NEW PESCETARIAN need advice!?

Question

hi , im samantha , and in need of major help
2 days ago , i saw an animal abuse video on a
myspace bulletin,,,
it had real footage of animal crulety.
iwanted to shut it off , but i convinced my mind i needed to see what the earth was acutally like.
i was diggusted and practicly cryed.
i wanted to throw up
i have such a deep and passionate love for animals that i decided i was doing the most wrong thing for many years by eating animals.
______________________________________________
so , i told my mother. and she decided that it was just fine to become pescetarian. im not finding it hard at all.
can i have some advice from fellow pesctarians and people other thanthat?
that would be wonderful if you could help me on this long and faithful journey for animals.
thank you=]

Answer 1

Congratulations on taking this step. May I suggest giving up seafood as well since you don't really need it and they (fish) suffer pain when being killed ("harvested") as well.

Answer 2

Hi Samantha,

Thank you for your compassionate response to the video. I wish Fred's claims were true, but the reality is that animals on today's factory farms are horribly abused. About 10 billion animals are slaughtered every year in the United States alone and absolutely no laws exist to protect chickens from abuse. Animal advocacy groups continually investigate slaughterhouse facilities, and find horrible abuse year after year.

Anyway, these two sites have lots of advice about making the transition to vegetarianism:

http://www.vegcooking.com/makingthetransition.asp
http://www.tryveg.com/cfi/toc/

In terms of food, there are many delicious fake meat products like veggie burgers, veggie chicken patties, etc. Here are some of the best ones:
http://www.vegcooking.com/guide-favs.asp

As for health issues, this site has lots of information: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/index.html

Fish are animals who have the ability to feel pain and suffer, so you may eventually want to stop eating fish. Reducing animal cruelty isn't an all-or-nothing situation, though and many people spend some time being pescetarian before transitioning to vegetarianism. So go at the pace that's best for you.

Good luck!!

Answer 3

That's a great step to take, it is certainly an open-minded and humane decision.

I'm embarrassed that the other V&V posters are immediately pushing it in your face about the whole fish=meat issue. Honestly, you sound like you're younger and you sound like you are just starting. You'll learn on your own what is best for YOU. You are doing very well, you sound like an intelligent and sensitive person.

Now you can start to really let your taste buds out of their cage. I would suggest taking a vegetarian cookbook out of the library and familiarize yourself with spices and ingredients that can make food taste cheesy, meaty or hearty without adding animal ingredients to it. Also, it'll make it a little easier to learn basic stuff like how to prepare tofu, how to marinate and prepare tempeh, how to make your own seitan, etc.

One of the other posters seems to not have done his research, or maybe he's spent a little too much time on anti-animal rights propaganda sites. Those videos are very graphic, I watched one just recently from a Butterball turkey farm here in the U.S., it was horrifying. They most certainly are NOT outdated nor are they all from foreign countries.

It's great that your mother is so open and embracing. I'd gone through months of ridicule and constant explaining, " No, mom, I can't have ham...... remember?" My family, especially older people, still put meat on my plate on purpose during family gatherings... You are fortunate to have a supportive mother. It'll be much easier on you emotionally :)

Answer 4

If your mother is concerned about adequate nutrients, explain to her all the foods there are that contain protein and vitamin B12 (the main nutrients in meat) besides animal flesh. You apparently have never gone fishing or you would know that fish do also suffer.
As for the foods that contain those nutrients-prove your dedication to this dietary choice by researching it yourself-print out charts showing nutrition of plant foods and have a sincere conversation with mom.
I myself continue to eat fish because I don't eat meat for health reasons and fish is yummy. But-I only have it twice a month or less.

Answer 5

They treat the fish really bad too, BUT if you want to eat it then eat it. If it is protein you are worried about you can get that in lots of other foods that are not animals. Good luck.
Fred Cs answer is untrure unfortunatley.

Answer 6

Fish are animals just like cows, chickens, cats or dogs.

Why is it only okay with your mother if you continue to eat dead fish? It doesn't make any sense.

There aren't any essential or beneficial nutrients that are only found in fish.

Congratulations on taking such a big step though.

http://www.fishinghurts.com/CommercialFishing.asp

Fred C - Lay off the magic mushrooms. Next, are you going to tell us that flowers are full of love?

"Boycott ketchup! It is made from the blood of poor defenceless tomatoes, slaughtered in their prime!"

Yes, and I am entitled to my criticism of those beliefs and opinions.

Answer 7

Good choice deciding to go the pescetarian route. Sorry the v&v regulars are beating you up for it. You apearantly aren't "pure" enough for them. You might want to try this site:

http://Pescetarianlife.com

Answer 8

There are videos of animal cruelty. Many of them are old, and do not reflect today's practices. Many of them are taken in other countries, like China, where animals are mistreated and that is just the way it is. Not eating a hamburger or a pork chop does not help cats, dogs, or any other animals in China, unfortunately. I do not buy any animal product from China.

If you want to go to the extreme, did you know that plants grow better to Mozart and carrots, according to electric sensors, emit the equivalent of a scream when uprooted? Music makes many plants grow more slowly, but they are healthier, and have a longer life expectancy. Geraniums have a particular liking to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto. Just because we believe plants don’t have sentience doesn’t mean they can’t experience pain just as animals do. So, if you avoid eating animals because they have faces, I suggest avoiding eating plants. The only reason we don't hear plants scream is they don't have faces.

Boycott ketchup! It is made from the blood of poor defenceless tomatoes, slaughtered in their prime!

So now you are down to fish, except fish have faces, too.

As you may be able to tell, I believe there is a reason God put plant life and animal life on this world, and gave us not only teeth, but a digestive system built for an omnivorous diet.

Good luck to you in your endeavours. I won't be joining you, and I have told you why.

Krister, no need to make it personal. I am entitled to my opinions and my beliefs just like anybody else in the world. But, there is ample proof plants have feelings just like animals and people, and nobody ever talks about gently removing plants from the earth so they don't suffer.

Answer 9

You are aware that fish are animals right? If you truly mean what you say you shouldn't be eating fish.