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Pescatarian Meals

There has been a rise in interest in pescatarian diets, not just ethically but nutritionally as well.

We compare Australia’s most popular options for pescatarian meal kits and pescatarian meal delivery availabilities to give you the information needed to make the best choice for you!

By
Rose Fenasse

Written by

Rose Fenasse
Clinical Nutritionist

Rose is a nutritionist who believes nutritional approaches should be flexible and sustainable for the long-term. Rose’s approach to nutrition is evidence-based and integrative, as she understands her scope of practice and sees value in working alongside other health professionals to compliment her clients most effectively. Rose is passionate about ditching diet cultures and focusing on label-free living, whilst educating clients on how to create healthy and flavour-packed meals. She has a comprehensive understanding of shaping nutritional interventions, meal plans, dietary analysis, whilst coaching clients around ditching diet cultures and embracing all foods without the associated emotional fears often seen with dietary changes. Rose stays up to date with current research looking to science and evidence-based nutritional medicine whilst continually studying to broaden her scope.

Updated June 20, 2021
Fact checked Fully qualified and expert nutritionists have reviewed and checked this content to ensure it is as accurate as possible at the time of writing.

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What is a pescatarian diet?

Similar to a vegetarian diet,  pescatarians eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, pulses and eggs. They avoid meat and poultry, however, they do consume seafood. 

There are many benefits associated with eating less meat including environmental. Nutritionally speaking, benefits can often be associated with consequential higher consumption of plant-based foods, may lower cardiovascular health risks such as elevated cholesterol levels or high blood pressure.

Positives in any diet can be drawn when the consumer is encouraged to eat higher volumes of vegetables and fruit as an overall dietary undertone. 
However, there are often associated nutritional risks to eliminating foods from diets especially when not done under the supervision or guidance of a trusted health professional.

Pescatarian friendly meal delivery kits

plant based sushi rolls

At this stage, there are no dedicated pescatarian meal delivery kits on the market. Dietlicious is currently the only delivery service that offers pescatarian meals, however these are ready-made meals. 

 

Meal kit providers QuiteLike, Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon offer a small range of seafood options that you can choose as part of your regular meal kit, but these are not exclusively pescatarian.

Benefits of a pescatarian diet

A pescatarian diet offers a wide range of health and environmental benefits, making it a popular choice for people seeking a more balanced, sustainable way of eating. By focusing on seafood, legumes, vegetables, whole grains, and plant-based fats, while avoiding red and white meat, you can gain many of the benefits associated with both vegetarian and Mediterranean-style diets.

1. Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Seafood like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are high in omega-3s, essential fats that help reduce inflammation, support heart health, and improve brain function. Regular intake is linked with a lower risk of heart disease and improved cognitive health (Calder, 2017).

2. Supports Heart Health

Numerous studies show that pescatarian diets are associated with reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease (Satija, 2016). This is largely due to the combination of healthy fats, fibre, and antioxidant-rich plant foods.

3. Promotes a Healthy Weight

Pescatarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre, which supports weight management and metabolic health. The lean protein from fish helps you feel full, maintain muscle mass, and reduce the risk of overeating (Mozaffarian, 2006). 

4. Nutrient-Dense and Protein-Rich

Seafood provides high-quality protein, B vitamins, selenium, iodine, and vitamin D, all nutrients that can be more difficult to get from a vegetarian diet alone. This makes pescatarianism a great middle-ground for those looking to boost nutritional intake without relying on red meat.

5. Environmentally Friendly

Compared to meat-heavy diets, pescatarian diets have a significantly lower environmental footprint. Choosing sustainable seafood and plant-based foods reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports better ocean health (Tilman, 2014).

Pros & Cons of pescatarian meals

low carb meals pros and cons

Pescatarian Pros

Pescatarian Cons

Key factors when comparing pescatarian meal delivery companies

When choosing the right option for you, consider the following factors:

100% Meat-Free

As there is not a huge variety of pescatarian meal delivery options on the market at this stage ensure that the menu or recipe you are choosing from does not contain meat throughout the meal despite it being a fish-friendly option.

If the meal says it is pescatarian this will eliminate the need for this step.

Seafood Quality and Source of Origin

Knowing where your seafood is sourced, and its quality is important. Just because it’s from Australia doesn’t automatically make it the best choice, although that is encouraged.

For more information on choosing sustainable and high-quality seafood you can read on goodfish on the guides around sustainable food choices and restaurant guides.

Price

Seafood tends to be more expensive than cuts of meat or poultry options.

As food in meal services are prepared in bulk these preparation standards generally allow for cheaper retail costs, shop around and make sure you aren’t getting the higher end of the deal.

Nutritional Value

Pescatarian diets don’t always equate to healthy
Pescatarian is more of a lifestyle choice than a diet, with any tokenised ‘diet’ or way of eating this doesn’t automatically equate to healthy eating or often associated with weight loss. If you are after weight loss specific meals you need to ensure these meals match your energy requirements and health specifics.

Always check the ingredients and nutritional panels for more details or with a trusted health professional.

Pescatarian Meal Delivery FAQs

There are many protein alternatives to meat sources. In a vegetarian based diet we can protein sources obtained from plant-based protein such as eggs, dairy products, grains, beans, legumes, tofu, tempeh etc.

As pescatarians include seafood sources this makes choosing a little bit broader including; fish, crustaceans (prawns, lobster, crab) and molluscs/bivalves (clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, octopus, squid etc).

At this stage, there aren’t any dedicated pescatarian based boxes in Australia. There are vegetarian options that may be suited to a pescatarian diet without of course the seafood element.

This is quite a common concern for those who consume a lot of seafood, or as the primary protein in their diets. Mercury is a heavy metal that may have consequential health problems with high consumptions especially in vulnerable populations such as children, babies, pregnancy and immunocompromised.

Some fish have higher amounts of mercury than others such as tuna and swordfish. If you have concerns about your mercury consumption, it’s important to check in with a trusted health professional. Some seafood that is low in mercury includes salmon, sardines, mackerel herring, squid, octopus and many more (Food Authority, 2021).

Yes, similar to a vegetarian’s diet meat and poultry are avoided, however, animal products such as dairy and eggs are eaten.

Vegetarians avoid all meat products, poultry and seafood. Whereas a pescatarian avoids meat products and poultry – however still consumes seafood.

Clark et al. (2018) “The Diet, Health, and Environment Trilemma”.
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-environ-102017-025957

Food Authority (nd). “Mercury and fish”.

https://www.foodauthority.nsw.gov.au/consumer/life-events-and-food/pregnancy/mercury-and-fish


Goodfish (nd). “Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide – About Goodfish”.

https://goodfish.org.au/about-the-guide/


GoodFishBadFish (2021). “Sustainable Seafood”.
https://goodfishbadfish.com.au/

 

Tilman and Clark (2014). “Global diets link environmental sustainability and human health”.  

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13959?source=post_page—————————