I started a vegetarian (pescevegetarian because I may go back to fish sometimes i. e. Sushi) diet a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t long after I came from St. Croix. No, the food there didn’t make me sick or anything… I just needed a lifestyle change and I was curious as to what it would do to my body. This will go for 30 days (I believe I started this on the 9th).
Portabello Mushroom Melt from Overlook in Manhattan.
I always wanted to have a vegetarian diet actually. My mother got me back with an Italian sausage pizza when I first tried being one in highschool (unfair). I understand why she did it now, but back then that pizza was my favourite and it was easy to influence my life (plus she controlled the diet in the house even if she entertained my diet for a week).
Lunch options from New Fancy Food on Broadway
Portabella etc from Red Bamboo in the West Village
Besides reading the literature, I did notice I made meals with less and less animal parts. Don’t get me wrong, I am a complete foodie (that might not change). However, this transition was easy because meat was 1. Way too bothersome to prepare. 2. I almost never knew the expiration date. 3. So many are bad for you (watch Food, inc).
I think in the upcoming months I might transition from vegetarian to pescetarian. There are so many rules that we are simply making them up as we go along aren’t we?
The most difficult thing was going to my favourite Indian restaurant and realizing that I salivated when I looked at the meat menu but settled for the vegetarian section which turned out incredible!
Although I am not going to use my blog to convert anyone. I will share some of the information that was discovered:
- Consuming too much animal protein leads to Osteoporosis (If you wonder where we get protein, since that’s what some friends argued, there’s whole grains, brown rice, lentils (I love!), tofu, soy milk, nuts, seeds).
- Fish contain high mercury levels.
- They are right, “no species naturally drink milk beyond the age of weaning, and no species would naturally drink the milk of a different species.” Ever wondered why so many people are lactose intolerant.
By the way, I am not going to go PETA on anyone… in fact, I was raised on a farm and I did enjoy having produce from our farm, so I would simply be a hyprocrit, especially if I ever chose to have a Chicken Salad in the future. However, some animals are treated cruelly in the U. S. and my take on that is: well, humans are on the top of the food-chain and I don’t know if veggies have feelings 
but it’s still no excuse to have them suffer (watch Food, inc). I’m merely concerned with how the hormones affect my body. If I raised my own animals, it would be a different story.
Currently, I am replacing the meat parts of my meals. I’m not too sure about “fake meat” yet because I’m not interested in tricking my body or mind, but I tasted tofu BBQ ribs and they were pretty good. Don’t worry I will still cook meat-based meals for my friends when they visit (I can still cook!), thankfully this diet change isn’t religious.
Have you done any diet changes? What was it and how long did it last?
