What is a pescetarian diet?

Once seen as just a stepping stone to becoming a vegan, the pescetarian diet has become a popular choice on its own. Renowned for its health and ethical benefits, hundreds of thousands have taken up the diet.

Adding to the pescetarian appeal, there’s a long list of celebrities amongst the dieters including Ben Stiller, Common, David Duchovny, Nicole Anderson and Dannii Minogue.

With the vegan (plant based food only) diet at one end of the spectrum and the omnivorous (high meat based) diet at the other, the pescetarian diet falls somewhere in between. Like the vegan diet, the pescetarian diet includes a large amount of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts but also includes fish and seafood. The diet may also include dairy products and eggs depending on the individual.

At its most basic level, the diet omits all meats but includes all seafood.

Health benefits of the pescetarian diet:

Since fish and seafood define the diet from other forms of vegetarian and vegan diets, let’s begin with that. Fish is the best natural source of high quality protein there is and is rich in omega 3 – which reduces the risk of heart disease – and low in unhealthy saturated fats.

It is important for all types of vegetarians to seek good sources of iron. The pescetarian diet should include iron rich seafood such as crab, mussels, sardines, oysters, and scallops.

Ethical Considerations and the pescetarian diet:

Being environmentally friendly has become an important aspect of our lives, there’s no reason our diets cannot also be ethical. Thanks to the Blue Ocean Institute's Guide to Ocean-Friendly Seafood, the pescetarian diet choices are far easier to make. Fish are ranked according to their history, prevalence, habitat and management before flagging the most sustainable seafood options.

The pescetarian diet; popular, healthy and ethical.