Is it just as healthy to be a pescetarian as it is vegetarian?!
For those of you who don't know what a pescetarian is, it is someone who does not eat meat but eats fish.
Answers: I'm just looking for feedback from both vegetarian and pescetarian communities. Do you believe its just as healthy to be pescetarian as it is vegetarian or is vegetarian more healthy for you?
For those of you who don't know what a pescetarian is, it is someone who does not eat meat but eats fish.
well I don't know the defiant answer to your question but i am a pesco-vegetarian. My dr. thought that it was best for me to follow this diet because of my weight. It all depends what works best for you. For a while, I didn't eat fish or any other meat including eggs and I became ill. So I started to eat eggs/dairy and fish and got back to be what is healthy for me. I haven't lost much weight if that is what your asking because I don't really follow a diet plan, but I do have more energy and feel healthier.
It's more healthy to be a pescetarian, you are including another source of vitamins and nutrients.
Mercury comes to mind, so probably not. But any difference is still relatively minor, and is easily outweighed by other factors like exercise and how much fresh veggies you're eating. Like, a pescetarian with a healthy diet is healthier than a junk food vegetarian, but someone who eats fish n chips is definitely not healthy.
But I still think it is ethically wrong to eat fish.
Edit: To the answerer below, I would like to see your scientific sources on your comment that fish fatty acids are absorbed better than from plants. Anyone can say whatever like they on the internet.
As for protein, there is plenty in a vegetarian diet. Too much protein is a killer.
The healthiest diet is allegedly that of the Okinawans who are considered pesco-vegetarians by whatever that international veggie organization is.
Also, recent research has shown that pregnant women and their unborn child benefit from 12oz or more of fish per week . . . the benefits from the protein and Omega-3 far outweight any negative issues of mercury.
Moreover, most of the "real" vegetarian cultures --not the wannabes of modern societies---are either pesco, pollo or pesco-pollo vegetarians.
I'm vegan, but not going to sit hear and preach to you. So, focusing purely on the health issues of the diets:
-eating fish is a good way to get omega 3s. Many vegans have lower levels of fatty acids than non vegans.
-fish is one of the healthier meats sat fat/ cholesterol wise
-fish is a good source of protein.
-mercury levels in many fish are very high
-farmed fish are often raised in icky conditions and therefore have nasty chemicals and things in them
- there are sources of omega 3s (omega zen and vpure) that provide the nutrients without the fear of high mercury levels.
Way more healthier. At least you are eating a great source of protein and an excellent source of omega-3's (granted you are eating oily fish like mackerel, anchovy, salmon, trout, herring...) which promote and support cardiovascular and overall good health. Vegans and vegetarians claim you can get the same omega-3 benefits from flax oil and hemp, but the way the fats are absorbed by the human body and are made bioavailable are TOTALLY different, and the best source of these important fats remain fish or high quality fish oils or cod liver oil. It's fun knowing fools voluntarily deprive themselves of great health while looking like poster children for Skeletor. Societies that consume a great quantity of fish have overall better health and longevity than those who do not. I'll take my chances with a daily dose of Norweigan fish/cod liver oil, and eat fatty fish when I feel the taste for it. have fun, vegans.
Alien: I don't have to explain crap. Any fool with common sense knows that plant oil is harder for the human organism to emulsify and thus make available...than say, animal fat (oil). Continue to reside (your brain) on Andromeda. No one will miss you. More Carlson's for the rest of the sane...