You’re about to take control over your diet and health—maybe for the first time ever. You’re in the driver’s seat here. Instead of simply handing you a diet, I’m turning you into an expert. How? By teaching you the “Seven Pescetarian Principles.” Nail these, and you’ll soon be enjoying your own version of pescetarianism—one that keeps calories in check (without having to count calories), is wholesome and health-promoting, and suits your taste buds and lifestyle. Most important, this way of eating works over the long run.
Perfect these principles, and you’ll sail through any food situation: restaurant menus, dinner parties, theme parks, and even buffet tables! It’s going to be such a relief when you:
• Can confidently fill your plate with the right type—and amount—of food. That’s because you’ll have mastered the Pescetarian food groups, knowing by sight just what a portion of grains, fat, and other foods looks like. You’ll also know how many servings of each you need to eat to either shed pounds or maintain a healthy weight.
• Stop counting calories. You’ll simply track Pescetarian food groups instead. This is a lot easier. In no time, it’ll become automatic—you’ll barely need to think about how many grain or protein servings you’ve accumulated. The only calories you have to track are for treats like ice cream, cookies, and alcohol.
• Go at your own pace.
• Really enjoy your food. And you will—I mean it!
• See inches and pounds disappear (even more quickly if you also exercise).
• Feel a lot better.
Think “Process,” Not “Diet”
All you have to do is make this critical shift in vocabulary and mind-set, and boy, is this going to get easier! That’s because being on a diet invokes all sorts of guilt, a sense of deprivation, and those crazy impossible standards that you’re bound to break.
But accept that becoming a nutritious eater or a regular exerciser is a process instead of an all-or-nothing, I’m-on-or-off-my-diet affair, and everything changes. And it’s a process that you own and are actively engaged in—not something you’re doing for your doctor or anyone else.
But isn’t The Pescetarian Plan, well … a diet? Yes, it is, in that it’s a way of eating. But you’re not following a strict set of rules, nor are you walking around hungry all day from consuming too few calories. (At least, you’d better not be—that’s why you have a range of calorie levels to choose from. It may take a little trial and error, but you’ll hit a daily calorie level that helps you shed pounds, if that’s what you need, or helps you maintain your weight.)
Here’s how I suggest you tackle the principles:
• Simply read through them first.
• Don’t worry about the daily calorie levels mentioned in each of the seven principles. You might be thinking, “Wait a sec! Didn’t she just say I won’t have to count calories?” Aside from tallying treat calories, you won’t. But you do have to choose an overall daily calorie level so you know how many servings of grains, seafood, and other foods to have every day. Not yet, though—I’ll help you figure that out in the following chapter.
• After you’ve read through all the principles, turn to the next chapter for your “action plan.” Here’s where you’ll pick up the tools that will bring the seven principles to life … as soon as your next meal!
Pescetarian Principle No. 1:
Dump Meat and Poultry, and Eat
Recommended Amounts of Protein
As I mentioned earlier, the Italian word for fish is pesce, and therein lies the fundamental, distinguishing feature of pescetarianism: You cut out meat and poultry and get your protein from fish, other seafood, and vegetable protein.
If you’re a little shaky on your seafood cooking skills, the step-by-step instructions in Chapter 12 are very easy to follow. And there are some terrific recipes in Chapter 13 and seafood meals in the meal plan starting here.
PROTEIN SERVINGS PER DAILY CALORIE LEVEL:
1,500 daily calories: 6 daily
1,800 daily calories: 7 daily
2,100 daily calories: 7 daily
2,500 daily calories: 8 daily
A PESCETARIAN PROTEIN SERVING (55 CALORIES) IS:
• Fish, fatty (see this list): 1 ounce
• Fish, white-fleshed (cod, flounder, perch, tilapia, rockfish, etc.): 2 ounces
• Cheese, reduced-fat: ¾ ounce
• Cheese, regular: ½ ounce
• Edamame (young, green, soybeans): ⅓ cup
• Egg, medium: 1
• Egg whites: 3 (from a large egg) or ½ cup liquid egg white in a carton
• Shellfish, shell removed: 1½ ounces (3 medium clams, 3 medium mussels, 5 Eastern [smaller] oysters, 2 Pacific oysters, 3 large or 7 small scallops, 7 or 8 medium shrimp)
• Tofu: 2–4 ounces, about a third of a cup (check label for how much you get for 55 calories, as products vary)
1. You’ll typically have more than one serving in a meal. Although a protein serving is just an ounce or two, remember, you get six or more servings daily. So it’s fine to have three to six ounces in one meal.
2. Start out by having fatty fish twice a week, then work up to having it three times a week. The following species are low in mercury, so they should be your mainstays:
• Arctic char
• Mackerel (but not king mackerel, which is high in mercury)
• Salmon (canned or fresh)
• Sardines (canned or fresh)
• Trout
• Tuna* (fresh or “chunk light” canned)
3. Limit the following high-cholesterol proteins to twice weekly. Have 4 ounces of shrimp, 4 ounces of squid, or 2 eggs no more than twice weekly. For example, if you have 2 eggs on Monday and 4 ounces of shrimp on Friday, you’ve eaten all your high-cholesterol foods for the week and should choose only low-cholesterol proteins for the remainder of the week.
4. Have no more than 2 ounces of either regular or reduced-fat cheese per day. Cheese is high in saturated fat, and while this fat doesn’t appear to be as harmful as once thought, it’s better to be safe than sorry until the research is clear!
Using Legumes as Your Protein
Although black beans, kidney beans, lentils, and other legumes contain protein, they’re so carbohydrate-rich that they’re nutritionally closer to grains than they are to fish, tofu, and other high-protein foods on this list. That’s why I put them in the “Grain/Starchy Vegetable” list.
That said, you can still use them as your protein source. If you are trying to lose weight, do this at no more than one meal a day. That’s because you don’t get nearly as much protein for the calories as you do with seafood, egg whites, or tofu. And as I’ve mentioned, protein is particularly appetite-quelling, so it’s a key weight-loss tool. So if you’re trying to lose weight and closely following the number of servings in each food group on this plan, you would consider three-quarters of a cup of beans both a grain/starchy vegetable and a protein serving. For instance, if you had three-quarters of a cup of chickpeas in your salad, you’ve used up one grain/starchy vegetable serving and one protein serving.
If you don’t need to lose weight, sub them in as you like.
Pescetarian Principle No. 2:
Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables!
One nice perk to this principle is that, unless you’re already a produce fiend, you get to add food—fruits and vegetables—to your diet. Even if you think you’re eating the right number of fruits and vegetables recommended for your calorie level, it’s best to take some time to measure and make sure. Most people aren’t quite there yet—in fact, a third of Americans eat less than one serving of fruits and vegetables daily. If you’ve been skimping, then this one dietary change can be a significant turning point in your health.
To help you ramp up your produce servings:
• Keep washed and sliced carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes, and peppers in the fridge. Ditto for fruits (sliced apples and pears keep pretty well).
• Aim to have vegetables or fruits in at least two meals daily. Or have one big salad—that’ll more than cover all your vegetables for the day.
• Throw a handful or two of spinach or other greens into soup.
• Lean on frozen fruits and vegetables if fresh ones aren’t looking so fresh (or don’t taste that good). Interestingly, thawing causes frozen produce to leach out vitamins, so don’t thaw before cooking or adding to a smoothie. Buy plain, unsweetened fruit and plain, unseasoned vegetables to spare yourself the sodium, and use your own herbs and a light touch with the salt shaker, if needed.
• Keep dried fruit around to have when you run out of fresh. Just watch the portions, as calories can add up fast. (As mentioned below, a portion is 2 tablespoons.)
• Don’t worry about what type of fruit or vegetable you’re eating—we’ll work on making the highest-nutrition choices later on, when you’re comfortable with the basics.
FRUIT SERVINGS PER DAILY CALORIE LEVEL:
1,500 daily calories: 2 daily
1,800 daily calories: 2 daily
2,100 daily calories: 3 daily
2,500 daily calories: 4 daily
Want to enjoy even more fruit? If you’re not watching your weight, you can have as much fruit as you like. Even if you need to shed pounds, another daily serving won’t hurt. In fact, you may be able to get away with even more—if you love fruit, go ahead and try. The reason I limited fruit at all is to keep to my promise that I’m delivering a specific daily calorie level.
Have any type of fruit you like. Later on, you can work on getting a greater variety and making sure you’re eating the nutritional superstars.
A PESCETARIAN FRUIT SERVING (60 CALORIES) IS:
• a small fruit (like a kiwi or small apple)
• ½ a large fruit (like a banana, grapefruit, or mango)
• ½ cup of cut-up fruit or berries, fresh or frozen
• 2 tablespoons dried fruit (like raisins) or 1½ dried figs
• ½ cup 100% juice (It’s better to eat whole fruit because it’s more filling and lower in sugar for the volume and contains fiber, but if you love juice, you can count it as just one of your daily fruit servings, then use your daily treat calories to cover any more juice you have.)
VEGETABLE SERVINGS PER DAILY CALORIE LEVEL:
1,500 daily calories: 4 or more daily
1,800 daily calories: 5 or more daily
2,100 daily calories: 6 or more daily
2,500 daily calories: 7 or more daily
A PESCETARIAN VEGETABLE SERVING (25 CALORIES) IS:
• 1 cup salad greens or chopped herbs
• ½ cup raw vegetables (other than salad greens)
• ½ cup frozen vegetables
• ½ cup cooked vegetables (fresh or frozen)
• ½ cup canned vegetables (such as canned tomatoes)
• ½ cup vegetable juice (Make this only one of your daily vegetable servings because it lacks fiber; if you have any more, you’ll have to use your treat calories.)
If you want even more vegetables, go for it! These are really minimums. Vegetable calories are negligible (many of these portions are actually less than 25 calories); I’ve never heard of anyone gaining weight by eating too many vegetables!
In the next chapter, I’ll point you to the most nutritious vegetable choices. For now, just focus on eating enough vegetables—period!
Food Face-off: Organic vs. Conventional?
You’re definitely doing the environment a favor when you buy organically grown produce, but does it matter to the body? It depends. Some studies show organic produce can have a slight nutrition edge over conventional, but a review of the research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2012 found no difference. As for safety, if you wash conventionally grown produce well, you can remove all—or nearly all—the pesticides. The produce in the “Highest in Pesticides” column (on the next page) requires more scrubbing—if you want to splurge on organic, these would be the ones to buy. (These lists are courtesy of the Environmental Working Group.)
What’s more important than organic or conventional is freshness: The closer you eat a fruit or vegetable to the time it was picked, the more nutrients you get.
Pescetarian Principle No. 3:
Tame Treats (Including Alcohol)
How would you describe your relationship with chips and other salty snacks, or sweets like ice cream, cookies, cake, and candy? To alcohol? If you’re in control—in other words, you can easily stop at a reasonable portion—then you should do well with the amount offered on this plan.
If you feel out of control, as in, you tend eat the entire box of cookies instead of just a few, then for a few weeks, try avoiding your “trigger” foods. You might be able to reintroduce trigger foods later on, or you might find you’re better off crossing them off your list for good. Meanwhile, use your treat calories on other favorite foods that aren’t addictive.
Aim to stay within your daily treat calories at least five days this week with the goal of eventually doing this every day. (If you drink, stay within your alcohol guidelines every day this week because if you overdo it, you might lose you resolve and overeat as well.)
Because portions for treats are all over the map, this is the one food group that you will have to measure in calories rather than portion sizes. But you’ll find plenty of treat examples, at all four calorie levels, in the meal plans starting here.
DAILY TREAT CALORIES:
1,500 daily calories: 100 calories every other day (or 50 calories daily)
1,800 daily calories: 150 calories daily
2,100 daily calories: 200 calories daily
2,500 daily calories: 225 calories daily
If you’re on the 1,500-calorie plan, you’re probably not thrilled about the stingy treat allotment. I don’t blame you! But squeezing in all the nutrition you need on just 1,500 calories is nearly impossible, and that’s why there’s so little room left for treats. Remember, this plan is flexible—if you find you can get away with a little more (like 100 calories daily), then please do! And you can save up for bigger splurges by forgoing a treat on one or more days.
ALCOHOL ADVICE:
1. Stick to the safe limits. That means, if you drink, have no more than one drink per day if you’re a woman; no more than two drinks daily if you’re a man. Even if there are still treat calories left after this alcohol limit, don’t spend them on extra alcohol; have a cookie, dark chocolate, or another treat instead. A drink is 5 ounces of wine (a little over ½ cup), 12 ounces of beer (1½ cups), 1½ fluid ounces (3 tablespoons) of 80 proof spirits, or 1 fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) of 100 proof spirits. (“Spirits” are gin, vodka, whiskey, or any other “hard” liquor.)
2. Drink with your meal. That’s the way it’s done in Mediterranean countries, where red wine is linked with health and longevity. You don’t get as tipsy this way, and you have more control. (Believe me, though—you’ll still enjoy that glass of wine!)
3. If it triggers appetite, skip it. If you notice that you tend to overeat after having even one drink, consider abstaining from alcohol until you reach a healthy weight (and even then, still be careful).
Pescetarian Principle No. 4:
Get a Handle on Starches
There’s a wide range of starchy foods from the least healthful (think french fries and croissants) to super-healthful (steel-cut oats, sweet potatoes, and wheat berries). The healthy starches can, in moderation, actually help you lose weight by quelling appetite and promoting satiety—that full, satisfied feeling following a meal. Many studies show that whole-grain eaters are thinner than people who eat refined grains. But, of course, even these healthy carbs contain calories—so you have to keep servings in check.
When you start on my Pescetarian Plan, you’ll want to measure every grain product or starchy vegetable, at least at the beginning. You might be surprised to find that your regular portions are bigger than you imagined. If you eat cold cereal, you’ll have to check the label for calories, because these vary so widely. Remember, a Pescetarian serving is 80 calories of cereal (it’s perfectly fine to have two servings at once).
GRAIN/STARCHY VEGETABLE SERVINGS PER DAILY CALORIE LEVEL:
1,500 daily calories: 5 daily
1,800 daily calories: 5 daily
2,100 daily calories: 6 daily
2,500 daily calories: 7 daily
A PESCETARIAN GRAIN/STARCHY VEGETABLE SERVING (80 CALORIES) IS:
• Bagel: ¼ of a large one or ½ of a small one (100 percent whole-grain)
• Bread: 1 slice (100 percent whole-grain; check label for calories)
• Cold cereal: Amount varies—check label to see how much you get for 80 calories. For instance, 80 calories is a half-cup of shredded wheat, and not even a full ¼ cup of Ezekiel 4:9 Almond. They’re both terrific cereals—you just can’t put the same amount of each in your bowl. I mix Ezekiel (low volume for the calories) with shredded wheat or flaky cereals (more volume for the calories). Cereals should be 100 percent whole-grain.
• Corn meal or polenta: ⅓ cup cooked (stone ground whole)
• English muffin: ½ muffin (100 percent whole-grain)
• Flour, whole-wheat, or other whole-grain: 3 tablespoons
• Grains, whole, including barley, bulgur wheat (cracked wheat), couscous, rice, wheat berries: 2 tablespoons uncooked; ½ cup cooked
• Hot cereal: ¼ cup dry, ½ cup cooked (100 percent whole-grain, such as oatmeal, mixed whole-grain)
• Legumes, including black beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), kidney beans, white beans, lentils, etc.: ⅓ cup cooked or canned; 2 tablespoons dried
• Pasta: ¾ ounces uncooked; ½ cup cooked or canned (100 percent whole-wheat, quinoa, or other whole-grain)
• Steel-cut oats: ⅛ cup dry or ⅜ cup cooked
• Sweet potatoes, potatoes, or green peas: ½ cup cooked
1. Distribute your grain/starchy vegetable servings however you like. If you’re at five daily servings, I often recommend having:
• 2 at breakfast (a nice bowl of cold or hot cereal)
• 2 at lunch (so you can have a sandwich if you want one)
• 1 at dinner
2. Make at least half of your grain servings whole grains. When you feel ready, switch over entirely to whole grains.
3. Eat legumes at least four times a week.
4, If you have to avoid gluten, don’t forgo whole grains. Some of the gluten-free offerings in stores are made with refined corn flour or other refined gluten-free flours. Avoid these and instead use buckwheat, whole-grain corn grits, oats (gluten-certified), quinoa, and whole-grain rice. And, of course, you can sub in the healthy starchy vegetables listed above.
5. “Stretch” starch dishes with fruits and vegetables. Starches are a lot more caloric than fruits and vegetables. A half-cup of cooked grains, potatoes, or legumes comes to 80 to 90 calories. Contrast that to about 40 calories for the same amount of fruit and about 10 calories for a half-cup of raw vegetables. By pumping up starch dishes with fruits or vegetables, you get a bigger, more satisfying portion for fewer calories. Case in point: the Quinoa with Lemon, Olive Oil, and Pomegranate recipe, contains as much herbs and pomegranate as quinoa. I usually use more vegetables than pasta in my dinners. Likewise, my cereal bowl is about 50–50 fruit and grain.
For examples of meals that use whole grains and legumes, turn to Appendix C. And to figure out what a whole grain is, check out the box below.
Is It a Whole Grain?
A whole grain contains the outer bran layer, the middle starch section, and the inner germ (as in wheat germ). Refined grains, such as white flour, are pure starch; the bran and germ have been removed (as well as all the nutrients).
Misleading food labels can make it difficult to know if you’re getting a whole-grain product. For instance, “made with whole grain” may still mean that there’s more refined flour than whole grain. “Multigrain” simply means a variety of grains were used—it could be that they are all refined.
But the ingredient list doesn’t lie. To help you decipher it, here’s your guide:
| Whole Grains | Not Whole Grains | |
| Amaranth | All-purpose flour | |
| Barley* | De-germed cornmeal | |
| Buckwheat | Enriched flour | |
| Bulgur | Rice, rice flour | |
| Brown, red, black rice | Rye flour | |
| Groats | Semolina** | |
| Millet | Unbleached flour | |
| Oat flour | Wheat flour | |
| Oats, oatmeal, steel-cut oats | White rice | |
| Popcorn | ||
| Rye berries | ||
| Sorghum | ||
| Triticale | ||
| Wheat berries | ||
| Whole corn | ||
| Whole rye | ||
| Whole semolina | ||
| Whole spelt (often just “spelt”)** | ||
| Whole-wheat, whole-wheat flour | ||
| Wild rice |
* Pearled barley has some of the bran removed, but that’s all right because it’s still high in fiber and nutrients.
** Even without the word whole, this grain is often whole. You can’t be sure unless the product is billed as “100% whole-grain” on the label.
Pescetarian Principle No. 5:
Switch to Low-Fat/Nonfat Dairy (or Nondairy Milk)
If you’re a whole or 2-percent milk drinker, I strongly recommend switching to 1-percent or nonfat. You’ll lower the saturated fat and calorie content of your diet, and you can spend those extra calories elsewhere. And if you prefer a nondairy milk, such as soy or almond milk, that will work just fine on this plan. (Read about the pros and cons of dairy in Chapter 4.)
If you just can’t stand milk, yogurt, or nondairy alternatives, then you can skip this Pescetarian food group. Instead, make up your two dairy servings by having two extra protein servings and one more grain/starchy vegetable serving each day (for instance, 2 ounces of fish and 1 slice of whole-grain bread). And you’ll have to make up the 600 milligrams of calcium provided by two dairy servings by taking calcium supplements. However, as explained in Chapter 7, this isn’t ideal.
You’ll notice that I didn’t include cheese here; instead, I’ve placed it with high-protein foods. That’s because cheese is mainly protein and fat—it contains very little of the lactose (milk sugar) contained in milk and yogurt.
DAIRY/NONDAIRY SERVINGS PER CALORIE LEVEL:
1,500 daily calories: 2 daily
1,800 daily calories: 2 daily
2,100 daily calories: 2 daily
2,500 daily calories: 2 daily
1. If you’re used to whole or 2-percent milk, ease down to 1-percent gradually, so your milk doesn’t feel too “thin.” If you’re drinking whole milk, mix it with 2-percent and have that until it runs out. Then, use 2-percent alone for about a week. Follow that with a mix of 2-percent and 1-percent. You can stop at 1-percent or keep going until you’re used to nonfat. I promise that once you get used to the lighter milks, you’ll prefer them, and fattier milks won’t taste right.
2. Buy plain yogurt. Vanilla and fruit yogurt are fine as desserts or treats, but they are too high in sugar to be part of your meals and snacks. Plain yogurt is not only lower in sugar, but it also has more calcium (because the sugar and fruit in sweetened yogurt displace the actual, calcium-containing yogurt). If you like your yogurt a little sweet, start by adding a teaspoon of honey (6 g sugar) or maple syrup (4 g sugar) per cup. That’s just a fraction of the 13 extra grams of sugar found in just 6 ounces of sweetened yogurt.
3. If using almond, coconut, hemp, or rice milk, consider adding protein to your meal. Cow’s milk and soy milk have about 8 grams of protein per cup; these other milks have just 1 or 2 grams. That’s not a problem if your meals have other sources of protein, but if it’s just cereal, milk, fruit, and nuts for breakfast, then your meal will be lacking in protein. That’s okay on occasion, but, especially if you’re trying to lose weight or maintain a weight loss, those 8 grams of high-quality protein from cow or soy milk go a long way to help quell appetite.
Add protein to breakfast by scrambling up an egg white, buying a breakfast cereal that includes soy (like Kashi GoLean), or having an ounce of cheese or fish (smoked salmon or even leftover fish from the night before), or two ounces of tofu. If making a smoothie, add 2 tablespoons of soy or whey protein powder.
And whatever nondairy milk you choose, make sure it’s enriched with calcium and, ideally, vitamin D as well. (On the nutrition label, you should see at least 25 percent of the Daily Value for calcium and about the same for vitamin D.)
Pescetarian Principle No. 6:
Enjoy Healthy Fat
One reason this Pescetarian diet tastes so good is that it’s not a low-fat diet. In keeping with the Mediterranean diet, about 35 percent of total calories in this plan come from fat. But it is a “healthy-fat diet” averaging 3,000 mg of omega-3s daily. Because even healthy fat is high in calories, portions matter, so stick closely to my daily portion recommendations in this section.
You’ll notice that olive oil and nuts and seeds are a “must” on this plan. If you have an allergy to a particular nut or seed mentioned in the recipes or meal plans, just substitute with a nut or seed that you are not allergic to. (For instance, if you have a peanut allergy but do fine with sunflower seeds, swap in sunflower seeds for peanuts.) If you cannot eat any nuts or seeds, then replace them with olive oil, avocado, or another healthy fat from these lists.
Olive oil ensures that you get the right balance of fat. Nuts and seeds do the same, and because they are “high-satiety” foods, they keep you feeling fuller longer for the calories. A number of studies show that people who eat nuts tend to be trimmer than those who don’t. Nuts also help lower cholesterol and are linked to a lower risk for heart disease. That said, you still have to watch portions, because the little kernels are quite high in calories.
FAT SERVINGS PER DAILY CALORIE LEVEL:
1,500 daily calories: 7 daily; at least 1 should be extra-virgin olive oil, and at least 3 should be nuts or seeds.
1,800 daily calories: 8 daily; at least 2 should be extra-virgin olive oil, and at least 3 should be nuts or seeds.
2,100 daily calories: 10 daily; at least 3 should be extra-virgin olive oil, and at least 4 should be nuts or seeds.
2,500 daily calories: 13 daily; at least 3 should be extra-virgin olive oil, and at least 6 should be nuts or seeds.
A PESCETARIAN FAT SERVING (45 CALORIES) IS:
• Avocado: 3 tablespoons chopped (1⁄5 Hass avocado)
• Coconut flakes, unsweetened: 2 tablespoons
• Oils (canola, peanut, olive, walnut, etc.): 1 teaspoon
• Mayonnaise, regular: 1½ teaspoons (½ tablespoon)
• Mayonnaise, light: 1 tablespoon
• Nuts: 1 tablespoon (about 7 almonds, 5 cashews, 6 hazelnuts, 5 pecans, 8 peanuts, 13 pistachios)
• Olives: 5 medium (because these are high in sodium, eat them only occasionally)
• Seeds (such as chia, flaxseeds, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower): 1 tablespoon
• Nut or seed butter (such as peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini): 1½ teaspoons (½ tablespoon)
In order to get the most healthful fat balance, follow these guidelines:
Most of the fat in your diet should come from the following sources, which are high in monounsaturated fat and/or omega-3s. You’ll definitely be eating nuts daily, as they are built into your Seven Pescetarian Principles.
| HIGH MONO: | HIGH OMEGA-3: |
| Almonds and almond butter | Chia seeds |
| Avocados | Flaxseed oil |
| Canola oil (it’s also omega-3–rich) | Flaxseeds |
| Cashews and cashew butter | Walnuts |
| Olive oil (this is your principal oil) | |
| Peanut oil | |
| Macadamia nuts | |
| Peanuts and peanut butter | |
| Pistachios | |
| Pecans |
Note: You’re also going to be eating three omega-3–rich fatty fish a week, such as salmon, sardines, and trout. The list of high-omega fish is here.
One or two daily fat servings can come from these sources, which are high in omega-6, a polyunsaturated fat.
Brazil nuts
Corn oil
Grapeseed oil
Pumpkin seeds
Safflower oil (except “high-oleic,” which is high in monounsaturated fat)
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds and sesame seed butter (tahini)
Soybean oil
Sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter
Margarine made without partially hydrogenated oil
Limit the following fats to no more than once per day—less often if you have heart disease. These foods are all high in saturated fat. If you’re currently eating a lot of foods in this column, replace them with foods that are high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Do not replace those calories with refined carbs—that could cause your triglyceride levels (a dangerous blood fat) to rise.
Butter
Coconut oil
Cream
Cream cheese
Sour cream
Avoid foods made with partially hydrogenated oil. This oil is the main source of the über-unhealthy trans fat in the diet.
The left side of this chart is a who’s who of popular American foods, many of which are not only high in saturated fat (which can raise cholesterol) but are also rife with sodium or sugar and low in nutrients. The processed, or “cured” meats—hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni, and bacon—are even more noxious to your health than plain old red meat, as explained in Chapter 4.
Fortunately, for every unhealthy food, there’s a much healthier alternative, listed in the right-hand column.
| SATURATED FAT-LADEN FOOD | G SAT FAT | PESCETARIAN ALTERNATIVE | G SAT FAT |
| Buffalo wings (10) with blue cheese dressing | 24 | Grilled shrimp (12 large) | 1 |
| Regular ground beef patty (4 oz. cooked) | 9 | Wild salmon burger (4 oz. cooked) | 1.4 |
| Hot dog/sausage (4 oz. cooked) | 10–18 | Vegetarian hot dog or sausage (4 oz. cooked) | 3 |
| Pepperoni/bacon (2 oz. cooked) | 8 | Smoked salmon (2 oz.) | 0.5 |
| Fried chicken (4 oz. cooked) | 4 | Breaded and baked white fish (4 oz. cooked) | 1–2 |
| 2-percent or whole milk (1 cup) | 3–4.5 | 1-percent or nonfat milk or soy milk (1 cup) | 0–1.5 |
| Danish, donut, or croissant (3 oz.) | 5–7 | (Carrot Muffin) | 2 |
| Butter (1 tablespoon) | 8 | Olive oil (1 tablespoon) | 2 |
| Premium ice cream, like Ben & Jerry’s or Häagen-Dazs (½ cup) | 10 | Regular ice cream, like Breyers Original (½ cup) | 2–4 |
Pescetarian Principle No. 7:
Become a Smart Sipper
On the Pescetarian Plan, water is your main beverage. You’ll also be drinking milk (or nondairy milk) and, if you like, coffee, tea, and wine. But other drinks—even fruit juice—are a waste of calories, in my opinion. They don’t leave you feeling as full as eating fruit or other solid foods. In fact, soda, very sweet iced tea, fruit punch, fruit drinks, sweet coffee concoctions, and other sugary drinks are considered culprits in the obesity crisis.
Need a nudge to drink more water? It perks up energy, endurance, and brain power (even slight dehydration makes for muddier thinking). And drinking enough water can make you slimmer. Here’s why:
• You take in fewer calories. Water drinkers average 9 percent fewer calories—about 194 fewer—than non–water drinkers. Shaving off that many calories could mean a 20-pound weight loss in a year.
• It makes weight loss easier. People who drank two cups of water before a meal lost 44 percent more weight on a 12-week weight loss program, in research led by Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
• It raises your metabolic rate, the rate at which you burn calories. This has been shown in both adults and children.
• Drinking water before and during a meal increases satiety (you feel fuller on fewer calories).
• It boosts exercise endurance and keeps motivation up while exercising.
• It displaces all the calorie-loaded sugary beverages that Americans are drinking way too much of.
WATER SERVINGS AT ANY DAILY CALORIE LEVEL:
A minimum of 6 cups (a cup is 8 fluid ounces) per day.
HYDRATION HINTS:
1. Drink plain water. Most tap water in the United States is safe to drink. But if yours isn’t—or if you don’t like the taste—drink filtered (Brita, Pur, etc.) or bottled water. If you’re a sparkling water fan, as I am, it’s probably best to limit it to two of your six daily servings. Too much carbonation can lead to acid reflux in susceptible people. And taking in too much of the stuff may cause tooth enamel erosion, although there aren’t enough studies out to confirm or refute this.
2. Six cups is the daily minimum—more might be necessary if you’re exercising hard or sweating a lot or when the temperature gets hot. Remember, water isn’t your only source of hydration—fruit and vegetables are mostly composed of water, and you get plenty of them on the Pescetarian Plan.
3. Stay hydrated—let your urine be your guide. You know you’re properly hydrated when urine is straw-colored or the color of light lemonade. If it’s darker, that’s often a sign you need more water. If it’s virtually colorless, you might be drinking too much water.
4. Coffee and tea count toward your total beverage intake. Ideally, you’d drink 6 cups of water and coffee and tea on top of that. But if you don’t get in the full 6 cups, you can count coffee and tea toward your total. If you drink caffeinated coffee and tea, have your last cup by about noon so that it doesn’t interfere with sleep. (Personally, I prefer decaf—I find I have more energy when I go off caffeine.)
5. Minimize—or completely avoid—sugary beverages. There are just too many studies linking colas and other soft drinks, fruit juice drinks, punch, sweetened iced tea, and sweet coffee drinks to obesity. If that’s how you want to spend your daily treat calories on occasion (no more than two sodas or other beverages with added sugar a week), it probably won’t hurt you. And I’d avoid diet beverages unless they’re a temporary fix to help you wean off regular ones. The safety of the artificial sweeteners used in these drinks is still unclear.
6. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. See what “moderation” means and other alcohol tips in the “Treats” step on this page.
The seven principles on the preceding pages will help you take in the right amount of food either to drop pounds or to maintain a healthy weight. But calories expended are just as important. So carve out time to exercise. Chapter 9 spells out how many exercise minutes you need for general health and how much is needed for weight loss. Studies show that people do best when they exercise and change their diet at the same time, rather than starting with one and then adding on the other.
* Limit to no more than six ounces six times a month, due to tuna’s mercury content. See “Catches to Reel In, Catches to Toss Back” chart for servings per month of canned albacore and many other types of fish.