The purpose of this website is to educate what has become a carnivorous society on the potential health benefits of switching to a pescetarian diet. It is more than possible to take the focus off of meat and live off of a filling diet comprised of fruits and vegetables, dairy, grains, and seafood. Follow along as I highlight the various benefits of this way of living, offer recipes and tips, and reflect on my own journey as a newly converted pescetarian.
How to Limit Mercury Consumption While Following a Pescetarian Diet The concern of mercury poisoning is definitely not groundbreaking news. For years now, many have avoided eating fish because of their fear of mercury consumption. However, there are far too many benefits to eating fish to exclude it entirely from one’s diet. A common myth… Continue reading News
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On days when we have hard workouts and lifting for track, Mondays and Wednesdays, or race days over the weekend, I will typically eat a Clif Bar for breakfast. On easy run days, Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will have either a granola bar, peanut butter crackers, or a bowl of cereal. Lunch could be anything from a salad and yogurt, peanut butter and jelly sandwich and fruit, or avocado mash on whole wheat toast with boiled eggs. Dinner also varies greatly. Some nights I’ll stay completely vegetarian with soy based products like baked “chicken” tenders, veggie burgers, pasta, a grilled cheese sandwich, or an omelet. When I’m incorporating seafood into my day, I’ll make pan-seared tilapia with brown rice and steamed vegetables, or a salmon burger with a baked sweet potato, or spiralized zucchini noodles with pesto sauce and shrimp. Snacks throughout the day include walnuts, fruit, or carrots and hummus. I love popcorn so in the evening one of my favorite things to do is crawl into bed with a bowl of kettle corn and Netflix. If I go out to eat with friends, I will order grilled fish, a salad, a shrimp pasta dish, veggie burger, or fish tacos. Being a pescetarian doesn’t have to have limitations and I still enjoy a wide variety of foods!
For much of my life, I haven’t been a huge meat-eater. I turned down a lot of my friends’ favorite foods growing up, like hamburgers and hot dogs, or tacos with ground beef in them. I didn’t even like meatballs in my spaghetti. However, turkey and chicken were my go-to meats of choice, so I wasn’t against the taste of meat entirely. As I got older and was becoming involved in more and more competitive sports, I often read articles by nutritionists to see what I should be fueling my body with to perform my best. I noticed in the articles that they were always cautioning athletes against being vegetarians because of the lack of proper protein you get from meat consumption negatively affecting their athletic performance. While taking their recommendations with a grain of salt, I recently started researching semi-vegetarian options and came across pescetarianism. I knew fish was healthy for you with its omega 3’s and lean protein and I love shellfish, so I decided to give it a try. I figured I’d still be getting adequate protein from the seafood while testing out the vegetarian lifestyle. Since becoming a pescetarian a little shy of two months ago, I feel healthier and more energetic than I had previously. I do miss chicken occasionally, but other than that, I’ve had no major withdraws, so to speak, from meat. It’s also a lot easier than I thought to still eat out with friends, especially since many restaurants are starting to offer more vegetarian options. I never feel left out, I can easily grab a veggie burger, have pizza without the meaty toppings, or shrimp alfredo instead of chicken alfredo. Making the swaps came naturally and easily. When I’m in cooking in my dorm, some of my go-to week night meals include salmon burgers, pan fried tilapia, baked salmon, or pasta with shrimp, as well as many fully vegetarian meals. I try to include seafood into at least 3-4 meals a week. While I can’t say my athletic performance has improved since becoming a pescetarian, I can say that it definitely hasn’t suffered, making me believe that it could be possible to become a full-on vegetarian if I ever wanted to make that transition. But for now, I’m enjoying living a pescetarian lifestyle as a college student-athlete.
The Pescatarian Diet 