Pescetarian Incoming

[Gillybelly]

Hello all! My boyfriend and I just recently decided to change up our diet to something healthier so I'm giving a flexitarian/pescatarian diet a go! I can already tell it's going to be difficult for me as I rely on my family (and occasionally work) for meals, so I'm looking for support and accountability! I a a huge meat lover, so my journey will be a difficult one, but I'm changing up my diet so that I can feel better about myself overall and I think giving up most meat will be worth it in the long run. Who knows, maybe if I notice a difference in my well-being I'll transition to vegetarianism or maybe even veganism!

Anyways, my name is Gillian and I'm happy to meet you all!

 

[shyvas]

Hello & . I'm familiar with Laura Calder (celebrity cook) who is from New Brunswick.

 

[Lou]

 

[Emma JC]

welcome Gillian and fellow Canadian

It is a great time to switch to a new healthy diet and I encourage you to move towards a plant-based diet as quickly as you can.

Veganism is more than just healthy food and so watching some of the documentaries about animal cruelty in the food industry can help move you towards it even more quickly if that is where you truly wish to go.

You can start out with Game Changers and What the Health as they are very informative on the benefits of eating a plant-based diet and show only a bit of the cruelty. Once you truly understand how the cows and fish and chickens and lambs are treated both for their flesh and for their emissions you may find it easier to switch.

Also with the stocking up that is happening fresh produce and plant-based foods (beans, lentils etc) are easier to find than the animal alternatives.

We look forward to you sharing your journey with us.

Emma JC

 

[beancounter]

Welcome!

But just to be clear, fish are animals, and are considered "meat".

Being a Vegetarian or Vegan at the most basic level means that you do not eat the flesh of animals.

Going from eating primarily red meat to eating fish exclusively is really not a transition to veg*ism.

 

[Brian W]

Hi Gillian - pleased to meet you. I was a meat lover too and I struggled my whole adult life to become vegetarian but constantly failed and went back to eating meat. I realized that my difficulty was the label. Labels give a sense of restriction and were making me feel like I was denying myself. Eventually I decided I would just find out what plant foods I could enjoy and not worry about whether or not I ate any meat or dairy. After nearly a month I looked back and realized that, apart from one omelette and two servings of yoghurt, I had lived on a plant based diet and was still enjoying it. It was then that I decided I might as well be vegan. The range of mock meats available today is quite good but you may have to use a bit of trial and error to find out what you like. My tastes have adapted now and I enjoy legumes as much as I used to enjoy bacon. There are still temptations, but I usually deal with them by having vegan schnitzel or something a little oily and salty.

 

[David3]

Hello all! My boyfriend and I just recently decided to change up our diet to something healthier so I'm giving a flexitarian/pescatarian diet a go! I can already tell it's going to be difficult for me as I rely on my family (and occasionally work) for meals, so I'm looking for support and accountability! I a a huge meat lover, so my journey will be a difficult one, but I'm changing up my diet so that I can feel better about myself overall and I think giving up most meat will be worth it in the long run. Who knows, maybe if I notice a difference in my well-being I'll transition to vegetarianism or maybe even veganism!

Anyways, my name is Gillian and I'm happy to meet you all!

Hi Gillian,

Canada is a great place for veg foods. Several popular fast food restaurants are now serving very convincing fake meat burgers and chicken dishes.

In the United States, and perhaps also in Canada, you can buy meatless "Beyond Meat" in the supermarket meat section. It looks, cooks, and tastes like ground beef, and you can use it in your recipes. Kind of pricey, though.

Also, Canada is the world's leading producer of lentils. Lentils are my favorite beans - so fast to cook, and they are good in soup and pasta.

The Canadian Health Ministry's food guide is fully accommodating of vegetarian and vegan diets:

• Canadian food guide home page: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/
• Canadian food guide protein page: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/hea...e-grains-and-protein-foods/eat-protein-foods/
• Full text of Canadian food guide: https://food-guide.canada.ca/static/assets/pdf/CDG-EN-2018.pdf

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