Eating Fish Again After Being Vegan

I was originally intending to brainstorm this mail with the phrase, "I have a confession to make…"

Just then I realized that the use of that phrase makes information technology sound like I have washed something bad or wrong.  While many will probable believe that my decision to showtime incorporating fish into my nutrition is exactly that, I practise not agree.  Information technology is what is best for me at this signal in my life.  But I have not ever felt that way.  I have to admit that when I first started eating seafood again back at the beginning of December, I felt guilty.  I felt like a fraud for continuing to call myself a vegetarian.  I also thought it was necessary to go along this selection a hush-hush from pretty much everyone that I knew.  My parents knew and my young man knew, and that was it.  I gauge you could say that I was embarrassed for not beingness "potent plenty" to maintain the way of life I had chosen three years before.

While I was a "closet fish eater" in my flat and at my parents' house during the holidays, I practise non want to be that anymore.  I want to be my true genuine cocky here in this niggling corner of the blogosphere.  And if that means that I accept to admit that I am no longer a vegetarian at this point in my life, then so be it.More on the "labels" at the finish of this post.

I practise not feel the need to justify my decision to start incorporating fish into my diet, simply I realize that many people may exist curious or might exist in a like situation as me.  So I am going to give you a little background on my decision, starting with my transition to vegetarianism 3 years agone (today, actually).  I am going to break this down into somewhat of a timeline format to make it easier to follow.

The Timeline…

Jan 2012: I quit eating meat cold-turkey (no pun intended) and labeled myself equally a vegetarian.

Apr 2012: I adult genu problems that prevented me from running and being active in the ways I wanted to exist.  I have since had surgery, received 2 cortisone shots, tried the v supartz shots series, been to two rounds of physical therapy, and seen three orthopedic doctors over the past 2 one/2 years with absolutely null comeback.  <– Talk aboutfrustrating!The right knee pain is predominantly what I dealt with from April 2012 until about October 2013.  I was however able to be somewhat active with walking, pond, and weight lifting during this time.

January 2013:I nonetheless labeled myself as a vegetarian, just began eating a mostly vegan diet whenever possible.  I saw huge improvements in my acne, and felt better physically when I avoided most dairy.  This continues to be the case.

Summer of 2013:While I believe I subconsciously knew this for quite some time, I was finally able to admit to myself that I was underweight.  When I all of a sudden transitioned to a healthy vegetarian diet, I did not realize that even though I was eating the aforementioned amounts, I was eating far fewer calories since my meals were healthier and the things I was eating were less calorie-dumbo.  At first this was fun since it meant I was at a weight that I was happy with and felt confident in- even in a swimming conform.  Just then it got to the point where I had lost too much weight, was unhealthy, and was simply generally unhappy.  I as well did notlook good for you.  It was at this time that I began to wonder if my genu issues were a result of my weight loss.  I did not know what else could be the culprit since everything else that I had tried had not helped.

September 2013:I made a promise to myself that I was going to consumea lot more.  It was not like shooting fish in a barrel at get-go (our gild is And then focused on eating less, so this was a hard concept to grasp), but I made a witting try to eat more nutrient and to consume more frequently.  I was still eating a mostly vegan diet and predominantly "healthy" foods, so this meant eating more than healthy fats (nut butter, avocado, etc.), snacking more often, eating two-part breakfasts (which I go on to do), and eating out more frequently.  This is still a claiming for me at times because I feel like I amalways eating, but it is important that I mind to my body.  Equally you tin imagine, I accept as well gained weight (probably somewhere between 15-20 pounds), and I believe that my body is back to the "healthy weight" that information technology needs to exist at.

October 2013:Nearly a month into my new eating plan, I had high hopes that I would start feeling better.  All the same, the opposite happened.  My trunk became injuredvery hands.  During a spin class at the end of the twelvemonth, I had a sudden precipitous hurting in my lower shin/talocrural joint area of my left human foot.  I figured I simply needed some time off, then I took a break from spinning and began walking and "running" on the elliptical instead.  The pain, even so, just worsened.  This hurting has notwithstanding to become away.  I take had the surface area x-rayed, have tried physical therapy, and accept been told that I am dealing with shin splints.  Notwithstanding, non even rest, ice, or anti-inflammatories have helped.  The other more than noticeable injury is of my correct bicep/shoulder expanse.  After lifting weights one morning, my bicep wasvery sore.  I knew information technology was more than simply a sore muscle, and so I rested it for two weeks.  After ii weeks, I tried lifting once again.  The pain was still there.  I decided to take a calendar month off from weight lifting, just this did not assist.  More than than a twelvemonth later, and I am nonetheless facing bicep/shoulder pain that is now moving into my neck, elbow, forearm, and hand.  Information technology makes blogging, working, and everyday activities (like cooking) incredibly painful and difficult.  I have an appointment scheduled at the terminate of this month for both my shoulder and ankle/shin, but I have almost all simply given up on conventional medicine since nothing has helped yet.

Summertime of 2014:At this point I was notwithstanding very much dealing with pain in my genu, shin/ankle, and bicep/shoulder.  I also began experiencing aches in my wrists, hands, hips, etc.  Substantially, it is like waking upwards each forenoon and not knowing which joints are going to be hurting on which days.  Sounds like a fun guessing game, huh?  I mentioned these experiences to my medico at my annual date and have talked most them with my orthopedic physician.  Nobody seems to take any answers for me.  I wouldlove to try acupuncture or chiropractic work, but since these tin be rather expensive, I do not remember I can afford to try something that has no guarantee of producing relief.  At this point, I have merely been "dealing" with the pain.

Thanksgiving of 2014: I was talking to my mom about how frustrating these pains are, particularly for somebody who has a true desire to be agile.  At this point in my life, I am doing zippo physical activity.  Walking is too painful on my shin/talocrural joint, and even pond is impossible due to my knee and shoulder/arm pain.  As you can imagine, I was (and all the same am) extremely frustrated.  It was not rare for me to throw myself compassion parties, particularly when I saw the people around me being active on a day-to-solar day basis.  My mom and I talked about what could possibly be the culprit of my pains.  We realized that everything started back around the time that I became a vegetarian.  Could this purely have been a coincidence?  Of course.  But at that point, I was desperate to feel improve and was willing to try almost annihilation.  I fabricated a promise to myself that I was going to try eating fish (the thought of eating chicken, pork, etc. was and all the same is very unappealing to me) several times a week to come across if I noticed any improvements.  Fish is known for being loftier in Omega 3'southward, which can help with inflammation, and then I figured I might besides give information technology a try.

December 1st, 2014:I ate my first bite of seafood subsequently more than 3 years of having not eaten fish (I was not a huge fish eater before I became a vegetarian).  This will probably make you lot laugh, but the beginning affair that I purchased was a box of Dr. Praeger's lightly breaded fish shapes that were Dora the Explorer themed.  For some reason, they were the only type of seafood that sounded good to me, so I went with information technology.  I remember that I topped 1 of my tortilla pizzas with them and dug in.  And gauge what?  They tasted actually,really good.

Nowadays:I had extreme feelings of guilt with my get-go fish-eating experience, merely it has gotten amend over time.  Since then, I accept eaten tuna cakes, tuna salad, salmon burgers, and baked salmon.  The tuna cakes were succulent, and I am starting to get on board with broiled salmon.  However, all I could think about when I was eating the salmon burger was how much I really wanted a veggie burger.  Hopefully my taste buds will adjust soon.  Regarding my aches and pains, they are nevertheless here.  I am trying to be hopeful and am continuing to incorporate seafood into my diet several times per week.  I know from feel that information technology can accept our bodies fourth dimension to adjust to diet changes, so I am nevertheless belongings out some hope that I will begin feeling better.  I am hoping to non have to incorporate meat outside of fish into my eating plan, but may try information technology at some point if I feel the demand to.  Information technology pains me to non be a vegetarian anymore, but I have reached a point of physical and mental desperation and am willing to try almost anything.

What at present?

And then virtually those labels…  Yes, I am no longer a vegetarian.  In the world of labeling diets,  I would exist classified as a "pescatarian" since I eat fish but no other animals.  Giving a label to my diet is a touchy subject for me at this signal in my life, though.  So I am going to avoid that for the time being.  Instead, I but similar to refer to myself as someone who eats a mostly establish-based diet with seafood added in every now and and then.

What does this mean for Clean Eating Veggie Girl?  I'm honestly not sure.  I will definitely still be blogging, and I do non imagine that you will run across a whole lot of changes for the time existence.  I am even so learning how to cook fish, so do not expect many seafood recipes until I get the hang of that.  You may, however, come across some fish popping up in my What I Ate Wednesday posts and Friday Foodie Favorites posts.  I hope to keep bringing you tons of delicious institute-based recipes, so if that is why you are here then you tin can stay happy!  I will definitely all the same be the "Clean Eating Veggie Girl" since my nutrition is mostly centered on "clean" eating andtons of veggies.  I also do non feel the need to modify my tag line because I still follow a predominantly found-based diet.  A slightly new "Near Me" section is currently in the works.

I am fully open to questions regarding my conclusion, only what I am non open up to is negativity and criticism.  This transition has been incredibly difficult for me, and I should not have to feel bad about making a choice to try to get back to a place of healthiness and happiness.  I will make no apologies for that.  Volition I even so be eating fish a year from now?  Who knows?  What volition my nutrition expect similar at that time?  I'm non sure.  But I take come to realize that the specifics of my diet hateful very little.  What really matters is doing whatever I can to go back to a healthy and happy way of life.  That is the journey that I am on at present and will continue to pursue.

Thoughts?  Questions?  Suggestions?
What are your favorite seafood recipes that are Easy to make?

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Source: https://cleaneatingveggiegirl.com/2015/01/08/started-eating-fish/

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