If you’re looking to change up your diet— be it to benefit your health, or for many other reasons— you have several different options to look into and pick. Picking a particular diet is crucial because you want to ensure that you’re getting enough vitamins, nutrients and calories. Plus, you want your diet to benefit your overall health, too.
One popular option is being pescatarian. This specific diet cuts out all meat and poultry in favour of fish and shellfish, as well as eggs and dairy. It’s a solid choice that offers its fair share of benefits. So if you’re wondering whether or not this diet is right for you, here are three reasons that will help you decide if you should give being pescatarian a try.
There’s a long list of health benefits that come from a pescatarian diet. One main reason for this is the increased intake of omega-3 fatty acids. This is inevitable, as fish is extremely high in omega-3 fatty acids. Their benefits include better control of hormones, better reproductive health, improved cardiovascular health, improved mental health, lower triglyceride levels, and a reduced risk of diabetes. The other health benefits associated with a pescatarian diet are brain development, help treat anxiety and depression, reduced heart inflammation, and a reduced risk of cancer. All of these health benefits make following a pescatarian diet a great idea if you’re looking to improve several aspects of your overall health.
The biggest fear associated with cutting meat out of one’s diet is losing vital sources of protein. After all, we need to consume a good amount of protein every day. But when it comes to being on a pescatarian diet, that concern can be put to rest. Various types of fish are sources of complete proteins, meaning that combining them with other proteins isn’t necessary. Plus, it’s easier to consume protein when on a pescatarian diet, as there are many different sources available. So if you want to cut out meat but don’t want to be vegetarian or vegan, a pescatarian diet is your best bet in eating well while getting enough protein.
In more recent years, there has been a push for people to go green and live sustainably. One way to do exactly that is by eating a pescatarian diet. Multiple studies have pointed out that environmentally speaking, eating fish is better than eating fish. The reasons tie into meat taking up more greenhouse gases. While there are still concerns regarding fish farming (i.e. risk of overfishing) it’s generally agreed upon that a pescatarian diet is more sustainable than an omnivore diet that includes meat. If this is an issue that greatly concerns you, then this is a great diet to start practicing.
If one or more of these reasons intrigue you, then perhaps it’s time to give being pescatarian an honest try. It may feel overwhelming to try it, especially if you’ve never changed up your diet or eliminated a food group before. But change can be a good thing— you never know if a pescatarian diet fits your lifestyle until you give it a shot.
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