Relevant information about the five most popular restrictive diets: Gluten-free, Lactose-intolerant, Pescetarianism, Vegan and Vegetarian.
A pescetarian diet is when people eliminate meat from their diet but still eat other animal products, including dairy and fish. This diet has become more and more popular in recent years, and is used by people who want to make a change to their lifestyle or as a stepping stone for people on the verge of becoming vegetarians or vegans. While there are many health benefits that come with switching to a pescetarian diet, there are some health risks you need to be aware of as well. You also need to know what supplements you may need to take as part of your new diet.
Switching to a pescetarian diet significantly reduces the risk that you will suffer a medical problem at some point in your life, including heart disease and cancer. Processed meat and red meat has been proven to increase the risk of several types of cancer, including prostate, colon, and breast. Pescetarians eliminate this problematic meat from their diets but still keep fish, which has a lower amount of cholesterol, saturated fat, and fat per serving compared to most meats. Seafood is also the best source of the two omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. A high intake of these fatty acids has been proven to decrease the risk of high blood triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and heart disease. These fatty acids also help prevent second heart attacks in people who have a history of heart problems. The seafood richest in omega-3 fatty acids includes herring, mackerel, sardines, Pollock, and salmon.
While there are many benefits to switching to a pescetarian diet, there are some concerns as well. If you are eating a large amount of seafood, always choose low-mercury seafood like catfish, salmon, clams, cod, and canned light tuna, as opposed to high-mercury fish, like shark, tilefish, swordfish, and king mackerel. High-mercury fish can lead to mercury poisoning, which can harm the kidneys, heart, and brain. It is especially harmful to children and women who are pregnant. In fact, if you are trying to get pregnant, you should avoid high-mercury fish all together and limit yourself to 12 ounces of low-mercury fish per week. Mercury can cause significant neurological damage to the development of unborn babies. If you are limiting seafood because you are pregnant or only plan on eating it once or twice a week, you run the risk of becoming deficient in certain areas, particularly vitamin B12 and iron. You will need to take supplements in order to prevent this deficiency.
Many people switch to a pescetarian diet instead of a vegetarian or vegan diet because they are still able to consume all of the nutrients their body needs. While vegetarians are notoriously lacking in vitamin B12, a 3.5-ounce serving of cooked salmon provides all the amount of B12 an adult needs in one day. Still, it may be a good idea to keep supplements located in your house, especially if you plan on eating fish only once or twice a week. If your diet is geared towards more of a vegetarian diet, you still run the risk of becoming deficient in certain areas.
