Anyone use pesco-vegetarianism as a stepping stone to actual vegetarianism?

Question

I don't know anyone who took this path.

I've seen the argument that people who give up land /air (but not sea) based animal consumption should be applauded because they're heading in the right direction, just taking a small step.

Currently, I don't consider it to be any different than someone who eats other animals. Though if it truly is a stepping stone, I might consider altering my view.

And for anyone who considers themselves "pesco-vegetarian" do you ever see yourself giving up fish, what would it take?

Answer 1

yes, I did that

I gave up meat whilst still in my teens then seafood in my early 20s. i found it quite easy to give up meat whilst still being able to eat cod, tuna & prawns etc...

i do think if i'd given it all up at once i would have been stuck for something to eat, but i filled in the meat gaps with seafood & discovered more veggies along the way

eventually i felt that my eating habits were healthy enough and varied enough to be able to go with the seafood too

i still eat dairy tho, i'm not a vegan and could never be, but i don't miss meat or fish one bit and it's been almost 10 years now

when i gave up meat it was just a trial to see if i could and if i wanted to, but i stuck with it, when i gave up seafood it was the same thing, if i had missed it too much or felt that my 'new' meals weren't good enough then i may not have carried on, but as it stands i love being a veggie and more importantly i'm very healthy!!

Answer 2

I've been a vegetarian for about 15 years. I went completely vegan for 11 of those years, and for the past 4 years have been putting some dairy and fish back into my diet.

For a while I was very strict (no gelatin, casein, etc.), but after a while I became very busy, and more or less didn't have the time to keep up with eating well as a vegan. I became B12 deficient and I was tired all of the time. That's about when I decided to start eating fish again.

I don't think I'll ever eat beef or poultry every again, but as far as meat goes, fish is extremely healthy in moderation, and much easier to digest than other meats. I don't regret it, and no, I don't see myself ever giving up fish again.

Anyway, I know that really wasn't your question, but I just thought I'd share my experience.

Answer 3

That was the way I started out. At first when I went veg I decided I would allow myself to eat fish from time to time. I thought it would make it easier for me to stick with it.

But within a couple months I phased fish out as well. I had only eaten fish a handful of times, and on each occasion it was less and less appealing. The last time I had fish, I didn't take more than a bite or two until all I could picture in my head was a beautiful colorful salmon swimming and alive, that was now laying dead on my plate. I haven't touched fish since.

Since becoming a vegetarian, the more research I've done, the more it's made me rethink what I believe. At first I was thinking mainly in terms of how it would benifit my health. (which it has in SO many ways) But now with what I've learned, it's become so much more than that. I couldn't bring myself to ever eat a flesh food again, knowing that I can be perfectly healthly by eating a vegetarian diet. Now I know there is absolutely no reason that ANY creature needs to die for me to be nourished.

Answer 4

I never used pesco-vegetarianism as a stepping stone. I started out vegan and have been vegan for almost a year. I don't miss meat, or animal products. When you truly believe that eating animals is wrong, you won't miss meat. As time progresses, you will find new recipes and vegetables to fill in the gaps that meat and animal products used to take in.

Answer 5

hm. i am also a vegetarian, and gave up all kinds of meat even fish. While my friend on the other hand did the exact same, but began to loose her eyesight, and was told by the optomatrist that she would now have to begin using prescribed glasses and start eating fish. I dont know if that was the true reason why she had to get glasses but shes a pretty dependable kinda gal so i believed it.

Answer 6

I actually started as a regular vegetarian in 1995 but then added seafood to my diet after a few years. I have no desire to go back to eating any meat other than seafood, but I think I would have trouble giving seafood back up.

I do see it as different than eating all meat though. It is a question of how evolved the things you eat are. While I believe it would be better if I did not even eat seafood, I still think it is not the same as eating a mammel per say. I don't think a shrimp feels or is conscious in the same way as a cow for example.

Answer 7

It was a necessary stepping stone for me. I developed multiple food allergies, and all at once had to give up meat, poultry, wheat, soy, eggs, dairy, tomato, avacado, mushrooms., and some other things. I tried going straight veggie, but without being able to eat so many of the things that others eat, I was having a really hard time. I was trying to heal from crippling illness, and my doc insisted that I eat fish. Eventually, I resorted to eating it only when I felt protein deprived. Now that I have learned to manage my allergies better, I have given it up and am full vegetarian now. I think its all a matter of personal choice and circumstance. If someone asks about it on here, I recommend it since its easier to not have to give up everything you are used to, like I had to do. I havent had a decent bread in years, and I still really miss that, but I dont miss the meat or fish. I got alot of criticism, especially from the regulars on here about it, but as far as I am concerned, everyones diet is their own business.

Answer 8

I do that. I would like to be fully vegetarian but I'm a teenager and my parents would only let me stop eating meat if I kept eating seafood. They didn't want me to have protein deficiencies.

Answer 9

I was never a pesco-/pollo-vegetarian. When I decided to become I vegetarian, I gave up all meat and, since I always considered them to be meat anyway, that included fish and poultry. Personally, I don't consider people who eat fish and/or poultry, but not red meat, vegetarians. To me, they're just picky omnivores.

Answer 10

Yes, I now still eat fish and a little dairy, mostly cheese. Of course my main reason for changing my diet was health and ecological issues rather than ethical ones. I would like to give up dairy but can't see myself ever giving up fish entirely.