Gone Fishing!
The outlook for month of October seems to be a bit fishy… ok, its just the change in my diet. This month I’m going to follow a pescatarian diet. What does that mean? It means that I will be excluding all meats except for fish and seafood from my diet. No burgers, no bacon, no chicken breasts, none of it. If I ate eggs, I would still be able to consume those, but I don't. I can have dairy products, (mmm…cheese), though I am I don’t eat much dairy outside of cheese. I’m an almond milk kinda girl. There don’t seem to be many restrictions to what I can eat, so maybe this won’t be so bad.
Why am I doing this? A few reasons actually. One of the things I stress to my clients is to know or have knowledge about your hereditary. I know that I have high cholesterol within my family line, so I have to work to keep my cholesterol down. Meats, especially the fatty meats, can contribute to in the increase of low-density lipoprotein. (Lipo what?) Lipoproteins are a group of proteins that combine with fats, and other things, and transport it into the blood. The low density lipoprotein (LDL) is “bad” because it is primarily responsible for depositing cholesterol within arteries which can increase the risk of heart disease. (NO BUENO). “ Coach L. don’t you exercise and eat healthy?” Yes, I do, and that helps me keep my cholesterol down, this is just an additional step. Don’t get it twisted, all meats contain LDL, fish and seafood just have lower levels.
Another reason is for digestion health. I try to commit to a juice fast quarterly to flush out the system and give it a break. (When you work hard, don’t you feel like you deserve a break? ) My visit to the life of a pescatarian may also help my digestive system during the in between months. (How so?) I’m glad you asked. With this eating style I will definitely up my intake of vegetables and fruits which has all kinds of healthy goodness packed into them. Like pineapples, (looove pineapples) they have bromelain that helps digest proteins, and apples and leafy greens have fiber to aid in digestion.
Bottom line (pun not intended, but kinda funny) is that fruits and veggies have an array of enzymes, probiotics, and antioxidants that help stimulate or assist in digestion. Plus meat, because of its protein and fat contents, can take from 24 - 72 hours to completely digest. (You tell me how you feel when you work 3 days with no sleep) Decreasing the workload for the digestive system is a good thing.
Lastly, I’m trying this to “see for myself.” I have relatives and friends that are vegan and pescatarian and they say they feel better! They sleep better, have more energy, etc. I am taking their testimonials into consideration yet I have my concerns. For example, I love grains (i.e. bread), but grains don’t love me back, therefore I won’t add much of that into my diet. Secondly, I can’t see myself eating fish for breakfast, (fish on a biscuit instead of a chicken biscuit? That doesn’t even sound right) so I’ll be finding alternate means of protein in the morning. Finally, I know I’m quite active and can work up an appetite. I hope I can find food sources that will not leave me wanting to eat 30 minutes later. Nonetheless, I’m going to give it a go. I know that everyone is not built the same and results may vary. I may feel better, I may feel worse, or I might not feel a change at all. I won’t know until l try it, right? So here I go… Fins crossed!
Follow me! @Luv_CoachL
I will be documenting parts of this journey via IG (story & posts) & Twitter:
