What’s a Pescatarian? The Diet Lifestyle You Haven’t Tried

The Forgotten Diet

What’s a Pescatarian?

Every time I tell someone I’m a pescatarian, I get a funny look. I immediately must add, “No, it’s not a religion”. Simply put, pescatarians are people who eat similarly to vegetarians, with the big exception that they also consume seafood. Research shows that it’s one of the healthiest diets to follow, yet only an estimated 3% of the world’s population does so.

We’ve established that pescatarians are fish eaters. In fact, it’s right there in the name. Pesce in Italian means fish. In the 1990’s the term was coined to describe vegetarians that also consumed seafood. You may see it spelled pescetarian, but these two terms are interchangeable.   

While research literature refers to pescatarians as a type of vegetarian diet, it more closely resembles the Mediterranean Diet. The main difference between the two is that with a Mediterranean diet red meat is consumed 2-3 times a month.

What’s a Pescatarian Eat?

Pescatarians eat primarily vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, legumes, nuts, and of course some seafood.

I have been pescatarian for 10 years, while my husband made the switch 2 years ago.

Prior to that, he was only eating red meat once or twice a month though. We do consume dairy…mainly cheese but prefer to drink (i.e. pour over cereal) soy or oat milk. As for eggs, my husband is sensitive to the protein in chicken eggs, so we have a couple of spoiled backyard ducks that provide our family eggs. Overall, we eat mostly vegetarian meals and tend to consume seafood around three to four times a month. However, I am feeding my 1-year-old son fish low mercury fish about twice a week.

With processed “meat” alternatives getting more abundant and (in my opinion) tastier, we have started eating these once or twice a week. I try to keep whole foods as our main ingredients, but sometimes it’s nice to have quick options that also remind me of dinners from my childhood.

What are the Health Benefits of Being Pescatarian?

Pescatarian diets have tremendous health benefits, and it’s shocking that it isn’t a more widely adopted lifestyle. Research has shown that when compared to omnivorous, reduced-meat, and veganism diets, pescatarian diets are the best in terms of nutritional quality.

A pescatarian diet can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 25%, reduce your risk of heart disease by 21%, and is one of the best diets for reducing cancer risks.

People who consume a more plant-based diet also gain less weight than meat-eaters as they age. For pescatarians, this ends up being 2.5 fewer pounds (1.13 kg) each year than omnivores.

To summarize, a pescatarian diet is good for your heart, reduces the risk of diabetes and cancer, and is good for your waistline!  

What are the Environmental Benefits?

When I became a pescatarian 10 years ago, I did so because of environmental concerns. I actually started out trying a traditional vegetarian diet, but after 3 or 4 months I started to incorporate fish into my diet a couple of times a month.

Modern factory farming to raise livestock causes many environmental concerns.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Raising livestock contributes greatly to human-made carbon emissions. The total greenhouse gas emissions released from farming animals is 7.1 Gigatonnes or roughly 15% of all human-caused emissions.  

• A pescatarian diet greatly reduces your carbon footprint.
• The lowest carbon footprint diets are vegan (1 kg CO₂ per 1000 kcal^-1), vegetarian (1.1) and pescatarian (1.9)
• The diets with the worst carbon footprint are omnivore (2.3), paleo (2.8), and keto (4.2)

Sustainability

While there is some disparity over how much grain is used to produce 1 lb of beef current research estimates it to be 2.6 lbs of grain for 1 lb. of beef, 3 lbs of grain for 1 lb. of pork, and 2 lbs of feed for 1 lb of chicken.

This disparity often comes when trying to calculate grain consumed by cattle that are raised on grasslands vs in feedlots. In the US 14.4 million cattle are in feedlots at any given time while the remaining 82% are on grasslands.

As for water, it takes 1,847, 717, and 518 gallons to produce one pound of beef, pork, and chicken, respectively. Why does it take so much water to produce meat? This comes from the requirements to grow the animal’s food, sustain the animal, and from the slaughtering process.

Land Use

While grazing cattle on grasslands does reduce the amount of grain needed to feed the animal, it has some drawbacks. Grazing cattle often creates conflict with the wildlife in the area. Wolves and coyotes are hunted and even killed by states when cows are preyed upon.

Deforestation and overgrazing are also happening around the world. It is well known that the Amazon rainforest is being torn down to make room for cattle.

Slaughterhouses are also a major source of pollution, as wastewater released from these facilities release 28 million pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus into American rivers and streams. This pollution has even caused a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico where the oxygen level is so low that it can kill fish and other marine life. NOAA research shows that this dead zone is growing.

Why I’m Not Vegan

So, if environmental concerns are my main reason for being a pescatarian, then why don’t I follow a vegan diet?

Look, if I truly wanted the most sustainable diet, I would need to grow all my own food or never purchase anything that’s produced more than a few miles from my home. While in theory, this is possible, it would remove the joy I get when trying out and creating new recipes inspired by flavors from around the world. I believe food is a love language that bonds us as humans, and I love exploring it.

I also don’t believe that you must live like a saint to live a greener life. That “all-or-nothing” paradox prevents people from making small changes that can really add up if more people adopted them. In fact, one of my favorite quotes is by Jane Goodall.

Sustainability is about balance so that something can continue long-term. For me, following a pescatarian diet fits well into my life. It helps me reduce my environmental impact and keeps me healthy at the same time.

I should note, that while I try to remove animal products from my diet and never purchase meat products, I don’t consider myself a “pure” vegetarian/pescatarian. I do occasionally eat things like marshmallows and parmesan cheese which contain animal products. I have tried roasting vegan marshmallows over a campfire, but they sadly weren’t the same. I do try and buy animal rennet-free cheese, but unfortunately, I can’t find parmesan cheese without it.

Will I Raise My Kid(s) Pescatarian?

Absolutely. For all the reasons I stated above, I believe it is the best diet for my family.

However, I’m not naïve. I know that this is extremely easy to do while my son is a toddler. As he gets older and goes to school, he’s going to want to try meat when he sees his friends eating it, and I’m ok with that. I grew up on it after all.

All I can do is communicate to him why his father and I eat this way and then let him make his own decision on what’s right for him.

My Tips for Following a Pescatarian Diet

1 ) Download the Seafood Watch app by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This will help you make the most sustainable seafood choices. (I’d be a vegetarian if it wasn’t for this app)

2) Make veggies your main course. Don’t always serve veggies as a side ingredient. When eating a more plant-based diet, they should be your star ingredients.

3) Aim for whole foods. I use beans as a primary meat replacement. If beans don’t go with the dish, I up the vegetables.

4) It’s ok to have some processed meat alternatives. Don’t beat yourself up about cheating with processed foods every now and then. If I’m craving a brat, it’s nice to know I can have a Beyond Meat brat without the guilt of eating animals. It makes the switch to plant-based easier too.

5) Have a garden. At a minimum try growing some herbs in a pot and expand from there if you can. Fresh food makes your recipes taste so much better, plus you get the satisfaction of growing it yourself.

6) Cook with your kids. Involve your kids in the cooking process as much as possible, even if it just means pointing to which carrot you should use.

Phew, that was a lot, but I hope you learn a little more about me and now you too can answer the question “What’s a pescatarian?”.

Looking for some pescatarian recipes? Check out my recipes here.

Are you thinking about becoming a pescatarian? Be sure to ask any questions in the comments below!