Who is a pescetarian

Many pescatarians also eat dairy and eggs. Of course, just as vegetarian diets can vary widely, so can pescatarian ones. There are several reasons people may choose to eat a pescatarian diet. Here are some of the main ones. There are many proven benefits to plant-based diets, including a lower risk of obesity and chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes 2 , 3 , 4. According to research, you can get many of those protective benefits from a pescatarian diet too.

One study found that women who were pescatarians gained 2. And people who shifted their diet in a more plant-based direction gained the least amount of weight, showing that reducing your animal consumption may be good for you no matter your current eating patterns.

Another study concluded that pescatarians had a lower risk of developing diabetes at 4. Additionally, one large study looked at people who ate meat rarely or were pescatarians. In contrast, producing fish and seafood has a lower carbon footprint than producing any type of animal meat or cheese 6. Ethics can be a major reason why people choose to go vegetarian. It can be a major reason for pescatarians too. Some of the ethical reasons people choose not to eat meat include 8 , 9 :. Eliminating land animals from your diet addresses some of these ethical concerns.

That said, aquaculture and overfishing can also be problematic. There are several reasons people choose a pescatarian diet, including concerns about health, ethics and the environment. A healthy pescatarian diet is largely made up of minimally processed plant foods, plus seafood and possibly dairy and eggs.

Many people are concerned that completely excluding animal products or avoiding animal flesh could lead to a low intake of certain key nutrients 10 , 11 , In particular, vitamins B12, zinc, calcium and protein can be somewhat harder to get on a vegan diet 11 , Adding seafood, including fish, crustaceans and mollusks, to a vegetarian diet can provide beneficial nutrients and variety. Fish is the best way to get omega-3 fatty acids Some plant foods, including walnuts and flaxseeds, contain alpha-linolenic acid ALA , a type of omega-3 fat.

DHA and EPA have additional health benefits, helping not just the heart, but also brain function and mood Humans only need about 0. For instance, oysters are extremely high in vitamin B12, zinc and selenium. Mussels are also super rich in vitamin B12 and selenium, as well as manganese and the rest of the B vitamins For example, just 3 ounces of cod provide 19 grams of protein and less than a gram of fat.

Cod is also an excellent source of selenium and a good source of phosphorus, niacin and vitamins B6 and B12 If health at least partially motivates your food choices, then becoming pescatarian will give you more options. But you can get it from other foods like tuna and sardines, eggs, dairy foods like yogurt, nutritional yeast, and fortified cereals. Vitamin B12 cobalamin helps to maintain a healthy nervous system, and aid in the formation of red blood cells and DNA and protein metabolism.

Make sure you get plenty of meat-free foods high in B12 such as shellfish, eggs, milk, and dairy products, and some fortified cereals. You'll also want to avoid fish with higher levels of mercury, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Best choices for seafood include herring, lobster, and freshwater trout. Good choices include snapper, halibut , and grouper.

Fish to avoid includes bigeye tuna, orange roughy, and swordfish. The pescatarian diet has a lot going for it—but there is no one diet that is perfect. If you're considering a pescatarian diet but you're unsure if it's right for you, try it for a week or two and see how you feel.

You may notice that when you boost your intake of grains, vegetables, and other fiber-rich foods , you eat less and feel fuller longer. You may also have more energy. At the very least, you'll benefit from experimenting with new foods and flavors. If you're not sure where to begin, enlist the help of a registered dietitian or a local cooking school to learn how to prepare fish so that you enjoy your meals and feel satisfied.

While we do not endorse fad diet trends or unsustainable weight loss methods, we present the facts so you can make an informed decision that works best for your nutritional needs, genetic blueprint, budget, and goals.

Exercise, sleep, and other lifestyle factors also play a major role in your overall health. The best diet is always the one that is balanced and fits your lifestyle. Get nutrition tips and advice to make healthy eating easier. A review of guidance on fish consumption in pregnancy: Is it fit for purpose?

Public Health Nutr. How to transition to reduced-meat diets that benefit people and the planet. Sci Total Environ. Department of Agriculture.

Department of Health and Human Services and U. Ninth Edition. December Comparison of nutritional quality of the vegan, vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian and omnivorous diet. Optimal nutrition and the ever-changing dietary landscape: A conference report. Eur J Nutr. Omega-3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Derbyshire EJ. Flexitarian diets and health: A review of the evidence-based literature. Front Nutr. Updated March 30, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFit. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What Can You Eat? Sample Shopping List. Sample Meal Plan. Pros and Cons. What Experts Say "Defined as a vegetarian diet with the addition of fish, the pescatarian diet can be a great choice for those searching for a nutritious meal plan.

Pros More protein choices than a strict vegetarian diet Seafood offers health benefits Can be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids May offer environmental benefits. Cons Can be expensive Watch for mercury levels May not always be caught or farmed sustainably. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns?

Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. A pescatarian, or someone who follows a pescatarian way of eating, maintain a vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and other seafood such as shrimp, clams, crabs, and lobster.

In other words, a pescatarian is a person who eats fish, but doesn't eat steak, chicken, pork or any other kind of meat, only fish and seafood. That's not all they eat. Pescatarians also eat mainly vegetarian foods such as tofu, beans, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and grains.

Although the word is not commonly used and a pescatarian is not really a vegetarian, often people adopt this kind of diet for two reasons: one, they want to cut out meat but still get healthy protein. The other common reason to go adopt a pescatarian diet is to build up to a completely vegetarian diet. With this method, they may eventually phase out fish and seafood but will do so over time.

Other reasons for adopting a pescatarian way of eating include many of the same issues that motivate people to go vegetarian or vegan: a reduced environmental footprint and animal cruelty concerns.

And some people follow a pescatarian diet for religious reasons. Pescatarians often believe that moderate consumption of fish or fish oils, which are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, is necessary for optimum health, although vegetarian alternatives, such as flaxseed oil and hemp foods are available.

While it's true that fish is a good source of protein, this shouldn't be the sole reason for eating a pescatarian diet. There are plenty of meat-free and fish-free sources available to vegetarians and even vegans, including eggs, low-fat dairy, beans, lentils, nuts, and more. It's certainly possible to maintain a protein-rich diet without consuming meat or fish. A pescatarian is not a vegetarian or even a type of vegetarian. There is much confusion over what a vegetarian is and isn't, but no definition of the term ever includes fish or seafood.