To turn Semi-Vegetarian / Flexitarian or Pesco-Vegetarian?

i have been thinking about turning to a semi-vegetarian/ Pesco-vegetarian for the longest time but to think of giving up my love for SEAFOOD totally (especially prawns) is the hardest thing and this is what stopping me right now of becoming a true strict vegetarian. Recently, the urge got stronger after i visited a wet market in hong kong, it is like now when i eat chicken i will feel like puking ( i know it is probably psychological). but i will tell you why i am feeling this way. ( if u have a weak heart , pls do not read this entry any further. the photos that are coming up might be a little too much for u to take. 🙂 )

Basically almost all the animals are kept alive at the market so that they are “fresh” at the point of purchase, and these animals include chickens and all sort of sea animals. The slaughtering of the chickens cause the biggest impact on me…. once the patrons have picked the chickens they wanted , the seller will silt the chickens’ throat and throw them into this metal bucket where they were left there to bleed and eventually dies. why can’t they just kill the chicken instantly but to let them bleed to death?i don’t understand. it is just so inhumane for me.

i got so emotional seeing the process of them slaughtering the chicken. that i just wished that i could just stop everyone from buying any more chicken from the seller.

Then the next thing i saw totally changes my opinion of how fishes die.i always thought that fishes usually have pretty quick death, like once they are out of water they probably won’t stay alive for long. but i was so wrong….

i don’t know why for some reason, the sellers like to halve some of the bigger fishes.But these fishes are still pretty much alive even though they are like chopped into half!! the hearts of the fishes are still beating and the gills /tails are still moving and swaying. omg… i am not exaggerating and i am not lying. i was so shocked. so shocked.

what is wrong with eating dead chicken and dead fishes? is it really a must to buy “FRESH” chicken and fishes? i just don’t understand. like what’s wrong with these people, they don’t see the suffering of these animals at all??

 

then the rest of the smaller fishes are kept alive. once they are picked and sold, the seller will then kill the fishes on the spot. the trip to the market was just too much for me to take, i wished that there were something i could do to stop these animals from dying in such an inhumane way.

 

And so, lately i been thinking about cutting down my intake of meat and turning to a semi-vegetarian. i don’t even know if there is such a semi-vegetarian diet, so i did a little online research. Apparently, there is really such a semi vegetarian diet and Pesco-vegetarian diet and it seems to be getting more popular because of its health benefits, i thought it would be nice to share what i have found here.

 

Semi- vegetarian/ Flexitarian — is used to describe those who eats a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally takes meat.

 

Pesco-Vegetarian — is a vegetarian diet free of meat but includes fishes.

 

oh well, i think i don’t really want to belong to any of the group above. cause i really hope i can stop eating all the diff type of meats and fishes. maybe, i will still take clams, scallops and prawns.i am not sure. but first thing most, i know i want to stop eating meat. so i guess i am taking baby steps , one step at a time.

 

then lately, there is someone who been telling me that it is not healthy for me to be picky with food. i got really angry at first cause i don’t see not eating lamb, beef, tomatoes, carrots, banana and lady’s finger would pose any significant health problems.

 

so i wanted to find out if it is true. then i came across this article while i was researching on the topic of turning vegetarian.

 

Benefits of becoming semi-vegetarian!!

• The health benefits of people who consume a plant based diet and eat less meat are widely known and include:   a lower risk of cancer by as much as 20 – 50% and heart disease by over 20%.
• have lower cholesterol levels, improve their blood sugar control and have lower rates of obesity.
• By becoming a semi-vegetarian you will also be helping some animals, since you’ll be eating less of them, but of course some animals will still end up on your dinner plate.  The average person will eat 880 chickens in their lifetime (Source:  How Much Food Will You Eat in Your Lifetime?  That’s a lot of chickens.  So if you reduced your chicken consumption in half, you would be saving 440 chickens.

i know that many people believed that when we stop taking certain types of food, our body will not get all the necessary nutrients. but we can always get alternative food source to get the nutrients we eat.

 

it was said that vegetarians who eat no meat, fish, poultry or dairy foods (vegans) face the risk of missing out on certain nutrients. Some of these are iron,folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and zinc etc.

 

The following is a list of alternative good plant sources for these key nutrients:

• iron. This is found in legumes, tofu, dark green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, seeds, whole grain products and iron-fortified cereals and breads.
• vitamin B12. This is found in fortified foods including soymilk, vegetarian burger patties and cereals.
• vitamin D. The body makes this vitamin in the presence of sunlight. It is also found in fortified foods such as cereals, margarine and soy beverages.
• calcium. This is found in tofu, broccoli, seeds, nuts, kale, legumes, greens, okra, rutabaga, calcium-fortified soymilk, calcium-enriched juices and grain products. It is also found in tortillas made from lime-processed corn and in fortified cereals.
• zinc. This is found in whole grains such wheat germ and bran, whole-wheat breads and cereals, legumes, seeds, nuts and tofu.

so in other words, even if i stop eating certain food doesn’t mean I AM NOT HEALTHY. it all depends on how i plan my diet to make it balanced.

And the main concern of eating a meatless diet would be about meeting the nutritional needs for protein, vitamin B12 and other nutrients that are typically supplied by meat, but taking Dairy products and fortified dairy substitutes made with soy help round out a healthy pesco-vegetarian diet by supplying additional protein and essential nutrients such as calcium, B vitamins and vitamins A and D. SO it has been proven once again, that even if u eats everything doesn’t mean it is best for your health.

i really hope i can do it. even though it is ilke me doing something small for the better of the world but i actually feel great doing it.  i hope i can endure and have a strong will this time round. 🙂