A healthy diet goes beyond limiting animal products. In addition, you want to focus on well-balanced meals, healthy cooking techniques, limiting processed foods and refined sugar and drinking adequate amounts of water each day. Pescetarian diets are also beneficial to your health. They may help you manage or lower your cholesterol levels, and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. [3] X Research source
Incorporate a variety of proteins into your pescetarian diet outside of seafood. If you’re consuming eggs and dairy products, they’re an excellent source of protein. In fact, the egg has the highest biological value of all proteins. The biological value provides a measurement of how efficient the body utilizes protein consumed in the diet. [5] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source In addition, don’t forget about beans, lentils, nuts and whole grains! Ensure that your meals feature fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy (if you’re including this) each day. This means you have a well-balanced diet.
Cookbooks have a wide arrangement of recipes and are a great resource to browse through. Plus, they generally have great photographs which can help motivate you to continue with your new eating pattern. Go beyond printed resources and find bloggers that post regularly about pescetarian recipes. They might also have good tips on adopting this new eating pattern.
You can try joining online communities or forums where you can post questions, link up with other pescetarians and get helpful information from others already following this diet pattern. Take a cooking class. Many restaurants, cooking stores and private companies offer cooking classes. Try signing up with a friend or family member for a class that focuses on seafood preparation.
If some family members want to continue eating meat or animal products, that’s OK. Discuss with them how you can accommodate both eating styles in your household. A quick family meeting will help. Ask your family members if they’d be interesting in following a pescetarian diet along with you. They might be interested in following a pescetarian diet a few days a week or a few specific meals during the week. Finding a common ground may help cut down on extra food prep for a variety of different eating patterns.
Keep frozen seafood, canned tuna or salmon or frozen salmon or tuna burgers on hand as well. They have a longer shelf life and can be used in a pinch or when fresh seafood isn’t available. You might also want to consider purchasing special kitchen tools or equipment. For example, a fish filleting knife, fish spatula or boning tweezers; however, these aren’t necessary for general seafood preparation. Purchase spices or seasonings that complement seafood well. For example, Old Bay is a mixed seasoning blend designed for fish and shellfish. It’s a quick all-in-one spice that will boost up the flavor of your dishes. [10] X Research source In addition, stock up on fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains so you have all the food groups to make well-balanced meals.
Find meals that can be prepared in advanced. If your weeknights are busy, doing some meal prep on the weekends or during your free time can make weeknight dinners a breeze. Prepare lunches or parts of your dinners ahead to cut down on cooking time. Creating meal plans in advance can also help cut down on costs. You’ll buy the items that you need and skip purchasing things you think you need but already have at home. Breakfast ideas can include: whole wheat English muffin with an egg and cheese; an individual low-fat Greek yogurt with fruit; or high-fiber, high-protein cereal with almond milk. Lunch ideas can include: grilled salmon over a spinach salad; two grilled shrimp and vegetable soft tacos; or lentil and vegetable salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Dinner ideas can include: grilled mahimahi with brown rice and steamed mixed vegetables; portobello mushroom burgers with baked sweet potato fries; or salmon burgers and a small green salad.
Try to incorporate some cold-water fish like salmon, tuna or mackerel. These fish are known as “fatty fish” and generally contain higher amounts of heart-healthy omega-3 fats. Try to consume these anywhere from two to three times per week. If preparing a seafood-based meal each night is overwhelming, try focusing on one new recipe or one new type of seafood per week. This will help expose you to a variety of cooking techniques, but will be less stressful. Start with a simple meal or recipe. Or incorporate recipes you already make that feature seafood more often into your weekly meals.
Meat replacements, tofu, tempeh, seitan and veggie burgers are other great sources of protein that will fit into a pescetarian diet. Keep a stock of canned beans, nuts and whole grains for quick and easy meals. Plant-based proteins can also be the main source of protein in your meals. It’s not necessary to make seafood the main source of protein in each meal. Quinoa, for example, is a great source of protein as it contains all nine essential amino acids.
Try to avoid road-side stands that sell seafood. You won’t be able to tell where or when the seafood was harvested or know the reliability of the individual selling it to you. Also invest some time reading and researching websites like Seafood Health Facts or Fish Watch. They are reliable, trustworthy sources of information. They review the safety, sustainability and health of seafood.
Ensure you thaw frozen fish properly. Take frozen items and place them in a sealed container in the bottom of the refrigerator and allow them to defrost overnight. Purchase frozen fish that’s packaging is intact and completely frozen solid. At well-stocked grocery stores and markets, there are a large variety of frozen fish and shellfish available. Your options are far from limited if you choose frozen items.
When you’re purchasing whole fish like a trout or mackerel, pay attention to the eyes. They should be bright and clear. As fish ages, the eyes will get cloudy and sunk in — this will indicate fish that is not fresh. Fish fillets should have firm, elastic flesh. They should also have a clear, shiny appearance to them. Fillets that are prepackaged should contain some liquid, however it should be at a minimum. Shellfish like mussels, oysters or clams can be sold live, cooked or freshly shucked. If you’re purchasing live shellfish, look for unbroken shells that close tightly if squeezed. If the shells do not close, they are most likely dead and not fresh. Scallops are also considered shellfish, but are generally sold freshly shucked. They should be firm with a creamy white color and a slightly sweet smell. Scallops that smell sour indicate they are most likely spoiled. Do not hesitate to ask to look at your fish selections up close. You’ll get a better idea of what it smells like, how its flesh looks and its overall appearance.
Sustainable seafood includes fisheries that handle plentiful species in addition to species that are lower on the food chain (they can reproduce quicker and maintain an adequate population). [15] X Research source They also have to maintain a variety of very high standards and fishing practices. Choosing fish and shellfish that are sustainable helps ensure some more rare species are not overfished. When certain species are overfished, it increases their chances to reach critically low levels which can affect the environment, food chain and the longevity of the species. Sustainable species include fish such as: Alaskan Cod, farmed Arctic Char, Atlantic Pollock, Catfish, Dover Sole, U. S. MahiMahi, Alaskan and Canadian Halibut and farmed Rainbow Trout [16] X Research source .
You can also trying using dairy alternatives like soy or almond milk, soy based yogurt or vegan cheeses. This will allow you more flexibility with your food choices and recipes. If you choose to omit eggs and dairy be mindful to replace the nutrients prevalent in those foods. For example, dairy foods are high in calcium. Try getting your daily calcium from foods like dark greens, almonds or fortified orange juice.
Make 50% of most of your meals a fruit or vegetable. These low-calorie, nutrition powerhouses will fill you up, keep you satisfied and add an array of nutrients to your diet. When you’re including fruits and vegetables into your diet, try to eat fruits and vegetables that are different in color each day. You’ll get a variety of different nutrients with each colored fruit or vegetable.
Pair whole grains with legumes like lentils and beans for the perfect protein combo. Pairing these two types of foods together makes them a complete protein. This means, this combination has all of the necessary amino acids for your body. Aim to make most of your grain choices whole grain if possible. Try whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, 100% whole wheat pasta, farro or oats.
