Madi Al Madi

The Pescatarian Diet: A Beginner's Guide | Man of Many

LIFESTYLE
A pescatarian diet comprises of vegetables, grains, pasta, fish, other seafood, eggs, oats, nuts and healthy fats. Unlike the vegetarian diet, pescatarians are not completely restricted from meats and dairy. The diet prioritises fish and seafood as the primary protein source. If you’re following this diet, you may also choose to include eggs and dairy in your meals and snacks which is what most pescatarians employ.

What is the Pescatarian Diet?

Unlike the vegetarian regime, the pescatarian diet is not rigid, it permits followers to toy with food choices. For example, while pescatarians generally avoid meat, they may occasionally enjoy eating any meat-based meal on the weekend or any time during the week at a family gathering. The following are the typical foods that pescatarians eat:

Foods You Can You Eat on the Pescatarian Diet

The following foods are not to be completely cut-out from your lifestyle like vegetarian or vegans per se, but one must minimise from the daily diet:

Foods to Avoid on the Pescatarian Diet

For any of you starting on the pescatarian diet, it can be a discouraging task to prepare your meals. It’s particularly easy to turn to lots of high carbohydrate meals, which isn’t the best for anyone looking to maintain or enhance their wellbeing.  Kate Save, a Dietitian, Exercise Physiologist and Diabetes Educator, recommends that “a low carb diet is preferable for anyone seeking weight loss or even weight management given that our lifestyles are far more sedentary than ever before, and our bodies simply can’t handle the high-carb loads we put on them.  Bulk up the low-starch veggies and salads, followed by lean protein sources and a moderate amount of healthy fats, but restrict the energy dense carbs such as wholegrains and cereals to around one handful at each mealtime, unless of course you are an athlete”.

A Pescatarian Diet Meal Plan

  • Avocado Baked Eggs: a meal high in omega-3 fatty acids which means they’re perfect as a breakfast meal, and they’re packed with protein, fibre, vitamin C and A.
  • Breakfast Day 1

  • Moroccan Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins: a lunch meal that’s filling. Sweet potatoes contain loads of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, so they’re full of benefits. This recipe is packed with fibre and if you add some cottage cheese you will bulk up the protein too whilst keeping it low in fat.
  • Lunch Day 1

  • Baked Tilapia with Parmesan Crust: is a pescatarians favourite. Baking the Parmesan as a crust really gives it a crunchy texture and the taste is mild enough that it doesn’t overpower the flavour of the fish. Use a mix of olive oil and lemon juice to prep the fish before dipping it in the Parmesan mixture.
  • Dinner Day 1

  • Huevos rancheros: a tasty Mexican breakfast meal loaded with carbs to get you through the day. If you want, you can serve the huevos rancheros up with some rice but a preferred method is to just have some wholegrain flatbread or tortillas to eat it with.
  • Breakfast Day 2

  • Mackerel and green bean salad: make it with green beans, sugar snap peas and garden peas, so it’s got a great crunch to it and has a zesty taste.
  • Lunch Day 2

  • Teriyaki tofu stir fry: a heavenly dish one can dine on. If you haven’t got these exact ingredients in your refrigerator, no problem! Start with some firm chopped tofu, then choose some crunchy looking vegetables; carrots,  cauliflower, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and green beans and follow an online cooking recipe.
  • Dinner Day 2

  • Avocado and sautéed mushroom toast: Avocado. Mushrooms. Wholegrain Sour Dough. Need I say any more? This is breakfast is right for anyone! If you’d rather tone down the carb intake then you can easily just remove the toast, or substitute for a protein bread made from almond meal, egg whites, plus other nuts and seeds and it will still be delicious.
  • Breakfast Day 3

  • Greek chickpea salad: Chickpeas are a solid source of protein and they’re one of those ingredients that both stay fresh for a long time and are cheap to buy. I’d put them into the ‘store cupboard essentials’ category. They go perfectly with feta and tomato and that makes this salad simply delicious.
  • Lunch Day 3

  • Red lentil curry and garlic and coriander naan: We eat a lot of lentils and this is curry, in particular, is one of our favourites. This is an optional side, but it’s really tasty with lentil curry.
  • Dinner Day 3

  • Breakfast: Any choice of cereal and  a banana
  • Lunch: Tuna salad
  • Dinner: Tuna pesto pasta
  • Dessert: 3x protein balls
  • Monday

  • Breakfast: 2 x blueberry & lemon muffins – Kate recommends substituting 1:1 ordinary flour with almond meal plus add extra egg to bind as this will boost protein, essential fatty acids and also reduce carbs
  • Lunch: Udon noodle soup
  • Dinner: Sweet & sticky salmon kebabs
  • Dessert: 4x carrot hummus cucumber cups
  • Tuesday

  • Breakfast: Avocado baked eggs
  • Lunch: Moroccan stuffed sweet potato skins
  • Dinner: Thai massaman curry
  • Dessert: Crème caramel – Kate recommends choosing a low calorie, high protein recipe which is made from eggs and skim milk which is set in the oven
  • Wednesday

  • Breakfast: Coconut banana protein pancakes
  • Lunch: Mac n cheese – Kate recommends adding tuna for extra protein
  • Dinner: Baked tilapia with a parmesan crust
  • Dessert: Chocolate protein shake
  • Thursday

  • Breakfast: Banana and Oats – Kate recommends adding some LSA meal for extra fibre and omega 3’s too
  • Lunch: Mackerel & green bean salad
  • Dinner: Teriyaki Tofu stir fry
  • Dessert: Chocolate peanut butter protein ball
  • Friday

  • Breakfast: Avocado & sautéed mushroom toast
  • Lunch: Greek chickpea salad
  • Dinner: Beef or chicken burger
  • Dessert: Greek yoghurt and berries
  • Saturday

  • Breakfast: Fresh sardine fillets on toast
  • Lunch: Veggie sub sandwich
  • Dinner: Steak, mashed potatoes and veggies
  • Dessert: Pudding – Kate recommends a high protein and no added sugar recipe which you can make from your favourite protein powder
  • Sunday

    If you’re tight on time or just a not-that-bothered type, then you won’t have to worry; pescatarian snacks don’t require a ton of prep. Many of these alternative snacks are savoury and inexpensive. Here are some of the popular options you can enjoy at work or when you’re at home:

    Pescatarian Snacks

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