The Pesco-Vegan Diet: A Seafood-Centric Plant-Based Eating

The pesco-vegan diet, also known as the pescatarian diet, is a vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and other seafood. This diet is sometimes referred to as pescetarianism or pesco-vegetarianism. The term pescatarian is derived from the Italian word pesce, meaning fish. Those who follow this diet typically eat two or more seafood meals per week, with the remaining meals being plant-based and similar to a Mediterranean diet.

The benefits of a pesco-vegan diet include improved heart health, a reduced risk of chronic diseases, and a good source of lean protein. However, there are also some drawbacks, such as the risk of high mercury levels in certain types of fish and the potential for a limited variety of food choices when dining out.

Health benefits of a pesco-vegan diet

A pesco-vegan diet, also known as a pescatarian or pescetarian diet, is a vegetarian diet that includes fish and other seafood. This diet is a good combination of vegetarianism and a protein-rich diet. It allows for a healthy balance of salmon fillet, fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, and more.

• Promotes heart health: Pesco-vegan diets usually include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines, which are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids helps decrease inflammation, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease. Research shows that regularly consuming fish may help reduce the risk of heart attacks, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and stroke.
• Increases longevity: Following a pesco-vegan diet can help you live longer. A study found a link between this diet and longevity, with pesco-vegetarians having a lower risk of death compared to non-vegetarians.
• Boosts brain health: This diet is rich in fish, which contains omega-3 fatty acids, considered good for brain health. Fish-derived fatty acids, especially DHA and EPA, play a crucial role in improving cognitive health and brain health. This diet is believed to improve mood and overall cognitive health and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
• Alleviates diabetes risk: A pesco-vegan diet can help protect against type 2 diabetes and manage blood sugar levels. The omega-3 fats found in fish have powerful anti-inflammatory effects and may benefit health when consumed in large doses.
• Good for digestion: This diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, which promote a healthy digestive system by ensuring sufficient fibre intake. Dietary fibre can help improve digestion and normalize bowel movement by fighting constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
• Strengthens bones: The inclusion of fish and seafood in the pesco-vegan diet provides good sources of protein and calcium, essential for maintaining good bone health and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. This diet is also rich in vitamin D, another crucial nutrient for bone health.
• May prevent cancer: A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish, particularly those containing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, may reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer.

While the pesco-vegan diet offers these health benefits, it is important to be aware of potential drawbacks, such as the presence of mercury and other toxins in fish, which can be harmful to certain vulnerable populations. Additionally, this diet may also lead to nutrient deficiencies, particularly iron and vitamin B-12, commonly found in red meat.

Environmental impact of a pesco-vegan diet

A pesco-vegan diet is a plant-based diet that includes fish and seafood. It is often adopted for health, ethical, and environmental reasons.

A pesco-vegan diet has a lower environmental impact than an omnivorous diet. A 2014 study found that a pesco-vegetarian diet caused 46% less greenhouse gas emissions than a diet that included meat. Another study, which assessed the environmental impacts of omnivorous, pesco-vegetarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets, found that the pesco-vegetarian diet had 64% less environmental impact overall when compared to an omnivorous diet. This was calculated by assessing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and cumulative energy demand.

The environmental benefits of a pesco-vegan diet are largely due to the exclusion of meat, especially from ruminant animals. Ruminant meat consumption is the most significant contributor to the high environmental cost of an omnivorous diet. According to the United Nations, raising livestock contributes to 15% of all human-made carbon emissions. In contrast, producing fish and seafood has a lower carbon footprint than producing any type of animal meat or cheese.

However, it is important to note that the environmental impact of a pesco-vegan diet is not solely dependent on the exclusion of meat. The type of fish and seafood consumed, as well as the farming practices used, can also affect the environmental impact. For example, aquaculture and overfishing can be environmentally problematic. Additionally, larger species of fish tend to contain higher levels of mercury and other toxins. Therefore, it is important for those following a pesco-vegan diet to be mindful of the sources and types of fish and seafood they consume.

What pesco-vegans eat

A pesco-vegan diet is a primarily vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and seafood. This means that pesco-vegans eat a lot of the same foods as vegetarians, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, legumes, and plant-based proteins.

The main difference is that pesco-vegans also eat seafood, which is their primary source of protein. This includes freshwater fish such as trout and perch, saltwater fish such as salmon and tuna, and shellfish such as shrimp, oysters, and clams.

Some pesco-vegans also include dairy and eggs in their diet, in which case they would be considered lacto-ovo-pesco-vegetarians.

There are no strict guidelines for how often a person needs to eat fish to be considered pesco-vegan. It can range from occasionally eating fish to including it in every meal.

In addition to the health benefits of a plant-based diet, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish offer additional health benefits, particularly for heart health. However, it's important to be mindful of mercury consumption, especially for pregnant women and children, and choose lower-mercury fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, and lake trout.

What pesco-vegans don't eat

The pesco-vegan diet is a primarily vegetarian diet with fish or other seafood as the only source of meat. The inclusion of other animal products, such as eggs and dairy, is optional.

Meat and Poultry

Pesco-vegans do not eat meat or poultry products. This includes red meat, such as beef and bison, as well as poultry, lamb, pork, and game meats like venison.

Processed Meat Products

In addition to whole cuts of meat, pesco-vegans also avoid processed meat products. This includes items like bacon, sausages, pepperoni, and other meat-based products.

Meat-Based Stocks and Broths

Meat-based stocks, broths, and soups are also not part of a pesco-vegan diet. Vegetable-based or seafood-based stocks can be used instead.

Some Types of Fish with High Mercury Levels

While pesco-vegans include fish and seafood in their diet, they may choose to avoid certain types of fish that are known to have higher levels of mercury. These include tuna, swordfish, tilefish, shark, and some types of mackerel.

Processed Fish Products

Similar to processed meat products, pesco-vegans may also avoid highly processed fish products, such as fish sticks or fish that is heavily battered and fried.

The history of pesco-vegetarianism

The term "pesco-vegetarian" was coined in the early 1990s, although the diet has been practised for much longer. The word is a combination of the Italian word for fish, "pesce," and the word "vegetarian." The diet involves eating a primarily vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and other seafood.

The first pesco-vegetarians in written western history may have been the Pythagoreans, a title derived from the Greek philosopher Pythagoras. Although Pythagoras is associated with a meatless diet, some biographers suspect he ate fish, which would make him a pesco-vegetarian by today's standards. Many of Pythagoras's philosophies inspired Plato, who advocated for the moral and nutritional superiority of vegetarian-oriented diets. In Plato's ideal republic, a healthy diet would consist of cereals, seeds, beans, fruit, milk, honey, and fish.

In medieval Europe, several orders of monks restricted or banned the consumption of meat for ascetic reasons but did not abstain from fish. For example, Marcion of Sinope and his followers ate fish but no fowl or red meat, considering it a holier food. The "Hearers" of the ecclesiastical hierarchy of Manichaeism lived on a diet of fish, grain, and vegetables, abstaining from land animals due to their belief that fish were born without sexual connection and were therefore pure.

In the 19th century, Francis William Newman, President of the Vegetarian Society from 1873 to 1883, made associate membership possible for people who were not completely vegetarian, such as pesco-vegetarians. Newman himself later switched to a pesco-vegetarian diet, citing the high reproduction rate of fish and the minimal pain inflicted by their slaughter as reasons for his choice.

In the 20th century, pesco-vegetarianism became popular in Japan. In 675, the consumption of livestock and wild animals was banned by Emperor Tenmu due to the influence of Buddhism and the lack of arable land. In 737, Emperor Shōmu approved the eating of fish and shellfish, and for the next 1200 years, the Japanese ate vegetarian-style meals with seafood served on special occasions.

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