Fish and shellfish are both acceptable to pescatarians.
Where vegetarians give up meat altogether, pescatarians reject red meat but do eat fish. For some pescatarians, it's a transitional step before dropping animal flesh completely; others believe fish is healthier than red meat and some simply like fish. The word has been around since 1993, according to Liora Hess, writing on the Healthy Theory website.
Features
A pescatarian -- also called pescetarian, pesco-vegetarian and fishitarian -- is sometimes described as a vegetarian who eats fish. Pescatarians give up red meat and chicken, but they may eat fish, mollusks such as scallops or oysters, and crustaceans such as lobster or shrimp, the Pescetarian Life website states. Pescatarians also eat fruit, vegetables and grains, and may choose to eat dairy and eggs as lacto-ovo vegetarians do.
Benefits
Pescatarianism offers health benefits compared with either meat eating or vegetarianism, the Fit Day website states. Seafood is lower in saturated fats than meat or some sorts of shellfish; fish have high levels of omega-3 oils, which some studies indicate are healthy for your heart; and fish and shellfish provide more ways to obtain enough protein than a straight vegetarian diet does.
Considerations
If you're concerned about eating ethically, Hess states, pescatarianism is a step up from eating meat: Fish don't spend their lives in the harsh conditions that much livestock on factory farms does, and fishing generates less pollution and uses less water and fuel than farming. One kilogram of meat, according to Pescetarian Life, uses 15 to 30 times as much water as a kilogram of grains. Eating seafood is also easier on your wallet, particularly if you're environmentally conscious and eating organic, free-range meat.
Drawbacks
Fish isn't perfect for your health, according to Hess. Some species of fish have dangerously high levels of mercury and other toxic substances in their bodies, for instance. If your primary goal is ethics, eating fish or shellfish still requires killing an animal. If you're eating out, avoiding red meat and poultry means you have fewer choices than a typical omnivore, though you still have more options than a vegetarian does.
Changes
To become a pescatarian, you don't have to alter your diet beyond dropping red meat. You can eat any non-red meat meals you already enjoy, plus eggs, and switch out tuna steaks for beefsteak and fish or crab sandwiches for hamburgers. You can also become more creative in your cooking; instead of just replacing red meat with fish, consider dishes that aren't built around meat at all, from any of a wealth of vegetarian cookbooks and websites.
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