Pescatarian Eating

7 years ago
Read Time: 3 minutes
by Neressa S Henry
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First things first I’m the realest ☺

Okay,so what is the pescatarian diet?

Being pescatarian in simple term means following a vegetarian diet with the inclusion of seafood like crustaceans, fish etc.

I have been a pescatarian for at least 4 years. It’s not as hard as some may think, you just need focus and discipline.

Why and how did I give up Curried Chicken?

It all began when my temporary church home in America did their annual Daniel Fast (21 days) at the beginning of the year (2013). This fast involves consuming food from the earth, no meat or chicken, just beans, wheat, water, fruit, and nuts.

When I tell you I was HUNGRY!

I never missed chicken so much in my life! I wasn’t sure how long I would have lasted, but it got much easier after the first week.

The fast ended on Superbowl Sunday and believe me I ATE until I couldn’t anymore!

After the fast, I started eating meat again, but I felt more tired than I was while on the fast. To add insult to injury, I watched a documentary on called Food Inc. Ever since watching the documentary, I have not eaten any meat or chicken. However, I did decide to add fish to my diet because I felt I needed more protein than beans, but I am highly selective on what type of fish I eat. SAY NO TO TILIPIA

What do I eat?

I basically replaced meat with tofu, beans and more fruits and vegetables. While in America, I mainly ate rice bowls from Chipotle or Tijuana flats and made them at home as well. In the Caribbean, there are a wide variety of fish dishes to choose from. Until a year ago, I ate eggs, but stopped because I felt like it was time.

The Cost $$$

Being a pescatarian is not cheap! I repeat this is not cheap! Vegetables are more expensive than chicken. The rice bowls or cheap in the states, but in the Caribbean that’s another story. There aren’t any ready-made rice bowls on the menu like the states, so you have to be creative. The cheapest thing on the menu would be the appetizers or fries.

The seafood on most menus costs starts from $20 and up nothing less. So you’re better off making your meals at home.

What do I cook?

As I said before you have to be creative, some people think too much into it at times. All you need is vegetables, carbs and tofu. I absolutely love pasta dishes so anything and pasta is good. I’ve made baked ziti, just substitute ground beef for extra firm tofu or veggie burgers. The great thing is you cook it the same way you would ground beef/ turkey. Easy! I’ve made shepherd’s pie with lentils, it’s the same thing stew the peas like the meat and you’ll be fine.

Vegetarian fried rice is a staple.

Vegetarian/Pescatarian meals take much imagination. If you get stuck just head on over to Pinterest! That’s what I do! They have a vast number of meals on there pick one and try. I’m not the greatest cook, but I make it work.

I don’t cook often, but when I do I’ll be sure to post the recipes.

How do I remain a pescatarian?

Here’s the thing. I still live with my momma and she still cooks for the family, therefore it wasn’t that hard. Of course, I’m not immune to the aromas of meat dishes. However, I don’t crave them whatsoever. I remember once I craved something crispy like wings, but I held tight and ate fries instead. It’s not as hard as some may think. It’s all about the discipline and focus.

Surviving the holidays

Ham and turkey time!

Growing up the only thing I enjoyed during the holidays was Ham and that’s it. As the years went by, I grew disinterested. At my house we mostly ate turkey bacon and the only time we got pork bacon was if we ordered a bacon cheeseburger at a restaurant.

Health fact. Pork takes longer to digest than any other meat.

In the Caribbean, you see the most ham at Christmas. Every house has a ham that lasts several days; ham for breakfast, lunch maybe even dinner.

I just ignore the ham and consume everything around it.