Anyone else here an aspiring novelist? When writing I find the bit I want to get over and done real quick is picking a character name. I often like to try and use interesting names so I'll look for inspiration on baby name generator type websites and pick a character name from there but HOLY CRAP. THE AMOUNT OF SHIT IT SUGGESTED THIS EVENING.
internet, u kidin me? I wanted interesting but not that interesting.
Friday 18 January 2013
Huh. My blog got about 14 views the other day when I wasn't online. That's cool, but also weird. My readers are faceless people, or maybe one very keen person. If you like my blog please feel free to comment/subscribe/get involved in some discussion :)
As of late I've considered taking my blog to YouTube as I've always loved the idea of vlogging. I'm still considering it... in which case this may be less of a thought-dumping area for me.
Watch this space, I'll let you know.
In this entry I am going to discuss my pescetarianism: why I chose this diet, how I'm finding it, how I hope it will help etc. 'Pescetarianism, also called pesco-vegetarianism, is the practice of a diet that includes seafood and excludes other animals.'
I understand that this isn't the diet for everyone. I grew up with a father who hated fish to an almost phobic degree as he was always scared of the potential of little bones in it having choked on one in his childhood. We are living in the generation of the Big Mac and KFC's seem to be everywhere. Meat is all around us and it is so easy to detach a bacon sandwich from a little pig but it is something that most of us do every single day. One eye opening moment came when I was preparing a chicken for a Sunday roast style meal. As I handled the chicken and prepared it to go into the oven I felt suddenly very uncomfortable. My Dad owns several hens and they are truly lovely creatures. I've often picked them up and cuddled them so as I stood there, preparing the chicken for the oven, I imagined it as a living thing. I was holding it in the way I'd pick up a hen. I saw and felt it as something that was alive. We so often disconnect ourselves from the truth behind the food we eat. At that point I started to cut back on eating animal protein. Now I'm sure you may be asking 'Why not cut out fish too? Why go pescetarian?' and I suppose the answer is simple: I simply don't have the same emotional connection to fish as I do with other animals. I'm not saying at all that they are lesser beings in my eyes but you know what they say... 'There's plenty of fish in the sea' so I like to think I'm keeping the numbers down by eating them. Ha. Jokes aside, I acknowledge that still keeping fish within my diet is like a first step. Perhaps full vegetarianism will come next, this way I can ease myself into things slowly and have been doing pretty well for the past 5 months or so.
Now I didn't initially take up the pescetarian diet due to moral reasons. I started modifying the way I eat and the way I look at food after reading Kimberly Snyder's 'The Beauty Detox Solution' which I would recommend to anyone. One thing I love about her book is that nothing is forced upon you. She doesn't guilt trip you into thinking you can't have something. It's not another fad diet - in fact she doesn't call it a diet. It is a 'beauty detox' and instead of putting an emphasis on losing weight to look good it teaches you how you can utilise your diet to give yourself more energy, to get shiny hair and nice skin, to prevent certain illnesses and cancers. If followed then yes, you can use this method of eating to lose weight too if you want to. It's something you can work around your life and your needs.
Snyder's book, within the first chapter, had me re-evaluating my relationship with food. She provides a wealth of information about the benefits of certain foods and the problems with others. She explains key things about our digestive system that we'd previously not even have thought about. She'll explain why fruit doesn't make a good post-meal dessert, what order you should eat foods on your plate in, what really makes for the best breakfast.
Now because of the freedom this book gives you I decided to give up meat but I knew that would be very difficult for me. You think coming out to your parents is hard? Try telling your Scottish, carnivore parents you don't eat meat. My father looked at me with a mixture of astonishment and confusion. He still refers to Quorn as 'plastic food' but is slowly becoming more supportive. My sister is now experimenting with Quorn too. Maybe I'll eventually stop eating fish too however if the fish is responsibly sourced and eaten in small quantities to avoid an internal build up of mercury fish consumption has many health benefits.
Supposedly the smaller the fish, the less mercury it'll probably contain. Apparently mercury in fish is a veritable health issue for women who are (or trying to become) pregnant, nursing mothers and young children. Mercury is toxic - the less mercury in your body the better so if you are going to attempt a pescetarian diet do so with caution. Think about what fish (and how much) you are consuming.
. Because of this I tend to eat a lot of prawns and occasionally I'll eat tuna, salmon or haddock. Hell - I do also love a good anchovy. I tend to eat fish when I'm craving protein, almost using it like a meat substitute for when I miss chicken or ham. Hey, if it's good enough for Gollum...
(Sorry - a little morbid, I know, but I'm a massive LOTR fan)
Has it been difficult to maintain? Certainly. It's particularly hard as someone who used to really enjoy meat to see people around you eating it. That said it has been easier than I thought. All you have to do is consider the moral/health benefits and suddenly the decision you made becomes a lot easier to cope with. There are still so many foods I can enjoy so it hardly feels like that much has changed. Thankfully I am someone who enjoys vegetables - this made it a lot easier to follow Kimberly Snyder's book and method of eating. For Christmas one of my aunts gave me a wonderful gift: it looks like a bracelet but it is made from a curled ornamental fish knife. It's utterly stunning and it sits on my arm every day reminding me to be strong and to not give into temptation when it presents itself. It was such a thoughtful gift and acts as a lovely representation of my new, healthier lifestyle. My hopes are that, in cutting out meat, I will be healthier.
Cutting out meat lowers your risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer including the kind that killed my grandmother. You have less chance of cardiovascular disease and a lower level of cholesterol. Those who eat less/no meat do tend to live longer. It can help prevent type 2 Diabetes. Your food will contain less hormones. Your skin will be less clogged, more healthy. You'll have more amino acids and a better internal pH balance from eating a more plant based diet. You eliminate the risk of salmonella and certain food-borne illnesses. You'll have more energy because your body isn't fighting to digest things that are harder to break down. You'll avoid a lot of toxic pesticides and residue found in animal protein. You'll also hopefully help to spare the lives of animals, raise awareness and spend less on your groceries.
If you're reading this then why not try apescetarian diet for a month to see how you feel as a result?
I'd also recommend buying and reading Kimberly Snyder's book, your eyes will be totally opened to the world of nutrition and you may reconsider some of the things you eat on a regular basis or simple food habits you have. I also recommend reading Kim's blog which is listed in the links below. If you too are a pescetarian/vegetarian/vegan and wish to discuss your experience, please feel free to comment about it below as I'd love to hear your story. If you're now inspired to change your diet based on this information - let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Links Kimberly Snyder's 'Beauty Detox Solution' from UK Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kimberly+snyder+beauty+detox+solution 'Beauty Detox Solution' for US Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/175-0278429-0185119?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kimberly+snyder+beauty+detox+solution Kimberly Snyder's blog: http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/ Bodybuilding,com's response to pescetarianism: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/lobliner20.htm
I honestly don't think anyone reads this - but who knows? One of my blogs has over 1140 page views. Someone has to be looking. I've noticed a friend has recently gotten into blogging and I thought that I hadn't done much with my own blog here for some time and therefore resolved to start using it more often. I figure I'll write whatever thoughts and feelings come at the time. Even if no one is reading it there is something therapeutic about expressing your thoughts outside of your own mind.
Okay, I got the idea from the first episode of Sherlock. Sure, I'm not a recovering army surgeon but blog writing could certainly be beneficial so why not try?
Anyways, just before New Years Eve 2012 into 2013 I wrote my resolutions on here and I thought that I would revisit them.
Firstly I discussed the importance of getting down to work and since then I actually have done so. This is something that shocks me as I've always had trouble with organising myself and I can often procrastinate when the task at hand isn't one that excites me and this has proved in the past to be a dangerous habit. I've managed to get a good deal of work done as of late and I'm working towards all my goals and managing my time pretty well. My hopes are that this will be a productive year for me and that I'll graduate with some pride.
Secondly I discussed diet. Yes, I recently converted to a pescetarian diet and I have to say that it is one of the hardest decisions to make. It takes a great deal of self restraint and normally food and self restraint aren't concepts that meet well in my brain. Going food shopping and not buying tasty things I used to love kinda sucks. That said it is far more beneficial for me to continue with my current diet as it is a sign of a healthy lifestyle. I came across the term 'seagan' the other day - like a 'vegan', but you still allow yourself fish. Since I already drink almond milk/hazelnut milk/soy milk instead of dairy milk and don't really eat eggs and so on I could almost do it BUT there is no way in hell I'm giving up chocolate. Or cheese. I am but mortal. These things are beyond me.
There are some things I can't exactly comment on the progress of as it is not the time yet to do so. I will look for a job once I have graduated - maybe even as soon as my dissertation is submitted. Then I shall save up for my trip to New Zealand. I've wanted to visit for more than half my life - it is going to happen, fear of flying be damned. I've also not really had the time to do that much writing or work towards completing a script/novel but the other day I sat down and really worked at one. It's coming along nicely and the idea came to me one night practically fully formed and is therefore most likely going to be the first I finish and can then attempt to have published. Fingers crossed - I hope to have it done by the end of the year.
