm were dogs and not pigs/cows, would I still feel like it is okay to eat them? My dogs are my bestfriends, and I'm sure there are people who might consider their cows/pigs their best friends, so is it right for me to do it? Would it go against what I personally believe in? I understand the whole predator vs prey reality of life, but the big question is, do I actually want to be a predator?
  • elmr34
    elmr34 Posts: 32 Member
    Fresh fish can be pricey depending on where you live. Where I live fresh fish costs about $12/lb and gulf caught shrimp is $10/lb. However, canned tuna, canned mackeral, canned salmon, sardines, and frozen tilapia (well, any tilapia) is much more affordable. Bonus is that canned mackerel and sardines are the highest in healthy fats which are ultra good for you. I mix the pricey fish (which I eat maybe once a week) with the less expensive fish.

    You can cook fish any way that you could cook any other meat but I really love it grilled. Fish cooks a lot faster than other meat which is a bonus for me.

    Not sure how you feel about dairy and eggs but most pescatarians I know eat them- they are also a great source of protein and variety.

    Lastly, you can always get protein from a variety of grains like vegans do. Remember to eat a variety of grains since eating only one type of grain (like wheat for example) at all times doesn't provide complete protein.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    Seafood is an excellent source of protein, so there should be no problems there.

    My *personal* problem is with those videos you mentioned. They are designed to scare people, and obviously they work. While the big farm machine can be pretty gruesome, small farmers (such as myself) do NOT fit into that category. I have both black angus cows & pigs, both of which will feed my fmaily. But while they are with us, they are very well kept in large areas & allowed to roam as they please. If you find it difficult to give up meat entirely, might I suggest only purchasing meat from locally owned farmers?

    I hate those damn "documentaries" because of the fear they instill. Come to my farm. You would probably eat steak that I raised with no qualms whatsoever.

    Sorry to hijack, but those things make my blood boil.
    /rant

    I was actually considering that, but I'm also a student in college, and I probably cannot afford meats from real farms, and even if I can, I'm not positive if I want to. I think it is something I need to think more on because a part of me feels it is okay if the animals lived a life where they were treated humanely, but on the other hand, I think about how I would feel if those animals in a properly maintained farm were dogs and not pigs/cows, would I still feel like it is okay to eat them? My dogs are my bestfriends, and I'm sure there are people who might consider their cows/pigs their best friends, so is it right for me to do it? Would it go against what I personally believe in? I understand the whole predator vs prey reality of life, but the big question is, do I actually want to be a predator?

    For the records, cows are stooooooopid. We eat them for a reason. Pigs are pretty smart, but...bacon.

    Chickens and turkeys will look up in the rain...and drown.

    I used to be a city gal, but living on a farm has been eye opening. I hand feed my pigs daily, and daily look at those big, fat cheeks while they eat and think MmmMMMmmmm you are going to taste good.

    If money is the deciding factor, might I suggest going straight to the source? I have sold my beef for very reasonable prices on several occassions. Basically enough to cover my own expenses plus a tiny profit. Last time I sold was $5.50/lb for a quarter cow. Less than $100 for a big cooler full of meat. Affordable even on a college budget, and you would eat way better than your dormmates.

    Good luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • justkrissy
    justkrissy Posts: 146 Member
    Fresh fish can be pricey depending on where you live. Where I live fresh fish costs about $12/lb and gulf caught shrimp is $10/lb. However, canned tuna, canned mackeral, canned salmon, sardines, and frozen tilapia (well, any tilapia) is much more affordable. Bonus is that canned mackerel and sardines are the highest in healthy fats which are ultra good for you. I mix the pricey fish (which I eat maybe once a week) with the less expensive fish.

    You can cook fish any way that you could cook any other meat but I really love it grilled. Fish cooks a lot faster than other meat which is a bonus for me.

    Not sure how you feel about dairy and eggs but most pescatarians I know eat them- they are also a great source of protein and variety.

    Lastly, you can always get protein from a variety of grains like vegans do. Remember to eat a variety of grains since eating only one type of grain (like wheat for example) at all times doesn't provide complete protein.

    Yah, where I am from fish are not too pricey because I live surrounded by lakes everywhere. Plus, I love canned tuna. lol!

    But thanks for all this info. I really appreciate it.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I recently started adding fish/seafood into my diet after being a vegetarian for 18 years. I agree that grilled is the best! The only canned fish I'll eat it tuna, though. The rest of it grosses me out.

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