can vegetarian eat fish

The Blurry Line Between Vegetarian and Pescatarian Diets Can Vegetarians Really Eat Fish?

The rising popularity of plant-based and vegetarian eating has created more dietary gray areas One source of confusion is whether vegetarians can eat fish or if doing so automatically makes you a pescatarian In this article, we’ll clarify the pescatarian vs. vegetarian distinction, reasons vegetarians may bend the rules to eat seafood, and argue why vegetarians should ultimately avoid fish.

Defining Vegetarian vs. Pescatarian Diets

First, let’s define the key differences between vegetarian and pescatarian diets:

• Vegetarians do not eat any animal flesh, including beef, poultry, pork or seafood. Dairy, eggs and honey are permitted for lacto-ovo vegetarians. Vegans exclude all animal products.

• Pescatarians follow a mostly vegetarian diet but also eat fish and shellfish. They abstain from other meats like chicken, lamb and beef.

So technically, if you eat any fish as a vegetarian, even occasionally, you are technically no longer following a vegetarian diet, but rather a pescatarian diet. However, some vegetarians may occasionally eat seafood but still self-identify as vegetarian. This gray area causes confusion around what vegetarians can and cannot eat.

Why Do Some Vegetarians Eat Fish?

There are a few motivations that may lead a vegetarian to incorporate fish and seafood in their otherwise plant-based diet:

• Dietary Variety – Eating fish adds more high-quality protein options. Oily fish provide omega-3s not readily found in plants.

• Nutrition – Fish supply protein, zinc, vitamin B12 and other nutrients that can be low on strict plant-based diets.

• Flexibility – When dining out or traveling, fish dishes expand meal choices.

• Health Benefits – Fish consumption is linked to reduced heart disease, inflammation and other chronic diseases.

• Gradual Transition – Slowly adding in fish can be a stepping stone for meat eaters new to vegetarianism.

Reasons Vegetarians Should Avoid Fish

Despite the perceived benefits above, there are compelling arguments for vegetarians to completely avoid fish and seafood:

• Animal Welfare – Fishing practices cause immense suffering such as live gutting, decompression, suffocation and more.

• Environmental Harm – Overfishing is decimating ocean ecosystems and driving extinction of marine species.

• Toxins & Pollutants – Fish bioaccumulate heavy metals like mercury and other ocean pollutants.

• Guidelines & Integrity – Most definitions of vegetarianism exclude fish. Eating fish undermines the ethics behind vegetarian diets.

• Health Risks – The omega-3 benefits of fish may not outweigh the potential harm from toxins and contaminants they contain.

Vegetarianism is a philosophy of doing the least harm possible. When you consider the science, there is a strong argument that consuming fish and seafood as a vegetarian violates this philosophy in several ways.

What Foods Can Vegetarians Eat?

Okay, no fish allowed. But what can vegetarians eat to meet all of their nutritional needs? A well-planned vegetarian diet should include:

• Protein sources – beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, soy products like tofu and tempeh

• Healthy fats – avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil

• Vitamin B12 – fortified plant milks and breakfast cereals

• Iron – lentils, chickpeas, cashews, fortified whole grain cereals

• Calcium – leafy greens, fortified plant milks and juices, calcium-set tofu

• Zinc – pumpkin seeds, cashews, chickpeas

• Omega-3s – walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, omega-3 fortified eggs

With some guidance, you can get all of your essential micronutrients from plant sources or fortified vegetarian foods without the need to eat fish.

Types of Vegetarians

There are several forms of vegetarian diets to know:

• Lacto-ovo – no meat but allows eggs and dairy
• Lacto – no meat or eggs but allows dairy
• Ovo – no meat or dairy but allows eggs
• Vegan – excludes all animal products including honey
• Flexitarian – mostly vegetarian but occasionally eats meat

Pescatarians are not considered true vegetarians since they do consume fish. Be aware of these diet definitions when dining out or talking with other vegetarians.

Closing Thoughts

Can vegetarians eat fish? Technically, no – doing so strays into pescatarian territory. However, some vegetarians may occasionally eat seafood while still self-identifying this way. Ultimately, for ethical, health and environmental reasons, vegetarians are better off sticking to entirely plant-based whole foods.

Frequency of Entities:
vegetarian – 28
fish – 27
eat – 18
seafood – 10
diet – 9
pescatarian – 9
animal – 7
plant-based – 6
meat – 5
dairy – 4
eggs – 4
nutrition – 4
health – 3
environmental – 3
variety – 2
flexibility – 2