We humans have marvelous digestive system and this makes us eat variety of food . Some of us are strictly vegetarian , some are non-vegetarian or even eggetarian (some who is a vegetarian but also consumes eggs) . Not only this there are few people who are pescatarian. A pescatarian diet is conserved as a vegetarian diet which includes any kind of seafood but no involvement of any other animal. Sea food basically includes fish and shellfish . The word “pesce” means fish in Italian and people who include fish in their vegetarian diet are called pescatarians also known as pesco-vegetarians.
Consuming a diet mainly containing plant based foods has a variety of health benefits and with the addition of fish and these products get their benefits enhanced.
In This Article:
A Guide for Pescatarian Diet During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a phase where a mother bears a new life within herself. The mother now needs to eat for two and maintain a healthy pregnancy. To maintain a healthy pregnancy the mother needs to consume all variety of good food as much as possible. All good nutrients cannot be made available by the plant thus animal source of food is also required. But for a vegetarian mother few changes are to be made in her diet . If she is not willing to include meat in her diet then the problem can be overcome by including fish or other seafood in her diet.
Benefits of Pescatarian Diet
Heart Health
Since childhood we have been taught to consume green leafy vegetables and sea foods. And in pregnancy is becomes even more important . This is because such a diet have a positive impact on the heart health. Such diets are rich in omega 3 fatty acids help in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease and reduces chances of irregular heartbeats also called as Arrhythmia which is a major cause of sudden death.
Healthy and Strong Bones
In pregnancy, the mother bears the weight of another living being inside her. For this she requires to have strong architecture of her body to hold the weight of the foetus. Along with workout, seafood and veggie diet is way more beneficial. Certain enzymes attack the bones and joints to cause joint pain. But when a pregnant woman is on pescatarian diet she’ll receive healthy dose of DHA and EPA from cold water fish which protect from enzyme breakdown in joint cartilage.
Source of Plenty of Vitamins and Minerals
A mother to be require all essential nutrients for proper growth of the foetus among them some are Iron , Omega 3 and certain vitamins and minerals. The seafood is complete powerful pack of these nutrients
Improves Mental Ability
Every mother wants her baby to be sharp and smart. And the seafood play an important role in the development of the brain to make the baby smart by improving the mental health. It has been studied that omega 3 fatty acids can enhance the function of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Fish being the Protein Powerhouse
Protein is an important staple ingredient in human diets . These are required for synthesis of amino acids which are an essential component of our molecular biology of body. Fish like Salmon, Tuna contain over 20 grams of proteins.
Lots of Antioxidants
A mother to be thinks as soon as she becomes a mother she’ll become old but that’s a myth . If she consumes seafood she won’t . This is because . they contain lots of antioxidants . Antioxidants have the ability to delay and even prevent different types of cell damages. These attack free radicals and threaten to damage the basic genetic structure of our body which is DNA.
Maintenance of Health Pregnancies
Other than DHA and EPA , low unsaturated fat in fish and large amount of protein , vitamin D and other nutrients are major key to healthy pregnancy.
Stronger Immune System
Antenatal care is a must in a woman as a sick mother makes the foetus sick too. It is important to boost the immunity of the mother . And having a pescatarian diet helps in this boost up .
Improves Blood Circulation
During pregnancy , hypertension is feared. Consumption of pescatarian diet improves blood circulation and reduces chances of thrombosis.
Healthy Lungs
Oxygen requirement increases during pregnancy and for this lungs needs to work more efficiently and the pescatarian diet helps in promoting the healthy lungs.
Side Effects of Pescatarian Diet
Presence of Mercury in the Pescatarian Diet
Few fish contains mercury. Mercury is an element which in high concentration act as a neurotoxin causing muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, tremors, sleeplessness, decreased motor skills. Survey shows that, smaller fish have less mercury as compared to larger fishes.
Expensive Diet to be Maintained
It is not convenient for every family to afford seafood as it is an expensive diet. But this does not mean healthy protein source is now not available to the mother. The other protein source which are budget friendly are plant based proteins such as beans, soy and tempeh.
Conclusion
During pregnancy it is good to have pescatarian diet for a woman to improve and have a healthy foetus. But if not affordable other sources are also available for the woman to consume the nutrient and have healthy foetus.
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6470702/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323907.php
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