#monthlydose of Pescatarianism

My challenge for February was to get a monthly dose of being pescatarian (vegetarian + fish). I eat meatless almost every day for lunch and several times a week for dinner and always wondered what it would be like to do it full time. On top of that, Jon and I both got blood tests results back in January and were instructed to eat less red meat, so this seemed like the perfect challenge for February.

So, what did I do? I ate only vegetarian (not vegan) and fish in February. I had to think ahead/out of the box for cooking and ordering food, but overall it wasn’t that bad. My only cheats happened a couple times when friends graciously hosted us for dinner. I wasn’t going to abstain from the delicious, heartfelt meals they cooked for us - that would be rude!

What happened during this month?:

·        -I craved sugar/sweets. I’d already been having issues with hypoglycemia for a couple months - this means I don’t have enough blood sugar, which can lead to dizziness/weakness/heightened anxiety. I think changing up my diet made my blood sugar even lower. Since your body generally craves what it needs, and I craved sweets this month. I don’t usually have a sweet tooth, so people took notice. Someone would walk by at work and say “Why is there a huge bag of gummy bears on your desk, you never eat those?” Don’t judge me, Karen, just keep on walking!

·        -A common benefit associated with this diet is an increase in energy. I will say that this month my energy felt steadier and more balanced. I didn’t have huge bouts of energy that would crash, and I didn’t have the usual 3pm work day yawns.   

·        -I was much more adventurous when cooking and ordering food. I had a blast trying new recipes and picking out food at restaurants. I really kicked myself for not taking more pictures of all of this delicious things I ate, but here are some of my favorite new recipes I tried:

o   Shakshuka: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014721-shakshuka-with-feta

o   Lentil, potato, and kale soup: https://www.hummusapien.com/hearty-lentil-kale-potato-soup/ We ate a lot of soup this month!

o Buffalo Cauliflower: https://selfproclaimedfoodie.com/buffalo-cauliflower-bites/

o   This impossible burger - which can be found at many restaurants. I don’t know how they do it; it’s vegetarian but looks and tastes just like meat. What is this delicious witchcraft?

·        -I got Mangry – yes this is another word I made up. It’s like hangry but specifically when you’re hungry for meat. #mangry There were atleast a couple times that Jon would say, “you’re cranky, I think you need meat”. While I wouldn’t admit it at the time, 10/10 I think he was right.

·       -When I do eat meat, I am pickier about the quality of meat that I’m eating. Once you remove it for a while, you become more aware of and can taste the difference between lower and higher meats. You are what you eat, so this has helped me to prioritize what I put into my body. Except for Taco Bell, because that salty, savory mystery meat is delicious and exempt from any type of standards I give myself.

I won’t lie, this month wasn’t the easiest, but it was intriguing. I think this diet is very doable, but it will require a conscious effort to substitute the right foods and nutrients if you want to do it right. We succeeded in our goal to eat more fish this month. We also ate a lot of eggs, tofu, and probably 60 lbs of lentils. Overall, I still value eating meatless and will do it more often, but it turns out that a strict pescatarian diet does not spark joy for me (or whatever the kids are saying these days).

But to my vegetarian and pescatarian friends: I 100% respect you, I 100% support you, and I eat with you (60% of the time). The most important thing for us all is to continuously try new things and 

find what's best for your body.