Of men’s health
LIKE MOST fathers know, fathers do unexpected and unknown things for their children.
I am a father of two girls, nine and 11 years old. I am also a long time consumer of meat. When my daughters came to me late last year and told my wife and I that they had decided they wanted to stop eating meat even though they would still eat fish, I was initially skeptical.
It’s not that we did not do it ever eat fish – we actually ate a fair amount – but if you eat more fish, you should explore unknown waters.
This would mean that my wife and I would have to change our meals, adjust our shopping lists and also become more familiar with cooking fish.
But my kids were determined in their statement, referring to their concern about the future of our planet, and so we decided to go sneaky as a family.
Since I am a registered dietitian, I know that eating a diet rich in fish has many health benefits.
There are heart health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel. There is the lean, muscle-building protein of everyone fish. And there is the thrill of an adventurous diet. (If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so difficult to stick to a restrictive diet, it’s probably because you’ve lost the precious connection between excitement and food.)
So, over the past three months (and counting!), This is how my carnivorous family has adapted to a pescatar diet, the benefits we have experienced, and how you can also apply this approach to eating in your life.
What can you eat on a pescatar diet?
The pescatarian diet is often compared to the Mediterranean diet, which includes seafood, including fish and other aquatic animals (shellfish, squid, octopus, etc.). “Pesce” means fish in Italian, this is where the approach to eating got its name.
In addition to fish, a good diet of good food is a good overall diet. This could include dairy products such as eggs, milk, yogurt and cheese (as in our family). But it should include whole grains, legumes, olives and lots of fruits and vegetables.
While many people who eat a pescatar diet eat eggs and dairy products, some do not. Technically, a person doing this will follow a lacto-ovo-pescatar diet (like our girls), but let’s not get too eager.
What can you not eat on a pescatar diet?
You can not eat animal proteins that are not fish or seafood.
It will therefore include poultry (chicken and duck, as examples), beef, pork, lamb or wild game (venison, pigs, rabbit – you understand that).
Other than that, the world is your oyster (or mussel, or mussel, or …).
Is a pescatar diet a good diet?
It can be.
As a dietitian, I firmly believe (and the research supports me here) that there is no “right” or “wrong” diet – it’s really about the way you can make the approach to eating work in the long run.
Just as a burger in itself is not ‘bad’, it’s more about what’s still on your plate. This is the same idea with any diet. A Pescatar diet can be extremely healthy, but if it means you live on fish sticks, fries, pastries and soft drinks (everything, technical pescatarian), well, not so much.
On the other hand, it is a good diet that is high in fiber and nutritious products.
“I always advocate for the inclusion of more whole plant foods in someone’s eating pattern,” says Kelly Jones, MS, RD, CSSD. “While I wholeheartedly support those who, for ethical reasons, choose a completely vegan diet, those who want to change their diet for health reasons can really benefit from keeping seafood, especially fatty fish and shellfish.”
And this is one of the biggest benefits of a pescatarian diet and why I am glad our girls wanted to include seafood (otherwise my wife and I might have pushed back a bit).
Fatty, cold water fish, such as salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel, can definitely be part of a well-balanced eating plan, especially since one of the most important nutrients in those fish – omega-3 fats – is hard to come by. other foods.
What kind of meals do you eat on a pescatar diet?
If you do not eat a lot of fish, you will have to get creative.
My family loves cooking and likes to spend time in the kitchen, but we had to take out cookbooks, search the internet, and try some dishes we would not normally have if it were not for this experiment.
But that’s a good thing.
We looked for alternatives to meatballs and made with lentils (excellent option), tofu (not many fans in this house), experimented with different bean and cereal salads and everyone said we felt really good about our new approach, especially because we We all sit together to find amazing options that we all enjoy.
That said, my wife and I do not avoid meat completely and (maybe) our girls will not for the rest of their lives either. However, we are about three months long and they remain strong and we will continue to support them and all together learn and explore new foods.
And science carries it out. More data is showing how beans are booming in the so-called Blue Zones (areas of the world where there are an abundance of centenarians). If you get more omega-3 fats (and selenium, zinc and many other nutrients) than before, we all feel better.
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