What to Eat on the Pescatarian Diet and Why

What is the Pescatarian Diet?

If you are a Premier Catch customer or a seafood lover, you probably know what the pescatarian diet is, and you might already follow it! But in this article we have highlighted benefits and challenges of the pescatarian diet, and tips for eating seafood more often and feeling your best.

The pescatarian diet is a type of vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and seafood. Pescatarians typically eat a plant-based diet with fish and seafood as their main protein source and avoid meat and poultry. Like vegetarians, pescatarians also eat dairy and eggs.

Benefits of the Pescatarian Diet

There are numerous health benefits of the pescatarian diet including better nutrition, increased longevity, lowered risk of chronic diseases, and protection against certain types of cancer.

Pescatarian typically eat more protein, healthy fats, and fiber than omnivores while avoiding some of the not-as-good-for-you elements of animal protein sources. Omitting meat and poultry leads to lower consumption of saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium for pescatarians. And compared to vegan and vegetarian diets, the pescatarian diet is also much richer in protein and calcium, which is essential for bone health.

The pescatarian diet has been proven to protect against type 2 diabetes, support healthy blood pressure, and protect against certain types of cancer. A study of vegetarians in the U.K. found that pesco-vegetarians and vegetarians have a lower risk for all types of cancer, but especially prostate and colorectal cancers. Lately, pesco-vegetarians have a lower risk of premature death from ALL causes, compared to meat-eaters.

Lastly, following a pescatarian diet is one of the most sustainable ways to eat, even more so than vegetarian or vegan. Wild seafood, from sustainably managed fisheries, is one of the most sustainable food sources on the planet because of the clean, efficient and monitored harvesting methods. By eating sustainable seafood, you are benefiting our oceans, planet, and fishermen!

Challenges of the Pescatarian Diet

Anyone eating a fish-heavy diet must be mindful of mercury consumption. Mercury is a dangerous toxin that can accumulate in certain species of fish and shellfish. Mercury is found in larger fish because they consume smaller food and live longer. Some of the highest sources of mercury are swordfish, shark, and king mackerel, while the lowest are salmon, trout, and haddock.

Tips for Following a Pescatarian Diet

The pescatarian diet relies heavily on seafood and plants but it is important to include whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds to create balanced meals and consume adequate levels of fatty acids.

In order to reap the benefits of a pescatarian diet, the U.S. dietary guidelines recommend eating 8oz of seafood twice per week. Premier Catch makes eating seafood easy with pre-portioned, flash-frozen filets and tons of delicious recipes on the Premier Catch Kitchen blog.