How Can a Vegetarian Start Eating Meat Again

I was originally intending to begin this post with the phrase, "I have a confession to brand…"

But then I realized that the employ of that phrase makes it sound like I have done something bad or wrong.  While many will likely believe that my conclusion to start incorporating fish into my diet is exactly that, I do not agree.  It is what is best for me at this indicate in my life.  But I take not always felt that way.  I have to acknowledge that when I outset started eating seafood over again back at the beginning of Dec, I felt guilty.  I felt like a fraud for standing to call myself a vegetarian.  I also thought information technology was necessary to go along this choice a underground from pretty much everyone that I knew.  My parents knew and my boyfriend knew, and that was it.  I guess you could say that I was embarrassed for not being "strong enough" to maintain the way of life I had chosen 3 years before.

While I was a "closet fish eater" in my apartment and at my parents' house during the holidays, I practise non want to exist that anymore.  I want to exist my true genuine self here in this little corner of the blogosphere.  And if that means that I accept to admit that I am no longer a vegetarian at this betoken in my life, then so exist it.More on the "labels" at the terminate of this mail service.

I do not feel the need to justify my decision to get-go incorporating fish into my diet, simply I realize that many people may be curious or might be in a similar situation every bit me.  And then I am going to requite you a fiddling background on my conclusion, starting with my transition to vegetarianism three years ago (today, actually).  I am going to break this downwardly into somewhat of a timeline format to brand 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 developed knee problems that prevented me from running and being active in the ways I wanted to be.  I have since had surgery, received 2 cortisone shots, tried the five supartz shots series, been to two rounds of physical therapy, and seen 3 orthopedic doctors over the by 2 1/2 years with absolutely zero improvement.  <– Talk aboutfrustrating!The right articulatio genus hurting is predominantly what I dealt with from April 2012 until about October 2013.  I was still able to exist somewhat agile with walking, pond, and weight lifting during this time.

January 2013:I still labeled myself as a vegetarian, but began eating a by and large vegan diet whenever possible.  I saw huge improvements in my acne, and felt better physically when I avoided virtually 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 suddenly transitioned to a healthy vegetarian diet, I did not realize that even though I was eating the same amounts, I was eating far fewer calories since my meals were healthier and the things I was eating were less calorie-dense.  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 pond conform.  Merely then it got to the point where I had lost too much weight, was unhealthy, and was simply generally unhappy.  I too did nonlook salubrious.  It was at this time that I began to wonder if my knee joint issues were a event of my weight loss.  I did non know what else could exist the culprit since everything else that I had tried had not helped.

September 2013:I made a hope to myself that I was going to eata lot more.  Information technology was non piece of cake at first (our society is SO focused on eating less, then this was a difficult concept to grasp), but I made a conscious effort to eat more than food and to eat more often.  I was even so eating a mostly vegan diet and predominantly "healthy" foods, so this meant eating more healthy fats (nut butter, avocado, etc.), snacking more than oftentimes, eating 2-role breakfasts (which I continue to do), and eating out more than frequently.  This is still a challenge for me at times because I feel like I amalways eating, but it is important that I listen to my body.  As you can imagine, I have also gained weight (probably somewhere between 15-20 pounds), and I believe that my body is back to the "healthy weight" that it needs to be at.

Oct 2013:Near a month into my new eating plan, I had loftier hopes that I would start feeling better.  Yet, the opposite happened.  My body became injuredvery easily.  During a spin class at the terminate of the year, I had a sudden sharp pain in my lower shin/ankle surface area of my left foot.  I figured I just needed some time off, so I took a break from spinning and began walking and "running" on the elliptical instead.  The pain, however, simply worsened.  This pain has nonetheless to get away.  I have had the area 10-rayed, accept tried physical therapy, and have been told that I am dealing with shin splints.  Nevertheless, not even rest, water ice, or anti-inflammatories have helped.  The other more noticeable injury is of my correct bicep/shoulder area.  After lifting weights one morning, my bicep wasvery sore.  I knew it was more than than only a sore muscle, so I rested it for two weeks.  After ii weeks, I tried lifting again.  The pain was however there.  I decided to take a month off from weight lifting, but this did not assist.  More than a year later, and I am still facing bicep/shoulder pain that is now moving into my neck, elbow, forearm, and manus.  Information technology makes blogging, working, and everyday activities (similar cooking) incredibly painful and difficult.  I accept an appointment scheduled at the end of this month for both my shoulder and ankle/shin, but I have about all but given upward on conventional medicine since nothing has helped yet.

Summertime of 2014:At this point I was still very much dealing with pain in my knee, shin/ankle, and bicep/shoulder.  I also began experiencing aches in my wrists, hands, hips, etc.  Essentially, information technology is like waking up each morning and not knowing which joints are going to be pain on which days.  Sounds like a fun guessing game, huh?  I mentioned these experiences to my doctor at my almanac engagement and have talked most them with my orthopedic dr..  Nobody seems to have whatsoever answers for me.  I wouldlove to try acupuncture or chiropractic work, only since these can be rather expensive, I practice not call up I can afford to try something that has no guarantee of producing relief.  At this point, I take merely been "dealing" with the pain.

Thanksgiving of 2014: I was talking to my mom nigh how frustrating these pains are, especially for somebody who has a true want to be agile.  At this point in my life, I am doing zero physical action.  Walking is also painful on my shin/ankle, and even swimming is incommunicable due to my articulatio genus and shoulder/arm pain.  As you can imagine, I was (and still am) extremely frustrated.  It was not rare for me to throw myself pity parties, especially when I saw the people around me being active on a day-to-solar day basis.  My mom and I talked near what could mayhap exist the culprit of my pains.  Nosotros realized that everything started dorsum effectually the time that I became a vegetarian.  Could this purely have been a coincidence?  Of course.  Merely at that indicate, I was desperate to feel better and was willing to effort about anything.  I made a promise to myself that I was going to endeavor eating fish (the thought of eating chicken, pork, etc. was and all the same is very unappealing to me) several times a calendar week to meet if I noticed whatsoever improvements.  Fish is known for beingness high in Omega three's, which can help with inflammation, so I figured I might as well give information technology a try.

December 1st, 2014:I ate my first seize with teeth of seafood afterward more than three years of having non eaten fish (I was not a huge fish eater earlier I became a vegetarian).  This will probably make you express mirth, but the first matter 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, then I went with it.  I remember that I topped one of my tortilla pizzas with them and dug in.  And guess what?  They tasted really,actually good.

Present:I had extreme feelings of guilt with my beginning fish-eating feel, but information technology has gotten improve over fourth dimension.  Since then, I take eaten tuna cakes, tuna salad, salmon burgers, and broiled salmon.  The tuna cakes were delicious, and I am starting to get on lath with broiled salmon.  However, all I could retrieve most when I was eating the salmon burger was how much I really wanted a veggie burger.  Hopefully my gustation buds will accommodate soon.  Regarding my aches and pains, they are notwithstanding hither.  I am trying to be hopeful and am continuing to comprise seafood into my nutrition several times per week.  I know from feel that it can accept our bodies fourth dimension to adjust to diet changes, then I am still holding out some hope that I will begin feeling meliorate.  I am hoping to non have to comprise meat outside of fish into my eating program, only may try it at some signal if I feel the need to.  It 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 now?

So about those labels…  Yes, I am no longer a vegetarian.  In the world of labeling diets,  I would be classified as a "pescatarian" since I swallow fish but no other animals.  Giving a label to my diet is a touchy bailiwick for me at this point in my life, though.  So I am going to avoid that for the time being.  Instead, I only like to refer to myself as someone who eats a mostly plant-based nutrition with seafood added in every now and then.

What does this mean for Make clean Eating Veggie Girl?  I'm honestly non sure.  I will definitely withal be blogging, and I do not imagine that yous will see a whole lot of changes for the time being.  I am still learning how to cook fish, so do not expect many seafood recipes until I get the hang of that.  You lot may, yet, encounter some fish popping upwardly in my What I Ate Wednesday posts and Fri Foodie Favorites posts.  I hope to go on bringing y'all tons of delicious plant-based recipes, and so if that is why you are hither and then you can stay happy!  I volition definitely all the same be the "Clean Eating Veggie Girl" since my diet is more often than not centered on "clean" eating andtons of veggies.  I also exercise not feel the demand to change my tag line considering I all the same follow a predominantly institute-based nutrition.  A slightly new "Well-nigh Me" section is currently in the works.

I am fully open up to questions regarding my decision, but what I am not open up to is negativity and criticism.  This transition has been incredibly hard for me, and I should non accept to experience bad about making a choice to endeavor to go back to a place of healthiness and happiness.  I will make no apologies for that.  Will I notwithstanding be eating fish a year from now?  Who knows?  What will my diet look like at that time?  I'thousand not sure.  But I have come to realize that the specifics of my diet mean very petty.  What actually matters is doing whatever I can to get back to a healthy and happy mode of life.  That is the journey that I am on now and will keep 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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