I have been a pescatarian for roughly a year and a half and before that I was a vegetarian for a year. In that time, I have listened to every question, insult, comment and compliment regarding my food habits at least ten times each. Therefore, allow me to respond to the most frequent questions and statements that I hear.
“What does that mean?”
I often receive this response after stating that I am a pescatarian or when I would say I was a vegetarian. Pescatarian simply means that I do not eat any meat besides fish. Vegetarian is defined as someone who does not consume any meat.
“Wow! I can’t believe you’ve been vegan for so long!”
I have never in my life been a vegan. That is the biggest misconception that I hear, people confusing vegans with vegetarians or pescatarians. Vegans not only do not eat but they also do not consume any by-products of animals.
“Why did you give up meat?”
There was a variety of reasons that contributed to me going meatless. However, what influenced me the most was a documentary called, “Cowspiracy”. It is about the pollution, destruction and cruelty the meat industry encompasses. They are responsible for a vast amount of issues, especially environmental. After realizing the havoc that ensued from the meat industry I found no excuse that would justify continuing to eat meat.
“Then how did you justify eating fish again?”
As my anniversary of vegetarianism came closer I realized I was tremendously low in iron. My energy levels were extremely low compared to when I was eating meat. I attempted to use other foods as substitutes to help, but it never felt like enough. In addition, my resistance was weaning. I did truly miss fish. So, I decided to start eating fish once again. I avoid eating it frivolously as I do know the fish industry is depleting our oceans and wreaking havoc on ecosystems. I do not want to contribute to the problem more than I must and therefore, I give my body what it needs, not what it wants.
“See! This is why being vegetarian is stupid! We need meat!”
I know a plethora of healthy individuals sustaining a vegetarian diet. It all depends on how your body responds to the change. Being a vegetarian is not for everyone, but that does not mean it’s not for anyone.
“When are you going to start eating all meat again?”
The answer to this question is never an easy. My initial reply is typically: I will not. However, thinking about never eating a chicken nugget again is a strange thought. Perhaps one day I’ll wake up and decide to eat meat again, but currently, I cannot envision myself doing that.
“You hippy.”
I am frequently told this, sometimes as a joke and other instances where it’s meant to be an insult. Perhaps I am a hippy; I care about the environment, the issues occurring, and I am trying to make a difference. If that’s what someone considers a “hippy”, than I do not take offense. After all, If you are not contributing to a solution then you are part of the problem.
The environment is declining right before us and yet, we continue executing the same old habits and expect the issues to magically solve themselves. They won’t. We must take notes from the environmentally friendly and hope that one day we will realize that the way we are eating is eating away at the earth.