Do you want to switch over to a vegetarian diet? Do you want to revamp your diet with added health benefits? Then you must adopt the pescetarian diet. This post talks in detail about the pescetarian diet, its components, advantages and how you can switch over to a pescetarian diet. Want to know more? Keep reading.

Who Is A Pescetarian?

The term ‘pescetarian’ has been derived from an Italian word ’pesce’, meaning fish. People who prefer eating vegetarian foods, but also include aquatic animals as a part of their regular diet are known as pescetarians. In some parts of the world, they are also called pesco-vegetarians. These people eat saltwater and fresh water fish, shellfish and other vegetarian foods such as grains, vegetables, fruits, eggs, legumes and even dairy products just as the typical vegetarians consume.

Of late, more people are showing interest towards adapting the pescetarian style of eating. One of the major reasons behind the rise in the popularity of pescetarianism is that it offers the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle along with the proven health effects of the Omega-3 fatty acids from the fish. Thus, the pescetarian diet serves as the golden median between the two extreme forms of diet and interplays between the long-term health and nutrition.

Is Being Vegetarian And Pescetarian The Same Thing?

Pescetarians technically cannot be considered as vegetarians, but they do not fall into the category of being omnivores. They prefer consumption of fish oils and fish because these are the major sources of Omega-3 fatty acids and are extremely essential for the smooth working of the heart and other body organs. Slowly, you can switch over to other healthier options such as flax seeds that are a good alternative to Omega-3 fatty acids. A 100% vegetarian diet does not include any type of animals.

Why Should You Switch Over To Pescetarian Diet?

According to the Crown Consulting CEO and Web editor for the Vegetarian Nutrition, Debra King, a pescetarian diet includes foods from diverse groups and is especially selected by people who are health conscious or want to lose weight. For some people, it can be a sort of compromise where they not only want to stick to their vegetarian diet but also want to add a good protein source that is readily available in social or business settings.

People with health problems also turn towards this kind of diet because they are quite aware of the detrimental effects of eating meat and flesh. Janis Jibrin, author of The Pescetarian Plan says plant- based diets that also include the benefits of protein and omega-3 fatty acids are a convenient and an easy way to stick to healthful choices.

As you age, the unnatural craving of the body to eat poultry and mammal meat disappears. But most of us never realize this change as we are too busy indulging in different varieties of pork, red meat and chicken. That is why, your body starts reacting by getting sick from such unwanted foods, as the land-animal flesh is full of fecal bacteria, uric acid and toxins.

Naturally, the human body is made to eat plant-based foods and it always rejects meat. Proponents of the pescetarian diet argue that we tend to feed our toddlers the wrong foods at a very early age due to which they cannot make the right choice when they grow up. This belief does hold some amount of truth because the natural carnivores never cook their meat and still do not get sick in any season.

On the other hand, we cannot eat a live chicken just like the carnivores, which means the food is not for human consumption. Just imagine! Can a human baby kill a chicken or an animal out of its instinct for food just like a baby lion would do? There lies the answer. On the contrary, seafood does not carry same risks as meat. It is a much safer choice when it comes to healthy and fresh eating.

Important Components Of Pescetarian Diet:

Nutrition editor of Today’s Dietitian and the author of the Plant-Powered for Life, Sharon Palmer says that the pescetarian diet is almost similar to the traditional Mediterranean diet, in which the serving of fish is the primary source of animal protein. The Mediterranean eating pattern includes a healthy pescetarian type of diet that is packed with lots of whole grains, legumes, nuts, vegetables and fruits. You can also choose from the typical Japanese or the Nordic pescetarian diet that is extremely flexible and includes both the eggs and dairy in regular diets.

A pescetarian diet offers scope to try out a wide range of aquatic life that are low in saturated fat and rich in nutrients including trace minerals, and micronutrients. Seafoods such as oysters, clams, mussels are rich sources of minerals. Oyster is supposed to contain the highest amount of zinc on earth and just one serving covers the daily need of zinc of the human body (1). Mussels are rich in selenium, iron that act as a good source of fuel for the antioxidant system of the body. Studies also indicate that mussels have a high content of Silicon that helps maintain the lining of the aortic tissues (2).
If you are looking to improve your omega-3 fatty acids intake, you must choose oily fish such as sardines, trouts, salmon, mackerels and several other oil-rich fresh and salt-water varieties of fishes (3). Since almost all the fish varieties are low in calories, you can choose a large portion of a fish recipe to make up your daily protein requirement. Seafood is also a good source of vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K and vitamin B3 (4).

Advantages Of Pescetarian Diet:

There are several evidences that prove that shifting to a pescetarian diet can help you lead a much healthier life and reduce the risk of several diseases.

• According to the Adventist Health Study -2 reports conducted by Kris-Etherton in 2013, the pescetarian diet pattern affects chronic diseases favorably and the mortality rate was found to be much lower among these people as compared to those who preferred non-vegetarian diet.

• The study also found that the people who followed pescetarian diet had lower levels of blood pressure, cholesterol and lower risk of diabetes. They also had a lower risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome as compared to the non-vegetarians and lower carbon footprint.

• If pescetarian diet is introduced to the children at a younger age, they develop into smarter and more active kids and are at lesser risk of gaining excess weight or suffering from chronic health conditions.

• Pescetarian diet lowers the risk of depression, dementia, heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

• The seafood/fish helps prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease and their regular intake help to alleviate the symptoms.

• A cardiovascular Health Study has indicated that higher intake of long-chain fatty acids that are found in fish lowered the risk of fatal heart attacks and higher omega-3 fatty acid levels lower the chances of congestive heart failure in the adults.

• Eating fish is good for the brain. According to a long-term study, the children of women who regularly included fish in their diet during pregnancy display better motor, social and communication skills and have higher IQs.

The Rush Institute for Healthy Aging in Chicago has stated that the pescetarian diet helps to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 60%.

It is not only the fish that makes this diet so special. It is the absence of red meat and other animal flesh and inclusion of plant-based foods that improve the impact of the pescetarian diet. A 2009 study carried out by Fraser and the team says that convincing evidence has been found that suggests that vegetarians have a lower risk of coronary heart disease as these people mostly have low LDL cholesterol, lower rates of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Vegetarians show less prevalence of obesity and increased BMI. So, switching over to the pescetarian diet makes sense. As you lower your intake of processed and red meats and increase the intake of plant foods and fish, your overall health starts improving.

Is Excess Fish Harmful?

Fish contains certain amount of mercury and toxins. Considering the sustainability and environmental concerns about the fish and seafood viability, one might want to know whether consuming excess fish can be harmful to health or not.

Some recent scientific evidences suggest that the benefits of eating fish and introducing a pescetarian diet in your lifestyle are much bigger than the risks caused due to mercury or other toxins. Even then, you must concentrate on eating the amount of fish recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines recommend eating seafood twice a week (5)!  So, when you are shifting to pescetarian diet, you must never forget that it is a vegetarian diet that allows you to eat fish.

How To Start Being A Pescetarian?

1. Discuss With Your Household:

It is not easy to stop eating meat suddenly. But if you want to stick to your intentions, discuss it with your family members and let them know that you are not going to eat processed or red meat henceforth.

2. Explain Pescetarian Diet:

If they are not aware of the pescetarian diet, explain to them that you are not going to eat any type of non-seafood proteins, including pork, beef, turkey, lamb, chicken and venison. However, you will eat fish and other seafood varieties.

3. Intimate Family Members About Your New Needs:

People who mostly eat animal flesh are not used to including beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts and grains in their daily diet.Hence, first intimate your household about your new requirements and stock your kitchen with these ingredients.

4. Decide Whether To Include Or Exclude Eggs Or Dairy:

It is up to you whether to include eggs or dairy products depending on your personal choices.

5. Check Your Cupboards/Refrigerator For Animal-Based Foods:

Check your cupboards and the refrigerator for the presence of meat or food products containing meat as an ingredient. In some foods, the presence of meat is obvious, but there are certain foods in which meat is not clearly mentioned such as canned items, soups, frozen meals and snack foods. Even ingredients such as gravy, broth or meat flavoring curries do contain animal products. Similarly, gelatin and different cheese products are also sometimes animal-based. Identify them and remove such products from your household. You do not need to throw them, just give them to your neighbor or family friend who prefers such foods.

6. Try New Vegetarian And Fish-Based Recipes:

Try eating more at home instead of binging on restaurant food. You never know what can be served under the disguise of a 100% vegetarian dish. Try out new recipes such as stir-fries, vegetarian soups, burritos and salads. With fish included, you have a lot more to experiment such as fish sandwiches, fish tacos, seafood stews or simply grilled or baked fish with spicy seasonings.

7. Include Vegetarian Protein Sources In Diet:

Make sure that you also include veggie-proteins such as seeds, nuts and beans so that you do not lose your protein requirement when you are not having fish for the meal.

Once you start on the pescetarian diet, you would need to make an effort at trying out new ways of introducing vegetarian proteins in your diet. The initial few days might make you crave for animal flesh, but once you start binging on the tofu vegetable, veggie chili and cornbread or the vegetarian lasagna, you will simply be hooked to your new type of diet. Plan your weekly fishmeals so that you get enough amount of protein, but do not exceed the limit of fish intake.

Today, most of the people are looking for a type of diet that provides maximum nutrition and causes minimum inconvenience. Since pescetarian diet is the most natural diet focusing particularly on plant-based nutrition, it provides the necessary portions of phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, healthful fats and fiber. The inclusion of fish and seafood expands the range of benefits this dietary pattern can offer.

If you want to live healthy and stay healthy, try this diet that is taking the world by a storm! You can include steamed clams with your pasta or top your sandwich with some grilled shrimps. Yes, it is as easy as that! Integrate seafood into your daily diet and feel healthy, fit and energetic!

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by Maanasi Radhakrishnan via STYLECRAZE