Pescatarian Diet Benefits
We’re going to dive into the pescatarian diet benefits and how it can enhance your life.
Are you a little lost when it comes to knowing the difference between vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian and so on? Well, we are too, and we’re IN the food industry! We’ve taken the top 3 dietary lifestyles and broken them down for you. Perhaps below will help you chart your way into choosing what lifestyle best suits your body and appetite.
DIET | MEAT/CHICKEN | SEAFOOD | EGGS | DAIRY |
PESCATARIAN | 👎 | 👍 | 👍 | 👍 |
VEGAN | 👎 | 👎 | 👎 | 👎 |
VEGETARIAN | 👎 | 👎 | 👍 | 👍 |
What are the Pescatarian Diet Benefits?
The pescatarian diet is rooted in the vegetarian diet, focusing on plant-based foods and seafood, but eliminating meat and poultry. Most pescatarians also eat cheese, eggs, yogurt, pasta, rice and more. Essentially, it seems to be an easier lifestyle to sustain long term. Plus, fish is packed with protein and offers a boatload of nutritional benefits. And the hidden secret, it’s faster and easier to cook than….chicken!
So if you’re ready to give the pescatarian lifestyle a try, here’s a great starting point. Fill your pantry with a handful of items that you know you’ll cook with and that are pescatarian friendly. If you scroll further down, you’ll find what foods are rich in iron and protein so you know you’re meeting your daily goals.
Pescatarian Shopping List
Produce:
- Fruit: apples, bananas, berries, grapes, oranges, pears, pineapple, watermelon, etc
- Vegetables: bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, garlic, green beans, kale, onions, potatoes, spinach, beets, etc
Protein
- Seafood : Salmon, Haddock, Halibut, Cobia, etc.
- Shellfish: shrimp, scallops, etc.
- Tofu
- Veggie or bean burgers
- Beans & legumes: black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, etc
- Nuts & nut butters: almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts
- Chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds
- Eggs (optional)
- Dairy (optional)- Greek Yogurt, low-fat cheese, milk or non-dairy milk alternatives
Grains & Pantry Staples
- Brown Rice
- Dips: hummus, guacamole
- Dried spices and fresh herbs
- Flour: regular, gluten-free, almond flour, etc
- Oatmeal
- Maple syrup
- Oils: olive oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, etc
- Pasta: regular, gluten-free, chickpea pasta, etc
- Quinoa
- Soy sauce
- Tahini
- Teriyaki Sauce
- Tomato Sauce
- Vegetable stock

Now that you’re intrigued you may be wondering about the downsides of becoming a pescatarian. Does mercury content come to mind? As the old saying goes, everything in moderation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises: “eat 2-3 servings of a variety of cooked fish, or about 8 to 12 ounces, in a week.”
If you want more than 3 servings in a week, the USFDA advises: “try to vary the fish you eat. If you eat more than 3 servings in a week, eat fish in the ‘Best Choices’ category. If some choices are fish with higher mercury levels, try to eat fish with lower mercury levels in the following weeks.”
“Best Choices” for fish with lower levels of mercury
- Salmon
- Pollock
- Shrimp
- Catfish
- Scallops
- Haddock
Fish that carry higher levels of mercury
- Shark
- Swordfish
- King mackerel
- Tilefish
You may be wondering how you will get enough daily protein and iron on the days you don’t eat fish. Let’s break that down, because it’s not as complicated as you may think.
The average adult needs a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
- A person who weighs 165 pounds would need about 60 grams of protein per day
- A person who weighs 110 pounds would need about 40 grams of protein per day
Pescatarian friendly foods that offer a boat load of protein:
- 6-ounce serving of Salmon offers 48g of protein
- 1-cup of Quinoa offers 8g of protein
- 1-cup of raw, whole almonds offers 30g of protein
- 1-cup of cooked black beans offers 16g of protein
- 1-cup of edamame (cooked or raw) offers 18g of protein
- 1-cup of boiled lentils offers 17g of protein
Now that you know you can meet your daily protein needs, let’s talk about the all-important iron.
- Males age 19–50 years need 8 milligrams (mg) per day
- Females age 19-50 need 18 mg per day
- After the age of 50, most adults require 8 mg per day
- During pregnancy females need about 27 mg per day
Pescatarian friendly foods that are high in iron:
- Shrimp offers 1.8 mg of iron
- 1 slice of soy bread offers 2 mg of iron
- Steamed spinach offers 4.6 mg of iron
- 1 cup of cashews offers 8.5mg of iron
So in summary, you can do it. You can become a pescatarian, and your health and happiness will thank you! Be sure to check out the Fish Fixe Kitchen for seafood recipes and inspiration.
References:
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/12871-iron-in-your-diet
- https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/nutrition-information-cooked-seafood-purchased-raw
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/quinoa/
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170567/nutrients
- https://www.seafoodnutrition.org/