Since moving out over ten months ago, the food I eat has been almost completely down to Stacey and me. Some meals that are featured regularly back at my family's home still make regular appearances in my culinary week still, whereas others don't. And, some newbies have been introduced to me over the course of the better part of the past year.
It was last month that Stacey read an article that ranked people's health in terms of their eating category. Vegans were surprisingly the worst off, making that choice of diet even more pointless than it already was (someone should really tell vegans that some plants have been recorded as actually producing screams that go undetected to the human ear when they're pulled from the ground). Next up, but not too much better were the meat-eaters (that's most of us then). Meat-eaters were followed by the Vegetarians, of which Stacey is one, hence telling me about the article. And on top were Pescatarians, a.k.a. those who don't eat meat, but still eat fish (often falsely claiming to be vegetarian, despite the very word alluding to the fact that you should only be eating veg). Not too far behind the Pescatarians were apparently those who largely ate veggies and fish, with meat only on rare occasions. 'Well' I thought to myself, 'if cutting back on the meat and replacing it with fish - which I've always loved - would make me that much better off, why not give it a try?' So that's exactly what I've been doing for coming up for a month now.
I've had meat about once a week over the past three and a half weeks. Other than the odd night where we've still had some sausages in the freezer that could do with using up, or when we've been somewhere else for dinner, I've done pretty well to stick to vegetarian options and fish-based meals. I'm not sure just yet whether I feel healthier in body - it's only been a few weeks after all - but there has been one noticeable difference...
I feel more switched on. I only realised late last week, but I've been more focused at work. Things just seem to have clicked. Some of it may have to do with the fact that I've now settled in having been there for half a year, but I definitely feels as if I'm concentrating more than I was and I'm also taking things on board even more than before. It didn't take long for me to connect the dots and realise that I've been eating a lot more fish which is generally thought of as 'brain-food', hence the reason for my mind working at a better rate. Maybe it's a little bit of psychologically instilled confidence too, as I'm thinking about my eating more fish, thinking that it's all brain-food, thus my brain tricks itself into giving me more focus in my work and life. I feel it's a bit of both though, which is no bad thing and something I'm going to keep track of as the diet continues.
(not so) Spoilt for Choice
One thing I have noticed when eating out over the past few weeks is the lack of choice for Pescatarians. I always thought that Stacey had it rough; only being able to select dishes with a little green V next to them on the menu. But I've noticed that the fish selection is pretty dire on many menus. Now to be fair, I suppose Pescatarians can include the veggie meals to their options, but if you were out and wanted to take full advantage of your choice to be able to eat fish, you're pretty much limited to Cod 'n' Chips, Prawns, or Salmon in a lot of places.
Thankfully I've looked at the menu for the restaurant we're off to on Wednesday night - for the celebration of my parents' anniversary and the anniversary of my surviving yet another trip around the sun - and that I cannot wait to tuck into my starter of either Whitebait or Anchovies and my main of a steak of Swordfish. Yum!
Since taking up this eating regime, I have realised just how much choice there can be though. Scouring the Supermarkets and ignoring the usual array of burgers, sausages and mince, I've bought and eaten Salmon, Kippers and Mackerel for my dinners, among others.
Consuming Blogs
Food has also been in the news again in the last week, and no I'm not talking about the fact that the ratio of obese Americans in the world is ridiculously big, but in the form of a blog. The news story that grabbed my attention on Friday was of the nine year old who got into trouble with her local council over the fact that her blog - which reported on and reviewed her school dinners - was picked up on by the mass-media who of course being the press we all know and love turned it into something nasty by calling for the dinnerladies to be sacked. Fact is that if you read this girl's blog, it's really very good. She even scores her meals on 'Number of Hairs Found' - thankfully none so far! The insanity didn't last long and the girl was allowed to continue. I recommend a read of it here.
I had more to discuss, but as it turns out, I can write and write and write on this subject and I quite fancy going to bed at this time as it's getting late on a school-night. All I really had left to discuss was that one of the girls at work is on some sort of protein-only diet to lose weight quickly. It sounds to me like that Atkins diet from about a decade ago, but apparently it's not... despite applying the same principles. All I know is, if I were to start eating a lot of meat again, I'd rather do it in style:
Best show on Dave - A true American Hero!
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