Eat fish and you’ll protect your heart, plus you’ll stay smarter and happier and—no joke—have a better sex life. Go vegetarian and you’ll be thinner, dramatically reduce your risk of developing heart disease and cancer, and live longer. But why not have it all? You can! Just combine the two eating styles and become a pescetarian; it’s a vegetarian diet with the addition of seafood (the word pescetarian comes from pesce, the Italian word for fish). It’s a delicious, easy, and fun way of eating.
I realize that I just made a bunch of outrageous-sounding claims, like “thinner,” “happier,” “better sex life.” And to be fair, I can’t know exactly how your particular body will react to a pescetarian diet. But as a dietitian who has spent a career examining every imaginable type of diet, I can tell you that the case for pescetarianism is incredibly strong. The research does support my claims, as I’ll show you later on in the book. In fact, it’s so compelling that I can’t find another type of diet that can touch it.
While pescetarianism isn’t yet a household word, I predict it will be soon; it might be new to Americans, but it has a long track record. Just look around the world at people who live the longest and—more important—the healthiest. Their diets are pescetarian (or nearly so). For instance, pescetarianism is the backbone of two of the world’s healthiest ways of eating: the traditional Mediterranean and Japanese diets. For The Pescetarian Plan I chose the Mediterranean approach, because that’s the food I grew up on.
Scientists have picked apart these traditional diets and figured out what makes them tick: lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, not too much sugar, and seafood. And fish alone—especially fatty fish like salmon, trout, and sardines—is proving indispensable to our health. It provides the omega-3 fats our bodies need but that have nearly disappeared in the American diet. Starved of these important fats, we’re more prone to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, and Alzheimer’s.
Meanwhile, red meat promotes those very diseases that fish helps protect us from. And poultry has its own issues such as salmonella and the unethical treatment of chickens. The Pescetarian Plan contains all the slimming, health-promoting elements of the traditional diets, without red meat and poultry. Your body will never have it so good!
Okay, you might be thinking, fish used to be healthy. But isn’t it now full of mercury and other contaminants? Plus, what about the environmental issues? Overfishing has drastically diminished the world’s supply of fish. And some fish farms leave too heavy an environmental footprint.
All true, but fortunately, if you choose carefully, you can put seafood that’s clean, delicious, and “green” on your plate. And there’s more good news: Governments, nonprofits, and industry are working on laws that protect the oceans, and there has already been some progress made. In chapters 10 and 11 I’ll direct you to the best catches and inform you of ways that you can help save the oceans.
It’s been called “The Island Where People Forget to Die,” the small Greek island of Ikaria, and as you might imagine, it’s a great place to live. Men here are four times as likely to hit the age of 90 as American men—and in good health to boot. Depression is virtually nonexistent among elderly men and women, and their brains stay sharp, with just a quarter the rate of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia as in the United States.
What are they doing right? Well, their diet, for one. It’s a diet very similar to the one you are holding in your hands! It’s the traditional Mediterranean diet, the one that first piqued researchers’ attention in the 1950s and 1960s, when they found that people on the Greek island of Crete were living longer, healthier lives.
But the Pescetarian Plan isn’t just a Mediterranean diet—it’s the healthiest interpretation of this diet. I say “interpretation” because there is not one Mediterranean diet. People in Spain, Greece, southern Italy, Lebanon, the South of France, and other countries along the Mediterranean serve up different cuisines. But what is the same: a core eating pattern that’s mainly plant-based with fish as the primary animal protein and olive oil and nuts as the main fat sources, with wine accompanying the meals.
Put down that passport! You don’t have to live in Greece or any other Mediterranean country to reap the benefits of this kind of diet. You simply have to adhere to the basic principles I’ve outlined in Chapter 5. In fact, researchers have developed a “Mediterranean Diet Score” to rate the “Mediterranean-ness” of their subjects’ diets. What they found: The closer that people adhere to a traditional Mediterranean diet, the less likely they are to develop heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, dementia, depression, and other chronic conditions.
Notice I keep saying “traditional Mediterranean diet”? If you’ve been to Greece, Spain, or other Mediterranean countries lately, you probably know that the diets of many of these people can no longer be described as “traditional.” Instead, they’re rife with fast food and junk food, (although still not as bad as the typical American’s diet). And of course, these countries have increasing rates of overweight and obesity to show for it. That ultra-healthy Mediterranean diet that I’m referring to is the one of their parents, their grandparents, and generations further back.
The Pescetarian Plan has one-upped all other versions of the Mediterranean diet because it:
• Eliminates red meat and poultry (which, admittedly, were scarce to begin with on this diet);
• Uses the “cleanest” (low in contaminants) and most environmentally sustainable types of seafood;
• Includes a weight-loss component for those who need to lose weight, with clear portion guidance (chapters 5 and 6);
• Features true superfoods (ultra-nutrient-packed foods), whether they’re traditionally eaten along the Mediterranean or not. For example, although sweet potatoes aren’t traditional in Mediterranean countries, I’ve included them in this Pescetarian Plan because they’re loaded with virtually every vitamin and mineral—not to mention phytonutrients. They’re a serious superfood.
As an American kid growing up in Mediterranean countries (my father was in the Foreign Service), I ate lots of fish, fruits, and vegetables. My brother and I loved the food, but boy, did we play the martyrs. We whined about missing out on McDonald’s, Twinkies, bologna sandwiches, and the like. But a funny thing happened when we spent those occasional summers back in the States: Junk food didn’t taste very good.
Something else I noticed on those summers: Americans didn’t seem as healthy as the Greeks, Lebanese, and Italians in our adopted countries. People in the United States were a lot heavier. My grandmother’s friends were often homebound or in nursing homes. They weren’t out farming, tending shops, running households, and walking from one village to the next like the elderly people I grew up with.
Now, as a nutritionist, I know why: The American diet was—and is even more so today—killing people. And the Mediterranean diet I grew up with has been proven to be extraordinarily healthy. In these pages, I’ve made it even healthier, by rooting out meat and poultry. It’s the way I eat. Do I miss these foods? Truthfully—not at all. And on rare occasions I’ll eat them (if I’m invited to someone’s house for dinner and that’s what’s served, for instance). That’s another thing you’ll find about this diet—it’s sane. You can adapt it to your budget and lifestyle, and you don’t have to be rude at dinner parties!
You’ll notice, in this book, that I stick with the science. That’s always been my M.O. It’s why my clients trust me—and get frustrated when I tell them to toss their wacky and dangerous weight loss supplements! It’s why my editors trust me—I’m a contributing editor at Self magazine and have written hundreds of nutrition articles for many other popular publications. As the lead dietitian for TheBestLife.com—diet and fitness site of Bob Greene, Oprah’s trainer—I make sure our hundreds of articles and blogs are firmly rooted in research. In books I’ve written with Bob and those I’ve done on my own, science rules. On Sharecare.com, a vetted search engine for health information headed by Dr. Mehmet Oz and Jeff Arnold (founder of WebMD), I not only answer questions but also serve on the board to help keep the nutrition information as accurate as possible.
So my pescetarianism springs from many sources: the diet I grew up on, the science I adhere to, and the way it makes me look and feel. It feels good to be healthy!
You can put any kind of culinary twist on this plan, as long as you’re eating according to the healthy basics outlined below. For example, my uncle Sami Jibrin’s diet is quintessentially Mediterranean (and mostly pescetarian) while incorporating cuisines from three countries: Syria (where he grew up), Brazil (where he’s lived most of his adult life), and the United States (where he visits yearly).
I’m convinced that this way of eating has played a big hand in his extraordinary mental and physical health. Well into his eighties he’s still in charge of his successful business and a prolific poet to boot! Here’s a typical day for him (cooking courtesy of his wife, Najla, an inventive, health-oriented cook):
BREAKFAST
Oatmeal with tropical fruit
LUNCH
Fish broiled with lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil
Collard greens sautéed in olive oil, onions, and garlic
Bulgur wheat with pine nuts
Plain yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber, garlic, and mint
Cup of Arabic coffee
SNACK
Pistachios with herbal tea
DINNER
Lentil and rice pilaf topped with caramelized onions (an Arab dish called mujaddara)
Plain yogurt topped with green olives drizzled with olive oil
Green salad with tomatoes, chopped parsley and scallions, dressed in olive oil and lemon juice
A glass of wine
Grapes
I didn’t just want to hand you the world’s healthiest diet; I wanted it to taste really good. As good as the Greek, Lebanese, and Italian food of my childhood. As good as it does when I go to my friend Sidra Forman’s house.
So I was beyond thrilled when Sidra—a well-known chef here in Washington, D.C.—agreed to design the hundred-plus recipes in this book. What was also a thrill: Going to her kitchen and tasting every single one of them! As you’ll find out, she manages the near impossible: healthy recipes that taste like food you really want to eat—not “diet food”—and are easy to make. (Most recipes take less than 25 minutes to make and average only eight ingredients including salt and pepper.) All this comes naturally to her because she’s never been one to rely on cream, fatty meats, and loads of sodium. She knows how to let good ingredients do the talking.
If burgers and fries are your mainstays, you might be wondering if you can handle giving up meat and eating more vegetables. Or maybe you’re eating fairly healthfully, but cooking fish intimidates you. (Best-kept secret: Fish is a lot easier to cook than poultry or meat!) Here are some common questions I’m asked about the Pescetarian Plan. I’m hoping my answers will assure you that this way of eating is very doable.
• Can I lose weight on this plan? Absolutely—in fact, lots of it, if you need to. There is no magic diet that will melt pounds and keep them off. But I can tell you that this pescetarian way of eating is easier to sustain over the long run than a low-fat or low-carb diet. It has been successful with many of my clients, and there’s some strong research backing this.
• Can I have chicken, beef, pork, lamb, or other animal meats on this diet? Sure. But try not to. I’m leaving them out, because my goal is to present the hands-down healthiest way of eating. If you want to eat these foods on occasion, go ahead. Burger lovers, you can still have your fun! Soy and pea-protein-based burgers (and other meat substitutes) have improved dramatically. They’re so good, they’ve fooled chefs, especially once they’re in a bun with lettuce, tomato, and the fixins.
• Why are chicken, turkey, beef, pork, duck, and lamb bad for you? Red meat of any type is linked to higher rates of heart disease, cancer, and premature death (details in Chapter 4). As for poultry, there are both nutritional and ethical issues. If you eat the skin, you’re getting a mouthful of artery-clogging saturated fat. And low-fat turkey and chicken deli meats are loaded with sodium, and cancer-causing nitrites. True, cooking your own skinless poultry from scratch without salt makes for a nutritious protein (although not nearly as healthy as omega-3-rich fish). But personally, I have a hard time eating chicken because of the cruel, overcrowded conditions in which they’re raised. Plus, when I used to cook with chicken, I was always worried about salmonella contamination.
• Is sugar in or out on this plan? It’s in—but in moderation, as eaten in long-lived cultures like those along the Mediterranean Sea.
• I have food allergies/intolerances—can I still follow this plan? If you’re allergic to all seafood, then I suggest you buy another book! If you can eat fish but are allergic to shellfish (or vice versa), hold on to this book—you can still follow the plan. If you can’t eat gluten, soy, nuts, or dairy, you’ll be fine here. There are plenty of recipes that exclude these foods, and for recipes that don’t, you can easily make substitutions. Nuts are a core element of the plan, but if you’re allergic to them, I’ll give you a work-around.
• How much time will I have to spend in the kitchen? About two to five minutes for breakfast; somewhere between 5 and 30 minutes for most other meals. The recipes in the back of this book (which I hope you try—they’re delicious) take, on average, 25 minutes to make from start to finish and contain an average of just eight ingredients—including salt and pepper!
• Do I have to eat seafood every day? Not at all! You can go vegetarian on Monday, have some shrimp on Tuesday, and go vegan on Wednesday. As long as your diet roughly follows the “Seven Pescetarian Principles”—basically how many fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and other foods to eat—you can be very flexible about what goes on your plate.
• Isn’t seafood expensive? It can be, but I’ll steer you to the less pricy picks. And the very inexpensive foods on this plan will balance out any extra dollars spent on seafood. For instance, you’ll be eating vegetarian protein, like black beans, kidney beans, and tofu, all of which are cheap. And if you start preparing more meals at home—there are some really great choices in this book—you’ll save a bundle over eating out. Many of these meals are cheaper than fast food! See “Pescetarianism on a Budget” in Chapter 8 for meals as low as $1.27.
• Will my family enjoy this plan? Absolutely! Even picky eaters (small and grown-up) will find lots to love on this plan. Once your kids get a load of the Tilapia Fish Sticks, they might not ask for frozen fish sticks anymore. Potato and Celery Root Mashed with Basil make a wonderfully comforting side dish. Haddock Tacos and Cornmeal Crusted Catfish with Cucumbers are other familiar favorites, but with a healthier twist. And no one at the family dinner table is going to turn down Chocolate Cupcakes with Mint Glaze, Sesame Coconut Cookies, or any of the other desserts!
• I don’t live anywhere near water. Can I still do this diet? Definitely—you just need a discerning eye (and nose) to ensure that the “fresh” seafood is actually just that. (See chapter 12 for tips.) If you live in a part of the country where seafood arrives from long distances or it’s just not that popular (so there’s slow turnover in the supermarket), quality is likely to suffer. Fortunately, frozen fish and shrimp can be delicious, especially if prepared with seasonings or as part of a pasta or vegetable dish (as opposed to simply grilling with a little salt and pepper). Tasty and easy-to-follow seafood recipes start here.
Becoming a pescetarian will be a fun ride, especially if you’re a food lover like I am. I enjoy food too much to stand for restrictive fad diets, like a high-protein diet, a cookie diet (it might not sound so bad, but by day three you never want to look at another cookie), crazy juice fasts, and the like. I indulge in a glass of wine or a beer on occasion. (I’ll tell you all about the pros and cons—mostly pros, fortunately—of alcohol in this book.) I like going out to eat, and I certainly don’t want to worry that nothing on the menu fits my diet! A pescetarian diet works in real life while it’s working its magic on your body. You’ll see.