I TRIED THE PESCATARIAN DIET

(Food Theory Blog #3)

During reading week, I went on a diet and put myself into the shoes of an Ovo-Pescatarian. In 5 days, I experienced the pros and cons of this diet and also figured out ways in which I could alter ingredients in recipes to cater to pescatarians. This was a great way to be more aware of these clients and learn to offer to them in the future. I also chose to pretend I have one of the eleven food allergens- dairy allergy, and adjusted my meals accordingly.

What are the Pescatarian Diets?

Pescatarians are vegetarians that consume fish and seafood. Some pescatarians will also eat dairy and/or eggs, their diets are called Lacto-Pescatarian (dairy), Ovo-Pescatarian (eggs) and Lacto-Ovo-Pescatarian (both).

Chefs on a diet?

I think Chefs must always be keen on trying their food before serving, even if it is against their diets. If a Chef wants to be successful, they must understand that even on a diet, they must be open minded. They don't need to consume the food, but tasting along the way is definitely important.

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MONDAY

What I’m expecting going into this diet, is that I will most likely get tired of it after one or two days, as I am a meat lover. However, I don’t think it would be too difficult as there are so many delicious ways to eat fish.

Breakfast - Whole grain muffins with margarine, scrambled eggs, green apples w/ trail mix

Lunch - Salmon poke bowl, tomatoes, avocado, seaweed salad, sesame

Dinner - Cantonese seafood chow mein, pan fried octopus

All three meals are pretty common in my regular diet, nothing special today.

TUESDAY

This shouldn't be too hard, so far so good.

Breakfast - Almond milk Oatmeal with strawberries, bananas, and peanut butter

Lunch - Turkish vegan sausages, eggs, pita bread, arugula salad

Dinner - Shrimp tacos, tomatoes, mangoes, peppers, sriracha mayo

For lunch, my friend and I went to try a local Turkish breakfast spot in Toronto. They had a classic breakfast dish from their country and offered it with mushroom sausage!

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast - Peanut butter and banana on Filipino Pandesal bread

Lunch - Salad with Japanese sesame dressing

Dinner - Trout with veg and pearl couscous salad

A laidback morning and afternoon at home. At night, we went out for dinner and I had a delicious trout dish... I think I can eat fish forever.

THURSDAY

Breakfast - Soy Milk Lattes and croissants

Lunch - Smoked salmon on a mixed greens and quinoa salad

Dinner - Korean bibimbap

Korean bibimbap is always one of my favourites, however not having my usual beef galbi or bulgogi in my bowl was a little odd. The fried tofu was a great touch.

FRIDAY

Brunch - Vegetarian ramen with cabbage, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, onions

Dinner - 10 course dinner including a lobster dish & abalone, mushrooms dish

For the last day, we woke up late and went out for ramen in the afternoon. Then attended my cousin's fancy wedding party that night at a big banquet hall!

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A diet is usually necessary in order to better one's health and well being. That being said, sometimes it is not a choice ; it is always nice to find easier ways to combat an issue.

If I were to choose a diet to follow, I would choose one of the pescatarian diets. This is so because If I were being honest, I don't think I would last a week going vegan, and the other diets are usually client-tailored. I know it's all about getting used to the habits, but personally I love my animal proteins. The flavours, all the fun ways to cook the proteins, the different ways to eat it.. So if I were to chose one diet, it would be the Ovo-Pescatarian. I find that eggs are in too many recipes, and is such a great protein eaten on it's own, that I can't find myself cutting it out of my daily routine.

After this experience, I can definitely see myself trying it out for a longer period of time in the future. It was not too difficult to cut out meats for week, I do not know how much longer I would last. However, I know that I could cut out red meats, if it meant that I could still have fish. I think that meat lovers like myself will find that the Pescatarian diet is a wonderful transition into a strict vegetarian diet.

March 11. 2019