Pescetarian

[lion]

A pescetarian is a vegetarian except they eat fish/seafood.

Was anybody a pescetarian before going vegetarian or vegan? Or maybe you still are? Why?

I've never been a pescetarian - I never liked seafood anyway, even when I ate meat. I have nothing against those who choose the diet for whatever reasons, but I've found it annoying, when upon saying that I'm a vegetarian before meals, people always ask if I eat fish. Since lots of people ask, it must be common for people to still eat fish.

 

[thisnthat]

I never realized there were so many different types, but thanks for the info. I like learning new things.

I never really understood this. I mean, if it's about no harm to animals, how come fish don't count? I guess it's the difference between dietary and ethical vegetarianism, as someone pointed out recently in a vegan post I made.

There is a lot to learn.

 

[Michelle]

Being a pescetarian is a personal choice, of course, but they aren't a "vegetarian except they eat fish". I know that's what the official definition might be, but it doesn't make sense. I eat dairy products and honey, am I a "vegan except I eat dairy/honey"? I'm not trying to be argumentative, but a vegetarian is someone that eats no animals. Fish are in the animal kingdom. Again I'm really not trying to be rude, but this is a huge thing because being a pescetarian is a lifestyle and a diet the same way veganism or vegetarianism is a lifestyle and a diet. And it's far better than eating a diet of red meat and other things. But it's not vegetarianism. When I tell people I'm vegetarian, about half say "oh but you eat fish right?" And I'm just like no...no I don't. Even if you're a dietary vegetarian as opposed to an ethical one, it's still not vegetarianism.

Anyway, seafood was the hardest thing for me to give up. I think mentally the reasoning is fish aren't cute, and they're so far removed from us that it's hard for us to really imagine the suffering involved. I mean, fish can't feel pain right? They're just fish. Well being an ethical vegetarian I now know otherwise, but still it was hard. I loved lobster, shrimp, salmon...but my big thing was sushi. I could've eaten it for every meal.

I still have sushi now but fishless

 

[Alexia]

I still get people asking me if I eat fish which I find more amusing. If it's a friend I remind them it's an animal. It was the last thing I gave up, fish fingers and fillet o fish ( I was 16!)

I don't judge though and I think it's a step in the right direction. I have a friend who had cancer so she had to eat fish to get better, so sometimes you need to adjust your needs with health concerns and your beliefs. Some people need to have fish, so if I think any changes to the diet are good and my parents have mainly fish, but vegetarian days too.

 

[Josie]

I still get asked if I eat fish despite telling people I'm a vegan lol. Some people have never even heard of it though, so I understand it I suppose. Once I tell them what it is, they just think it's another word for vegetarianism and they know veggies that eat fish or chicken or cheese etc, so I must have one of those exceptions too. But no.. fish are actually one of the most tortured of all animals. I want to say the most, but I'm not 100% on that yet.. so far they are. And eating them is unnecessary regardless. Anything with a mother stays off my plate, out of my body and away from my home. For ME.. I know it's sounds judgey, but I don't know how else to talk about the facts and my feelings without it coming off like that.

I still get people asking me if I eat fish which I find more amusing. If it's a friend I remind them it's an animal. It was the last thing I gave up, fish fingers and fillet o fish ( I was 16!)

I don't judge though and I think it's a step in the right direction. I have a friend who had cancer so she had to eat fish to get better, so sometimes you need to adjust your needs with health concerns and your beliefs. Some people need to have fish, so if I think any changes to the diet are good and my parents have mainly fish, but vegetarian days too.

Can I ask what she needed from the fish? I know there are other options otherwise, but I'm wondering why it was so necessary for recovery from cancer (honest question, I'm not arguing it.. I'm obsessed with nutrition/health). I'm sorry to hear about your friend; I hope she's fought it off by now.

 

[Michelle]

Sure, eating fish and no other animal is a start. It's better than nothing, and if someone wants to eat fish (or beef or chicken or whatever) that's perfectly fine. But it isn't vegetarian is all I'm trying to say lol. I would also be interested in knowing what aspects of seafood were helpful to her in her cancer recovery. Like Josie, I'm not trying to be argumentative.

 

[Laura]

I am a pescatarian (or vegetarian that eats fish for health reasons. I tell people I'm a vegetarian all the time, and I do occasionally eat fish. I don't buy much fish to eat at home, but since I do it for health reasons if my only options are cheese, fries and fish at a restaurant I choose the fish. Most people I've come across have no clue what a pescatarian is. I find it easier to just say I'm a vegetarian, especially since I hardly ever eat fish anyways. There are so many different labels nowadays. Vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, macrobiotic, raw diet, paleo, gluten free. It's so hard to keep track of!

 

[Alexia]

I don't think people use the term that much these days, but I do find it makes it difficult when people say they are vegetarian but eat fish as people think that's what all vegetarians do.

I used to eat fish as a teenager and that's when the term was more freely banded around, but these days there are too many labels so if I did eat fish I wouldn't label myself as a vegetarian as it's misleading. I would say I prefer a vegetarian based diet as many people do.

I used to host conferences and deal with special diets and people would put down all kinds of requests and when they came to it, they weren't as strict as they said they were, with vegetarians eating fish. What they don't realize I had to order special meals for them and when they pipe up "Oh I eat fish so I'll have that," it doesn't work that way when dishes have been pre-ordered.

 

[CrowdedHighways]

There was a period in my life when I did not eat meat but ate fish, but I did not consider myself to be a vegetarian. I just liked fish/seafood too much to stop eating, but I did not try to justify this decision to myself in anyway. Only when I stopped eating meat, as well, did I star considering myself a true vegetarian.

 

[Laura]

I understand what you're saying with the special requests. I'm sure that got crazy! I like that when I travel and call in my special food request, the airline will ask me if I'm a vegan or lacto-ovo vegetarian. I'm sure they had a lot of confusions before doing it that way!

I was a bartender in a busy sports bar by day, and nightclub by night in Atlanta for 8 years before getting married and having my daughter 2 years ago. Lots of people were also striking up convo with me (ie: asking me lots of annoying questions lol), and I just did not have the time to explain things to anyone. Saying I am a vegetarian is easier. Most of my friends know the term pescetarian, especially since a few of my friends are also pescetarians as well.

 

[turtledove]

I've always been just vegetarian, definitely never pescetarian. However, often when I tell people that I'm vegetarian, they ask me if I eat fish. The number of times I've explained the difference between a vegetarian and a pescetarian is ridiculous.