Last April (2013), I took a few days off from work to recover from a cold. I was so miserable that I spent hours and hours on the couch mindlessly watching Netflix. I've always been interested in well-produced documentaries, so I browsed the list and decided to watch Forks Over Knives.
The premise of Forks Over Knives is quite simple: We are sick, and we can prevent/reverse many of the common chronic diseases we face by significantly reducing the amount of animal products and processed foods that we consume. The filmmakers put food as medicine to the test, and the results clearly show that we should adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet in order to stay healthy/improve our health.
Cool. I didn't put much serious thought into it. On to the next documentary.
A few days later, I was standing in the office parking lot, serving food to the staff at an employee appreciation cookout. Hamburgers and hot dogs, along with some venison sausage that my boss had killed himself.
When it was our turn to eat, I was thrilled to find a box of frozen veggie burgers in a cooler. Suddenly it dawned on me that I hadn't consumed meat since watching Forks Over Knives a few days earlier. And, really, it just kind of stuck.
I'd be lying, though, if I pretended like I quit eating meat strictly for health reasons. The truth is, I've always been a bit bothered by the idea of eating part of a cow, or a cute little pig or deer. The meat production process is gruesome at best. I've never been able to eat a piece of meat in scenarios when I was able to identify who killed it. I'm an animal lover. So, for most of my life, ignorance was bliss.
To be clear, I'm a pescetarian, not a vegetarian or vegan. I still eat seafood. I can't explain why seafood bothers me less than land animals from an ethics perspective. But I do know that seafood is generally much healthier. I also eat eggs and dairy, but I only buy cage-free organic eggs, and I buy organic dairy when I can.
I'd be lying, too, if I said I haven't cheated, but I can count on one hand the times I've intentionally consumed meat in the last year. (Curious about the exceptions I made? Thanksgiving, Christmas, a spicy Chick-fil-A sandwich three days after Christmas, and bacon once at brunch with friends.) I know that I've had green beans prepared with bacon a time or two. And I'm sure I've had rice or beans prepared with chicken or beef or pork stock, but I do my best to avoid it.
It's kind of funny to say that I made this change partly for health reasons and then say that I don't necessarily eat healthier now, but it's true. I didn't lose any weight over the last year. I've found that it's harder to make healthy choices when meat is not an option. I eat seafood about five times a week - if I eat it more often than that, I get tired of it. So I've had to make a conscious effort to include plenty of other protein sources in my diet. I eat a lot of beans, nuts/nut butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, cheese, soy, leafy greens, and whole grains. All of these things are fine in moderation, but admittedly, I eat too much cheese. And too much peanut butter.
Here's what I don't like about pescetarianism: I don't like explaining my dietary decisions to strangers. I don't even particularly care for discussing it at length with friends. I don't like to inconvenience my friends or family (for instance, if someone invites me over for dinner).
I don't want to be too preachy, but since you've made it this far, I want to wrap it up by adding one more thought. I've done a lot of research on this over time, and I can tell you that nearly all signs point to plant-based diets and the elimination of processed foods. Additionally, protein is essential to our diet, but we eat too much of it. Extra protein will not help you build extra muscle or make you stronger. If you're consuming extra protein, you're probably taking in more calories/fat than your body needs.
