If you know us, or have been following our blog you know how much we love food! But, we realized the way we were eating wasn't going to get us to our goals. What goals? Adventure and exploring the world with our three boys.
During our vacations there were so many things they wanted to do like zip-lining. But due to weight restrictions we weren't able to do this. Then the more we thought about the health issues our family is facing, we realized we really needed to clean up our lifestyle if we really wanted to travel and be there for our boys.
Eliminating the meat
As I'm writing this, we have been on this journey for almost a month now. We decided it would be a better, easier adjustment for the entire family if we transitioned slowly.
We were raised on that steak and potato diet. Fast food two to three times a week, and BOGO chicken wings every Tuesday. We were the center aisle shoppers. We have lost weight in the past, but it wasn't healthy. We cut calories, but did not pay attention to the foods we were putting into our body. It wasn't nourishment, and therefore when we began to struggle, it was easy to fall off.
What is Pescatarian?
If you're not familiar with a Pescatarian diet, it is essentially vegetarian with the addition of fish and seafood.
How we felt during the transition
As soon as we cut meat out of our diet we started to notice the following changes:
- More energy
- More relaxed
- Mental clarity
- Restful sleep
- Improved libido
- Less bloating (our stomachs were looking flatter by day 3!)
Depending on how quickly you're looking to transition you can also begin cutting out processed foods, sugar, and caffeine at this point as well.
Within a week Yuri had cut out all of these as well as dairy and eggs, while it took me about a week longer to get where he was. There were a few side effects we noticed within the first week. Not everyone feels them, but you may notice the following for a couple days:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Cramping/ body aches
- Moodiness (especially when cutting out sugar)
While these can be common, if they persist or are intense you should contact your doctor.
Transitioning to plant based
While we are still working on transitioning fully to plant based, our meals are now 80% plant based with only 2 or 3 meals a week containing fish or seafood.
Our boys are transitioning slower, but we are finding meals that they really enjoy and talking to them about why we are doing this.While we are living in a new world of sickness and quarantine with COVID-19, we knew this was the perfect time to get our health in check. The fortunate part about the timing is that the quarantine has allowed me the time to learn how to cook meals my family loves while sticking with our new lifestyle.
After great feedback and requests from our friends, family, and readers we have decided to bring these recipes to you and your family to share what we have learned and help you and your family live a healthier life.