What are the benefits and downsides to both?
The only real downside to a pescatarian diet, really, is the possible mercury toxicity that can be avoided with certain types of fish.. it’s hands down the easiest way to increase protein and Omega-3 intake, and I speak as a vegetarian myself
Seaweed and algae oil/capsules are ways you can still keep your EPA/DHA intake at healthy levels as a vegetarian, you can still consume ALA food sources for satiety and other benefits, and there are abundant protein sources that just need some intentional planning. As you can see, not as easy as fish consumption, but very possible
In general, the more restrictive you are with your dietary approach, the more susceptible you are to insufficient intakes of important or beneficial nutrients. For example, vegetarian diets are often low fat diets. Low fat diets tend to reduce HDL. On a similar note, it’s difficult for vegetarians to get adequate omega-3’s (specifically EPA and DHA) from diet alone, since ALA’s conversion to EPA and DHA is not even worth mentioning and vegetarians tend to consume lower amounts of dietary fat. Additionally, the more restrictive you are with your dietary approach, the more difficult it will be to adhere to it in the long term. Any health benefit of a certain diet will ultimately diminish if you cannot adhere to it for the long term (assuming you revert back to poor dietary habits).
A pescatarian diet is less restrictive, which means you’re less at risk of missing out on important or beneficial nutrients. Pescatarian can also closely resemble the Mediterranean diet, which has an abundance of evidence in favor of a wide scope of health benefits.
I was a vegetarian for years then transitioned to pescatarian and never looked back. Adding fish to my diet has done wonder with all the vitamins and nutrients a thick piece of wild caught salmon/tuna can give you!
I feel really qualified to answer this (yay)
I stopped eating meat when I was 15 - I simply didn’t enjoy it and didn’t like the idea. I grew up on farms so I’ve been well exposed to the way agriculture works. FWIW, I’m not an aggressive vegetarian type you promotes “meat is murder and all that BS. I am a firm advocate of reduced consumption and improving ethical and sustainable farming and production methods, but anyway:
First of all, the ethics argument:I’m part Māori, I grew up in rural northern NZ where fishing and diving and fresh seafood is just a way of life. We’d have casual paua (abalone) fry ups, crayfish, fresh snapper from whoever went out that day.. we only caught what we needed to eat and were not wasteful or cruel - I see absolutely no issue ethically with this kind of life. While I understand this is not a possibility for everyone, it IS possible to only consume ethically and sustainably sourced seafood. Mussels, for example, grow in absolute abundance on the rocks like a plant. They aren’t what you’d think of as a sentient being, it’s really not much different to harvesting and eating lettuce and yet they are an incredible source of low calorie lean protein. Even if you aren’t comfortable eating fish, shellfish are a great alternative. I only eat fish on occasion, and if I do I check the origins and only buy line-caught or directly from the fisherman where possible. Most restaurants will be transparent if you ask them.
In conclusion, overfishing needs to stop. Commercial fishing with gigantic bycatch nets needs to stop. Prawn farming in places like Bangladesh is a HUGE problem (I don’t eat prawns for this reason). But the fact is, there are a lot of great sustainable/ethical options for seafood consumption.
From a health perspective: I touched on it with mussels, but seriously from a nutrition perspective seafood is the gold standard. It is so, SO much easier to get adequate protein and vitamins by consuming some seafood than relying purely on plant based alternatives. I go through phases of not consuming much or any seafood, but i find it far easier to keep up good nutrition when I am adding mussels and tuna and the like to my meals.
I have better energy, feel healthier, fuller, and just overall better when I eat SOME seafood. You don’t have to have a lot, but incorporating it healthily and as sustainably as possible into your diet is really great all round.