Following a pescatarian diet is rapidly rising in popularity. For people who love the idea of plant-based eating but want to keep fish in their diets, this is the ideal choice. Fish offers a range of different health benefits, not to mention a great taste and a significant variety of options.
For that reason, many people are loving the opportunity to make fish their only animal-based protein in the pescatarian diet. Also called pescetarian, this diet isn’t actually anything new. It has been around for centuries and will likely continue to be. That said, in recent years, it has found its way into the spotlight quite a bit more than it has in the past.
What is a Pescatarian Diet?
The pescatarian diet isn’t anything flashy or complicated. It’s not a fad and it doesn’t require any specialty food purchases. Instead, it involves a diet that is mainly plant-based, with the addition of seafood and fish.
There are two main branches of the pescatarian diet. One is completely plant-based with seafood and fish permitted. The other also allows for dairy and eggs on top of the plant-based diet, fish and seafood. Still, since this is not a set program, the individual’s own preferences come into play. Overall, though, it does mean that the person following the diet will not eat beef, pork or poultry.
The Pros and Cons of a Pescatarian Diet
The benefits and drawbacks of choosing a pescatarian diet vary from one person to the next. It also changes depending on the specific type of pescatarian dieting the person does. After all, if all the individual does is eat junk food, there won’t be much of a health or weight loss advantage.
Even if the entire diet is plant based with the addition of the fish, if the dieter doesn’t balance his or her nutrition, there won’t be any real benefit to this eating style. However, if the individual places a focus on nutrition and balances his or her nutrients and macronutrients, it could present a significant advantage.
This is particularly true because eating fish will make it easier for an otherwise vegan dieter to gain a number of nutrients easily found in fish. This can include certain healthy oils, omega 3 fatty acids and protein. While those nutrients can all be obtained from plant-based foods, fish does provide a very easy source to those on a pescatarian diet.
