PescaWHAT??
pes·ca·tar·i·an/ˌpeskəˈterēən/noun
- a person who does not eat meat but does eat fish.
Ok so know you know what a pescatarian is but are you familiar with the difference between vegetarian and vegan? Simply put, vegetarians avoid meat while vegans avoid all animal-sourced products, including eggs, dairy and honey.
If we are being honest I teeter between vegan and pescatarian. How could I possibly live in Wisconsin with a cabin in the north woods and not enjoy my Friday night fish fry’s with a side of cheese curds all summer long!
If I am recalling accurately the last time I ate meat was freshman year of high school ( 10 years ago, YIKES) and I have not looked back since! If you have ever considered reducing your meat intake, I promise you it is just as easy said as done! I may have just ate a lot of pasta in high school since my mom would not allow herself to become a short order cook, finally, in college I began eating more vegetarian foods, and got creative with the offerings in the school cafeteria. But it wasn’t until living on my own and having a regular schedule where I fell in love with cooking and began testing and adjusting new recipes to fit my meat-free lifestyle.
Stay tuned on the blog to find recipes and helpful tips to reduce your meat/dairy intake. Some of my favorite alternatives include dairy free milk, which is also very easy to make to reduce waste and baking substitutions for eggs and butter!
Like I have said, we are not perfect but every little thing we can do will make a positive impact. I am not advising that you need to become a pescatarian/vegan but hopefully some of the below information will make you rethink how much meat you are eating and how you can reduce the environmental pollution that your diet is producing.
So how does being a Pescatarian/Vegetarian/Vegan have anything to do with sustainability?
Studies have shown that Pescatarian along with its counter part Veganism can significantly reduce your carbon footprint. This is due to the fact that fish release far fewer greenhouse gasses than land animals. Sustainable Pescatarians can reduce their carbon footprint by up to 50%. According to the University of Oxford, becoming vegan is the single biggest measure that can be taken to reduce environmental pollution. Not eating meat and dairy can reduce your carbon footprint up to 73%.
Graphic by CulinarySchools.org
Stay tuned to find a wide range of recipes that can help you reduce your environmental pollution, along with easy swaps in the kitchen to reduce your waste!
What questions do you still have surrounding how to adjust your diet to positively impact the environment?
Simply Sustainable Shea 