Name: Hannah J.B.
Age: 21
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Occupation: Americorps*VISTA
How long have you been pescatarian? And what inspired your journey?
In 1997 I stopped eating beef and pork. I was 7 years old and was disgusted, hurt, and alarmed at the concept of eating animals. Prior to that I didn’t know what meat came from.
My mother convinced me to continue eating chicken “for my health”. So I did.
In 2007, I stopped eating poultry. I stopped really having a taste for it. So I just left it. I’m weaning myself off fish. I don’t really have a taste for it much, but I force myself to consume certain levels of protein, because I’ve had medical issues stemming from that in the past.
Has pescatarianism enhanced your health? Why or why not?
I’m not sure what to compare to. I don’t remember feeling any better from age 7 to 8, and when I ate poultry it was still mostly organic or lean. I grew up in a pretty healthy household. It has definitely pushed me to find healthy and fun alternatives for meals though. So maybe yes in that way.
In retrospect, how do you feel about meat? Or do you have any thoughts on America’s meat industry?
For the sake of the environment alone – I’d urge everyone to be disgusted by meat.
The hormones and steroids are another issue entirely, and make me afraid to consume almost anything really. I just want to remind people that they should probably take interest in what they put inside their bodies.
Was there a community of black women that helped you along your meatless journey? And if not, what are you doing to change this for others?
I knew quite a few Rastafari and all around healthy living folks. I never really asked for help, but we did have fun cooking together.
My godmother was actually a raw foodist (for many years), and is a certified Naturopathy position. Shadowing her eating and living habits, has definitely given me a sort of guideline.
People ask me about healthy living pretty often, and I always ask them “Why?”. Once they have a passionate reason to live and eat well, giving up meat comes naturally. I have hosted quite a few cooking socials with aspiring vegetarians/pescatarians to show them how to make the tons of things I eat. I also encourage people to look at my MyFitnessPal.com food diary for more suggestions.
Are you a vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian? Email arielle@frugivoremag.com if you’d like to be featured in the Black Female Vegetarian Series. Check back every Tuesday and Friday for a new profile! Click to read past profiles here.