Anyone here pretty much a pescaterian? Mostly eat fish?

[fuzzybabybunny]

I've been following a largely pescaterian diet for the past two weeks just for shits and giggles. I enjoy my bacon and roasts just as much as the next person, but they always leave me feeling a bit "heavy," like my body's not liking it too much.

I do salmon about three times a week. Assortment of white fish like hoki and catfish a bit more than that. Shellfish like scallops, shrimp, and mussels once a week. All cooked either steamed or seared or nitsuke (sake + mirin + soy sauce + ginger + water). I can't seem to find raw sardines or mackerel though. Tuna's not my favorite.

Lots and lots and lots of broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, frozen veggies, citrus, kiwifruit.

Almost zero carbs other than the occasional bowl of whole grain oatmeal in the morning with milk.

I love that seafood is so quick to prepare and cook and... I hate that seafood is so quick to prepare and cook (fish can cook way faster than other things like carrots so I'm often cooking two separate things at once and starting things at different times instead of a one-pot meal).

Now when I eat out like at a food court or something I feel kinda wrecked afterwards. I feel ok when doing the pescaterian thing. I don't think I've been losing any weight though but I certainly feel better.

Anyone else do this? How is it working out for you?

 

[deadlyapp]

I've heard good and bad things. The major concerns I've heard are the amount of fat you consume since fish is not known to be very lean, but you can counteract that with consuming smaller portions or being more physically active, and then the mercury intake since fish mercury levels are usually significantly higher than most other meats.

 

[RossMAN]

I could never do fish mostly but would like to increase my consumption of seafood in general.

It's way to expensive and fishing doesn't interest me.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Think kind of fish is a factor too. Like I heard Salmon is not too bad for mercury. The type of fat (omega 3) you get from fish is also good for you, though like anything I guess too much of it is bad.

I've been trying to eat more myself, mostly salmon in cans. It is kinda expensive though, like a couple bucks per can so if you were to actually have it every day it adds up. Then again a typical fast food meal is 10-15 bucks... so if you make like a fish wrap or something it's still cheaper than getting a burger and fries at McDonald's.

I also give some to my cat every now and then, she goes crazy for it.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

When I read the topic title I wondered if this was some 'code' for sexual preferences.

 

[John Connor]

I buy the teriyaki salmon at Walmart in the frozen food section from time to time. I like to serve it on a bed of white rice and have two egg rolls. I haven't had shark in a long time. I may go to Albertsons today and buy some.

 

[Rakehellion]

No, because I'm not a girl.

 

[sdifox]

Welcome to mercury poisoning.

 

[sdifox]

No, because I'm not a girl.

You eat slimy beef so your opinion is questionable.

 

[waffleironhead]

I grill some lake trout about every week. Its only $5/lb and locally caught.

 

[purbeast0]

salmon on the grill is ssssoooooo good. love that shit.

also love me some tuna steaks or tuna tartar, but i've never made either of those myself i always just get them at restaurants. same with ceviche.

 

[gorobei]

any of the large fish are going to be chock full of mercury. doesnt matter if it is wild or farmed. if it eats smaller fish or fishmeal made from large fish, the mercury accumulation is already built in since those small fish ate smaller fish with mercury.

plant eating fish(tilapia, carp, cod, catfish) are somewhat better on the mercury levels.

farm raised salmon is typically fed fish meal so you are out of luck there. smaller fish like sardine smelt and small mackerel are generally lower in mercury since they have only had time to feed on bottom of the food chain fish/shrimp and had the least amount of time to build up any.

 

[slag]

Welcome to mercury poisoning.

Overblown.
People on the coasts eat fish their entire lives and live long full lives. I like fish, like cooking and consuming and catching fish, but my wife can't stand the smell of seafood, so I'm stuck eating other stuff most of the time.

 

[slag]

any of the large fish are going to be chock full of mercury. doesnt matter if it is wild or farmed. if it eats smaller fish or fishmeal made from large fish, the mercury accumulation is already built in since those small fish ate smaller fish with mercury.

plant eating fish(tilapia, carp, cod, catfish) are somewhat better on the mercury levels.

farm raised salmon is typically fed fish meal so you are out of luck there. smaller fish like sardine smelt and small mackerel are generally lower in mercury since they have only had time to feed on bottom of the food chain fish/shrimp and had the least amount of time to build up any.

Commercially farmed tilapia aren't plant eaters. They are shit eaters, just like catfish. Doesn't mean they don't taste good, but they eat animal by products to help clean up the fish farm pens after they pens have been used for other types of fish.

 

[TheGardener]

I like to eat fish 5 or 6 times a month. Haddock, Cod, Salmon, Clams, Shrimp and Scallops are pretty much it. Would never go for it as an everyday staple diet.

Was listening to Howard Stern several months back. He's a big fish eater, mostly salmon, and he avoids eating any meat. He went for a physical, and the doctor told Stern that his mercury level was elevated. Recommendation, cut back on fish to a couple times a week. Stern was upset, well when isn't he, because salmon is suppose to be one of the better fish to avoid mercury. My subscription to Sirius XM radio was not renewed. Not sure what Stern did.

 

[lxskllr]

I eat a fair amount of canned fish; mostly kippered herring. I also don't eat much meat, but today I had two quarter pounders with cheese cause I had a coupon. Those burgers kicked my ass, and I was dragging all afternoon.

 

[Jeeebus]

Less so in the Fall/Winter because the wind is blowing and the waves are kicked up. We usually go out Friday night or Sunday morning and get at least enough for a couple good meals between two families.

 

[irishScott]

As far as mercury levels go, here's a nice reference based on FDA data: http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/guide.asp

For my part I love my seafood, but I mix in chicken and red meat to keep variety. I also eat a salad (Arugala, cucumber, black olives and chopped strawberries with extra virgin olive oil) whenever I'm cooking something for myself, and raspberries are my goto fruit (they're sweet enough to be dessert yet loaded with healthy stuff). For snacks I like oranges.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I would but I hate the "fishy" smell when you reheat fish in the microwave.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Living in seaside New England shellfish are in my blood. I could eat a ton of seafood and do it happily, but would never consider going strictly pescaterian. I like other foods too much and for the most part seafood is very expensive. No matter how much I love seafood giving up burgers and barbecue and bacon is no way to live.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I would but I hate the "fishy" smell when you reheat fish in the microwave.

I cook what I'm going to eat when I'm going to eat it and I usually don't make more than we can consume in one meal... especially fish. The problem with reheating fish is that once it is cooked, reheating it just cooks it further.

I love fish and we probably eat it at least 2-3 times a week.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I cook what I'm going to eat when I'm going to eat it and I usually don't make more than we can consume in one meal... especially fish. The problem with reheating fish is that once it is cooked, reheating it just cooks it further.

I love fish and we probably eat it at least 2-3 times a week.

I'd love to be able to do that. Work gets in the way of my wants though

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I think it's important to be realistic about the prices of fish compared to other meats. You're not going to get fish for the same price as chicken, but I find that frozen fish can be comparable in price compared to beef and sometimes pork.

Since the price is comparable, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to make fish a semi-regular occurrence. For me personally, the issue has always been that I'm never too sure how to cook it. The other issue is that cheap fish is almost always farmed and I'm never quite sure how good that is nutrition and environment-wise.

I just got a 1kg package of frozen basa (catfish) fillets. Comes out to $7, so about $3 a pound, which certainly isn't bad. Tilapia is the same.

Salmon can be found for about $10 a pound frozen, but the kicker for me is that a pound of fish is a lot, volume-wise, compared to a pound of beef or pork. I guess the muscle just isn't as dense. The upside for me is that I can end up eating less fish while at the same time feeling the same degree of fullness as an equivalent volume of beef.

I like the fat makeup of fish as well. They live in cold environments so they need fats that stay very malleable and fluid at low temperatures, ie. healthy non-saturated fats. Mammal fats have more saturation and would be completely solid at the low temperatures that fish normally live at, which aren't as good for us.

I once had a grass-fed beef farmer tell me that grass-fed beef is healthier than salmon in terms of the fat content. After doing some research this turns out to be completely untrue. Salmon still has way more omega-3 and unsaturated fats than even the best grass-fed beef. Farmed salmon actually has more than wild because they're not as active, which for me is a problem because I think farmed salmon has almost sickly levels of fat and I try to purposefully buy lean-looking fillets of farmed salmon. I can eat more of it without the fat making me feel sick.

 

[A Casual Fitz]

I love tuna.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I once had a grass-fed beef farmer tell me that grass-fed beef is healthier than salmon in terms of the fat content. After doing some research this turns out to be completely untrue. Salmon still has way more omega-3 and unsaturated fats than even the best grass-fed beef. Farmed salmon actually has more than wild because they're not as active, which for me is a problem because I think farmed salmon has almost sickly levels of fat and I try to purposefully buy lean-looking fillets of farmed salmon. I can eat more of it without the fat making me feel sick.

You may be confusing albumen with fat.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/6455-quick-brine-for-prettier-fish