Why I Don’t Like Diet Labels and Why I Started Eating Meat Again

As a dietitian, I don’t like diet labels. I find them restrictive and judgmental. So when I recently threw away my “pescatarian” diet label and started eating meat again after 8 years, I knew it would lead to questions – from others and myself.

This is a post I’ve thought about for a long time. It’s personal, and it attracts judgment. But I urge you to read openly and honestly think about your food choices, labels, and priorities.

When I started my original food and nutrition blog, C it Nutritionally, over 5 years ago, I was mostly vegan. No meat. No fish. No eggs. No dairy. I was also extremely sick, and grasping for something to help me feel better.

No, it didn’t help. (You can read more about that here.)

I slowly started to add more foods to my diet. And by slowly I mean sloowwwlyyyy. I had recently moved home (and by home I mean living with my parents at the age of 23) after living in Tel Aviv, Israel for 2 years. If I heard my mom ask where I was getting my protein again I would’ve flipped. Sorry mom, but true. And I missed feta cheese like crazy.

So I became a vegetarian.

To be honest, it wasn’t because of animal welfare. It wasn’t because of the environment (although it was a good perk). I first became a vegetarian while living in Israel out of convenience (I was too sick at the time to start cooking meat), and it stuck because I felt proud wearing a vegetarian label. And I told myself it was helping me feel better.

Eventually, I started feeling antsy. I wasn’t happily eating the same quinoa salad for lunch anymore… I was forcing myself to. And since I wasn’t at my peak energy levels after being a vegetarian for two years, I knew something wasn’t working. Coupled with rigorous antibiotic treatments, I felt like I needed more sustenance.

So I became a pescatarian.

But in reality, WHO CARES?!

We all have a diet label, whether we flaunt it or not. And I have no problem with following a specific medically-necessary diet. I’ve follow a nut-free diet for my entire life. I’m not anti-diet because your diet is simply what and how you eat. It shouldn’t be something you follow.

But as a vegetarian, and then pescatarian, I felt increasingly as if I was following something. So I put on my dietitian hat and treated myself like a client. I took a good look at the limitations and restrictions I put on my own diet.

I asked myself…

• What are my reasons?
• Why am I limiting myself?
• Do I feel better eating this way?
• Is this helping my body work its best?

The more I looked into it, and was truthful with myself, the more I recognized that wearing a “pescatarian” name tag became a part of my identity. I was proud and felt like I was doing something good by not eating meat. And I don’t think a diet should ever become a part of who you are. It’s just how you eat.

So whether you’re paleo or gluten free, vegan, pescatarian, or a carnivore, I don’t really think it matters. I think what matters is that you don’t feel limited by the diet you’re subscribed to. That you feel your absolute best from the foods that you eat. And that you’re choosing the best quality sources of foods that you can.

Being healthy isn’t about following a diet.

It’s about fueling your body and nourishing your body with the foods that help you feel your best – physically, mentally, and emotionally.

So I stopped labeling myself as a pescatarian. I still followed a pescatarian way of eating – because that’s what helped me feel my best – but I stopped using that name tag for myself.

And then I ate meat…

If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I had some crazy stomach issues last year.

Over the last year, I experimented with my diet in several science-backed ways to see if they would help my stomach. I tried small, frequent meals, I ventured into a low fodmap diet (eliminating fermentable carbohydrates), and even started eating less grains to see if it would help (PS – It didn’t).

Experiencing a medically-necessary elimination diet, such as the low fodmap protocol, however, did bring to light the foods that I just don’t tolerate very well – beans, lentils, occasionally gluten (depending on the source), too much avocado, and too much fruit at once.

Unfortunately, as much as I love these foods, my body doesn’t love them back right now. While lentil tacos and bean burgers were a STAPLE in my weekly diet, as they’re great sources of plant-based proteins and full of fiber, I couldn’t handle it. And that meant I had to search elsewhere to fill in those voids.

So I started eating more eggs and fish… and eventually, it got boring.

For the first time in 5 years, I was intrigued by the scent of meat when I was cooking it for my husband.

And I felt guilty and torn.

How could I enjoy this smell when I pride myself on not eating meat?

And that’s when it clicked for me.

I work with clients everyday to encourage eliminating unnecessary diet labels and practices. So why was I so tied to my own diet label, when I didn’t even have a reason!

And even more – why was I feeling GUILTY over a SMELL?!

I was bored of my food, I was tired of cooking the same things, and I STILL wasn’t feeling my best. That’s no reason to follow a specific diet.

It wasn’t a conscious decision that I cooked meat and ate it. But as I let go of defining myself as a pescatarian, I opened up to the idea that eating meat again wouldn’t make me a bad person. It wouldn’t make me unhealthy.

It would mean I’m practicing what I teach: listening to my body.

The first time I ate meat…

So it was a Monday… I got home from my office earlier than my husband, and made him turkey burgers. My recipe is SO simple. The delicious smell was wafting towards me, calling my name.

And I tried it…

And I LIKED it.

 

I was home alone, I didn’t feel judged by anyone else or myself (most importantly), and genuinely enjoyed every bite. (Seriously, try this recipe – so good!)

I didn’t feel sick. I didn’t feel guilty. I felt like I quenched my thirst – it was a good feeling! And it’s not like there was a lack of delicious food in my life, but clearly my body was missing something.

So I moved on with my evening.

My husband came home and I honestly didn’t tell him. Being a vegetarian, then pescatarian, was such a big part of my life for so long that it felt weird to have a sort of shift in identity. But eating meat again didn’t change who I was as a person… it just changed how I looked at my health and my body.

And I consider it treating my body better than I had before.

Diet Labels Are Restrictive

Diet labels are restrictive. They’re limiting. And when they’re unnecessary, they can become confusing.

Instead of blanketly labeling your diet and never looking back, I urge you to examine your WHY behind your label.

Are you eating a certain way because you feel you should or because you want to or feel better when you eat that way?

You’re the only one that has to live in your body, so I urge you to do what’s best for YOU – not because you feel external pressures to follow a specific plan or “should.”

 

Nutrition is individual. No two people have the exact same needs, wants, or desires at all times. Stay truthful to what your body is telling you… it’s the only way you’ll capitalize on your health!

 

Are you unsure if you’re labeling your diet for the wrong reasons?

Let me help you figure it out! Book your free initial consultation today!

 

Have you ever changed your diet before? How did you and others react?
XO