Whether you’re a meat person who’s been spurred to refrain from mammals recently, or a vegetarian looking for more flexibility in your food choices, a pest control diet may be what you’re looking for. It opens up your nutrition throughout the ecosystem that may not regularly occupy your plate, while providing serious benefits to your mind, brain and overall health.
How to follow the Pescatarian diet and why do you want to do it in the first place?
What is the Pescatarian diet?
The Pescatarian diet mostly follows the vegetarian diet, except for the addition of fish and seafood. Some Pescatarians also contain dairy products and eggs during their diet, while others do not.
“Most Pescatarians eat a lot of vegetarian meals and only contain fish and seafood a few times a week,” says Jenkasetta, Masters in Nutrition, MS, MS, MS and MS, who has been dining with Pescatarians for over 15 years.
Benefits of the Pescatarian diet
According to Monika Jacobson, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Spokane, Washington, a Pescatarian diet can offer great benefits.
1. Brain and heart health
Many fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel, are mostly omega-3s that are beneficial for cardiovascular and blood sugar health and can support brain health.
2. Weight management
“Eating fish and shellfish along with a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, healthy fats and whole grains in the right calorie range is extremely beneficial for weight loss,” says Jacobson.
3. Lean protein
Most seafood is protein-rich and has fewer calories and saturated fats than other types of meat, allowing you to meet your calorie-low protein requirements.
4. Sustainability
Patients are generally more sustainable than eating meat. Because fishing can have a smaller carbon footprint than raising the animals we consume.
What to watch out for on the Pescatarian diet
Nutrients
If done correctly, the Pescatarian diet can bring health benefits. It traditionally focuses on low saturated fat and nutritious plant foods and lean proteins.
But “There are always ways to make healthy eating unhealthy,” says Ha Nguyen of LDN, a registered dietitian in Philadelphia. “Technically, the Pescatarian diet will be pop tarts for breakfast, frozen fish sticks for lunch, and fries for dinner.”
So, instead of filling processed or fried foods, cassetta recommends grilling, baking and poaching seafood, and selecting plant-based protein sources such as beans, nuts and seeds.
For example, try lentil salads or hummus as a side dish instead of potatoes and other simple starch. Alternatively, you can have a single serving pack or two tablespoons of almond butter with fresh vegetables as a daytime snack, rather than something you would find in your coffee shop pastries or nearest vending machines.
mercury
The condition of our environment means that almost every fish contains mercury. But that’s not a reason to remove fish from your diet or avoid a Pescatalian diet.
“There are dramatic levels of mercury in the fish range, but there is little exposure if you choose the right seafood,” says Janis Zivlin, a registered dietitian who is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
This FDA table is an excellent resource for tracking the latest recommendations on mercury in fish. However, as a rule of thumb, jiblins suggest avoiding large catches like swordfish, sharks, king mckeyles and tilefish.
Lower mercury options include shrimp, salmon, pollock and catfish. Canned light tuna is safe for regular consumption, but canned albacoa tuna is very high in mercury and should be consumed modestly.
quality
The principle of guidance to get the highest quality seafood is to choose wild fish whenever possible and avoid farm-grown ones.
“When purchasing animal protein, always choose the best quality you can afford,” says Cassetta. “When it comes to fish and seafood, you can go to the fish market, talk to someone, find something fresh and see where the fish comes from. Fish grown in the wild eats things that mean eating naturally, so the omega-3 ratio is usually higher.
Most fish can also be frozen. This means you can thaw and eat it if necessary, so you don’t have to worry about wasting it. According to the US Department of Commerce, most frozen seafood today is quality and fresh. Find tips on buying and processing seafood.
How to start a Pescatarian diet
Ready to try the Pescatarian diet? Sharon Palmer, RD suggests creating some go-to recipes that you can enjoy and prepare easily, such as black bean tacos and vegetarian stir-fry. “That way you can make these recipes easier on your busiest day.” It’s also as easy as sinking beef or chicken with your favorite recipes with fish.
Nguyen will set up a meal preparation schedule that suits you. Fresh seafood needs to be prepared in a day or two, so start with it at the beginning of the week and store your freezer options in the middle of the week.
“The shrimp are great for stir-frying. The fish can be easily cleaned up by roasting in bread. Mussels and scallops are great for large batches of seafood pasta,” says Nguyen. “Look at the canned tuna and sardines, both expensive with omega-3s, for a simple lunch option.”
To make dieting easier for vegetarians, they start by dropping seafood dishes several times a week, suggests Jiblin. “Being a Pescatarian is basically a vegetarian with seafood added, so the transition for vegetarians is really easy. You can be vegetarian on Mondays, and Tuesdays and Wednesdays.”
