7 Benefits of a Pescatarian Diet – Gourmade by Chef Rob Lau Diet Delivery
and break away from pork, beef, and chicken. Stick to seafood. Seafood is high
in protein, low in fat and carbohydrates like fish, oh and I love oysters and
shrimp! I saw my food blogger friend Jill’s feed and noticed the delicious
looking meals and I had to ask her where I can subscribe to a certain diet. She
told me it’s from Gourmade by Chef Rob
Lau and it’s worth every penny. In my opinion, their food delivery service
isn’t that expensive at all.
Why Go Pescatarian?
One of the primary reasons that fish is so good for us is because of its high levels of omega-3 fats. In a world where most people consume far too many omega-6s — from seed/vegetable oils, plant foods and farm-raised animal products, for example — an increase in omega-3 foods is much needed.
Omega-3s act as a counterbalance against omega-6 fats, helping to keep the body free from heightened levels of inflammation due to an imbalanced ratio (higher omega-6 levels than is healthy). Omega-3 fatty acids are considered anti-inflammatory, while omega-6s are pro-inflammatory. We need both types, but many people are lacking in omega-3s.
Omega-3s truly have enormous health benefits that have been demonstrated in many controlled studies, as well as from observing populations like those living in the Mediterranean region that eat a mostly pescatarian-style, Mediterranean diet. Consuming higher levels of omega-3s has been associated with better mental health, improved cardiovascular health, lower triglyceride levels, increased reproductive health and fertility, better hormone control, and lower risk for diabetes.
What exactly are omega-3 fish oils, and why do we absolutely need them? Essential fatty acids are the shortest-chain polyunsaturated fats that are required for the body’s proper functioning, yet we can’t make them on our own and must get them from our diets. The most important long-chain omega-3 fats are EPA and DHA, which are primarily responsible for the health benefits we get from polyunsaturated fats.
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the type of omega-3 found in plant foods (like walnuts and flaxseeds), while eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are the most important long-chain omega-3 fats found in seafood and some animal products like eggs or beef. ALA, EPA and DHA must come from our diets, yet vegetarians often think that they can cover their bases by eating lots of nuts, taking flax oil or loading up on seeds. This is actually a misconception — it’s true that the body can convert some ALA to EPA and DHA, but this process isn’t very efficient and we are much better off eating EPA and DHA directly to get the most benefits.
2. Helps Lower Inflammation
The reason that omega-3s found in fish are so valuable mostly comes down to their ability to fight inflammation. They help control inflammatory conditions that lead to numerous diseases, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.
Both types of polyunsaturated fats described above play an important role in the body, helping to form our hormones, cell membranes, immune responses and so on. But omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have opposite effects when it comes to inflammation. Generally speaking, too much omega-6 and too little omega-3 causes inflammation. Inflammation is the root of most diseases, and therefore, lowering its presence and severity makes us less likely to development diseases like cancer, cognitive decline and cardiovascular disease.
While fats can seem confusing, remember that polyunsaturated fats can be divided into two categories: omega-6 and omega-3. Omega-3 fats are present in foods at the core of a pescatarian diet, including seafood, green leaves and algae, while omega-6 fats are found in seeds, nuts, vegetables, vegetable oils (all foods that a typical vegetarian eats a lot of) and to an extent animals that eat these seeds. Since packaged and processed foods are loaded with omega-6s — and most people eating a modern diet rely on these food for the bulk of their diets — we need to go out of our way to eat fish and other sources of omega-3s to keep the ideal ratio balanced and inflammation down.
3. Improves Heart Health
EPA and DHA are essential to heart health since they control inflammation. Systemic inflammation is a term for the body’s immune response that increases production of white blood cells and other substances in an effort to fight perceived threats or infections. Coronary heart disease is a result of inflammation mostly from fatty material that forms plaque accumulations within the walls of your arteries.
Consumption of EPA and DHA (200 to 500 milligrams/day) has been shown to help reduce heart disease risk and deaths from heart disease, sometimes just as effectively as prescription statin-drug therapies. The combination of nutrients found in seafood also helps regulate heartbeats, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decrease blood clot formation, lower triglycerides, and prevent a heart attack or stroke.
4. Can Lower the Risk for Cancer
Research shows that consuming more fish and seafood high in omega-3s benefits our immune system and helps fight cancer by suppressing inflammation. Wondering if people who avoid fish and all animal products experience even less inflammation and lowered cancer risk than pescatarians do? One meta-analysis found no significant differences in mortality rates caused by colorectal, stomach, lung, prostate or breast cancers and stroke between vegetarians and “health-conscious” nonvegetarians.
That means anyone who focuses first and foremost on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables (not just limiting or reducing animal products) is likely to naturally lower the risk of cancer. In fact, while vegetarian diets are associated with an overall lower incidence of certain cancers (like colon cancer), pescatarians are even more protected from cancer compared with vegetarians and non-vegetarians, according to some studies.
Inflammation dictates the rate of tumor progression, so including anti-inflammatory foods in your diet is key for cancer prevention. Omega-3s can even help people who have already been diagnosed with cancer by stalling tumor growth. A pescaterian diet high in omega-3s can also help people undergoing chemotherapy or other cancer treatments since they help preserve muscle mass and regulate inflammatory responses, which are already compromised in cancer.
5. Helps Fight Cognitive Decline
Omega-3s like DHA are essential for the proper development of the brain and preservation of cognitive function as we age. Many studies have found that low omega-3 levels in the elderly are associated with multiple markers of impaired brain function like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Lower levels of omega-3s during pregnancy are even associated with children having lower memory test scores and trouble with learning.
Consuming lots of omega-3s in a pescatarian diet helps naturally treat Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders.
6. Improves Your Mood and Fights Depression
Because they fight oxidative stress that impairs proper brain functioning, omega-3s from fish and seafood are associated with better cognitive health and lower risk for dementia, depression, anxiety and ADHD. That means following a pescatarian diet can be a natural remedy for anxiety, treat the symptoms of ADHD and double as a form of the depression diet to deal with signs of depression.
7. Can Help with Weight Loss and Maintenance
Low intakes of omega-3s are now being tied to obesity and weight gain. Studies, of course, also show that people who eat more plant foods (including vegetarians) tend to have lower BMIs and better weight control, likely because they eat lower amounts of saturated fats and calories overall. Whether you choose to eat fish or not, your diet should take into account the need for plenty of whole plant foods.
Some vegetarians can find themselves eating more carbohydrates (especially refined carbs like bread, pasta, pizza, etc.) and a lower proportion of calories from healthy fats and protein. This can lead to blood sugar fluctuations, problems regulating insulin and overeating. Healthy proteins and fats are crucial for feeling full, and nutrients found in fish can help many people reduce cravings. No matter your diet, aim for a high intake of fruits, vegetables, quality proteins, healthy fats, seeds, nuts, fiber and phytochemicals — all of which can help you lose weight fast and keep it off.
5-Day Pescatarian Food Porn
Taste / Portion / Quality
diet because I plan to eat on top of this on a total of 1,800 calories per day
because of my active lifestyle. It’s fun to see the variety of dishes they
serve per meal. I’m expecting all-out fish fillets LOL but boy was I surprised
when they served shrimps, pizza oh and the mouth watering grilled salmon T_T
Service
delivery service and the crew always arrived on time! He even apologized when
he was knocking on our gate and woke me up. (I was still asleep, my fault
hahaha)
Do I recommend them?
them again definitely. I want to go on a 1-week pescatarian every month to
break away and feast on seafood. Some go on a 1 week vegetarian but I love meat
too much so I’d rather eat more white meat instead.
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