Whenever you change up your diet, be prepared for some challenges.  It’s hard to make new habits and break old ones, and it’s certainly difficult to make changes when our culture makes it so easy to do the opposite.  We’ve talked to so many people who are trying to make the shift over to the pescatarian lifestyle and we thought we’d share a few tips.

First off, what IS a pescatarian?

Before you jump in with both feet, make sure you know what you’re getting into.  A pescatarian is someone who eats fish and seafood, but no other meat.  The diet is very similar to a vegetarian’s diet and is full of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and dairy, but also includes seafood and fish.

Tips To Incorporating A Pescatarian Lifestyle

1. Commit to cutting the meat.  Pescatarians follow a plant-based diet, and while you have some protein coming from meat, you do need to get in the mindset that plants will provide many of your nutrients.  The more you can focus on this, the less reliant you are on the fish and seafood to simply replace red meat.
2. Plan your diet.  Simply saying you’ll be a pescatarian will rarely ever work.  You need to think through what foods will supply your body with necessary nutrients.  Often writing this out at the beginning will help you identify what foods you need to focus on throughout the day and week.
3. Research.  There are tons of great resources for pescatarians including cookbooks, food blogs, and other articles.  Go research these so that you have a ton of ideas to get you started and into a good habit with your new diet.
4. Find other pescatarians.  Go seek out friends, co-workers, or even Facebook Groups where other like-minded folks are so that you have people to go shopping with, eat out with, or just chat with to get ideas and stay committed.
5. Talk to your family.  If you live (and eat) with one or more close family members on a daily basis, you’ll want to talk to them about your new diet and how it can work with their eating habits too.  Invite them to join you, or find some common ground so that your new habits don’t feel foreign to them.
6. Be prepared.  The best way to stay on track with a new diet is to be prepared.  This includes stocking your fridge each week, buying frozen foods, and blocking out time to make meals.  Services like ours are a great addition to help you get started because you can get fresh seafood and fish literally to your door on a regular basis, making it easy to stay on track with your new pescatarian lifestyle.
7. Celebrate!  Instagram is a great place to celebrate a recipe victory or your first 30 days in a new pescatarian lifestyle.  Just don’t forget to tag us (@oceanboxofficial) so we can see what yummy things you whip up.

Whether you’re going all in with a pescatarian lifestyle, of you simply want to incorporate more fish and seafood into your regular diet, these tips can help you get going in a new direction!

OceanBox monthly subscription services are ideal for busy people who want to live a healthier (and tastier!) lifestyle.  We ship fresh fish and seafood straight to your door.  Check out our subscription services today. LINK