Before I became pregnant with Robo Boy my second child I was a vegetarian, and had been for about 18 years.Then when I was about 14 weeks pregnant an overwhelming urge struck me. I wanted fish, specifically smoked salmon, and I wanted it right now!
No ethical questions entered my head so strong was my urge so I sent my bewildered husband Dave to the local co-op for smoked salmon and quick. He returned looking slightly scared to tell me that they had none in stock but not to worry he would run me to the supermarket.
I literally ran into Tesco grabbed a pack of salmon, payed got in my car opened the pack and devoured the lot like a wild animal.
Once sated I felt pretty bad, fish have feelings and can be farmed intensively. I swore I wouldn’t eat any more, but the urges to eat fish were overwhelming and during that pregnancy I reckon I ate entire schools of salmon and tuna. I decided to just go with it. After all I could give it up after the baby was born and no longer making these fishy demands.
Anyway I did stop eating fish and felt much less guilty returning to my plant based diet. A year or so later I found myself pregnant with baby number 3 and pretty soon the cravings returned. This time I didn’t just want fish I wanted raw fish , I ate sushi as often as I could, I could not get enough of it. I didn’t even feel particularly bad about it, it was so yummy.
So after Wonder Girl was born fish had become a pretty regular part of my diet, and I was not entirely convinced that I wanted to give up my sushi fix. She is now four months old, and I am still eating fish a couple of times a week.
I think I am a Piscatorian, a vegetarian who eats fish, and perhaps I can live with that. I can’t justify it, though I can try to eat organic fish which has had a long and happy life. I do have pangs of guilt, particularly when I visit aquariums, but this is the situation for now. Perhaps at some point in the future I’ll return to full vegetarianism (never a vegan- I love cheese way too much), but for now I’m standing up and declaring I am a piscatorian and I don’t have to justify it to anyone.
I didn’t even know what it meant until I continued reading your post! Well fish is good for you and if you want to eat it then you carry on I say!
Welcome to blogging xx
Thanks , and hey your my first ever comment !
A piscatorian is a fisherman or someone who collects fishing memorabilia!!!!! A piscatarion is someone who eats fish and vegetarian food!!!
Your blog title says you collect fishing memorabilia!!!!!!!
Good on you for being honest with yourself. x
Salmon is high in Omega-3 oils which helps to produce prostaglandins. These are necessary to make hormones needed to maintain your pregnancy. Also, if you were short Omega 3s while you were pregnant, then you might also suffer from severe post partum due to a lack of the essential building blocks needed to build feel good neurotransmitters like serotonin. When the body is low in Omega 3s the salt-water balance gets out of whack too. So you ended up craving smoked salmon. Good on you for listening to your body. Keep listening to the whispers and the screams. 🙂
I enjoyed this post and I think listening to your body is the perfect way to go. Eating fish and a largely plant based diet is an excellent idea.