Shivangi Goswami
3/10/2022 9:30 PM
A couple years ago, I made the switch to being pescatarian after learning how harmful the meat industry was to the environment. However, I depended on fish as my main source of protein and it was easy to substitute anywhere my family or friends wanted to eat out. For example, my friends really enjoy getting tacos and I always just got fish tacos instead of pork or chicken tacos. For the past four years, I have been a pescatarian, and it's been really doable. However, after completing the first research project and learning about how harmful the practices of overfishing or farm fishing are to the livelihood of our ocean's ecosystems and the future of our coral reefs, I made the decision to limit my consumption of seafood for the past seven weeks. I allowed myself only one seafood meal every other week. This was really hard at first because I had learned to depend on using seafood as the main source of protein in my meals. Specifically, I recall one night three weeks ago when my friends after a late-night stopped by a taco truck. Living in LA, there is generally always a plant-based option on the menu (and usually really taste ones!!), but this was a family truck without the usual LA flare, so they didn't have a plant-based option. In this moment, I really wanted to break my pact and just get fish again, but instead, I just asked my friends if we could stop by in-n-out on our way back to our apartment, where I got a grilled cheeseburger, and it satisfied all my late-night cravings. I was a little hesitant to ask at first but my friends were MORE than happy to make an extra stop so that we could find something that fit my dietary needs. Making the switch to eat more sustainably raise a few challenges, but none that can't be overcome when you're surrounded by the right people :) Overall, making the switch to decrease my seafood consumption has not been that hard, and I've found a LOT of cool ways to cook chickpeas and lentils haha.
