Pescetarianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism

Pescetarianism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pescatarianism /psktrinzm/ (also

spelled pescetarianism)[1] is the practice of
following a diet that includes sh or other
seafood, but not the esh of other animals. Most
pescatarians maintain a lacto-ovo vegetarian
diet with the addition of sh and shellsh.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 Rationale
2.1 Ethics
2.2 Health considerations
3 Abstinence in religion
3.1 Judaism
3.2 Roman Catholicism
3.3 Orthodox Christian and
Byzantine Catholic usages
3.4 Hinduism
4 Comparisons to other diets
5 List of notable pescatarians
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Japanese nigiri-sushi. Many

cultures oer pescatarianfriendly cuisine.

Etymology
"Pescatarian" is a neologism formed as a portmanteau of the Spanish and
Portuguese word pescado ("sh as food") and the English word "vegetarian". The
alternative spelling, "pescetarian", is inuenced by the Italian word pesce ("sh").
The English pronunciation of both "pescatarian" and "pescetarian" is
/psktrin/, with the same [sk] sound present in pescado (Spanish:[peskao];
Brazilian Portuguese:[peskad]), but not in pesce (Italian:[pee]).

Pescado derives from piscatus, the perfect passive participle of the Latin verb
piscare ("to sh"), which is directly related to the noun piscis ("sh").[1] Hence,
the combining form "pisci-"' is used for terms that refer to sh, which are
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oftentimes scholarly in nature (e.g. "pisciculture", "piscivore"). A piscivore, a type

of carnivore, subsists on a diet primarily of sh, whereas a pescatarian eats plant
derivatives as well as sh. A similar term for the latter is "vegequarian".
The Merriam-Webster dictionary dates the origin of the term pescatarian to 1993
and denes it as: "one whose diet includes sh but no other meat". [2]

Rationale
Ethics
Similarly to vegetarians, some pescatarians adopt the diet on the basis of ethics,
since it is believed by some scientists and others that sh do not feel pain, at least
in a way that is directly comparable to pain perception in humans or other
animals, often citing the lack of the underlying neural structures in sh,
behavioral evidence, or evolutionary considerations. However, the capacity of sh
to experience pain in a similar way to other animals remains a highly
controversial scientic question, without a clear consensus.
Other pescatarians might regard their diet as a transition to vegetarianism, an
ethical compromise, or a practical necessity to obtain nutrients absent or not
easily found in plants.[3]

Health considerations
One commonly cited reason is that of health, based on ndings that red meat is
detrimental to health in many cases due to non-lean red meats containing high
amounts of saturated fats,[4][5] choline and carnitine.[6] Eating certain kinds of
sh raises HDL levels,[7][8] and some sh are a convenient source of omega-3
fatty acids,[9] and have numerous health benets in one food variety.[10] A 1999
meta-analysis of ve studies comparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian mortality
rates in Western countries found that in comparison with regular meat-eaters,
mortality from ischemic heart disease was 34% lower in pescatarians, 34% lower
in ovo-lacto vegetarians, 26% lower in vegans and 20% lower in occasional
meat-eaters.[11]
Concerns have been raised about consuming some sh varieties containing toxins
such as mercury and PCBs,[12] though it is possible to select sh that contain little
or no mercury and moderate the consumption of mercury-containing sh.[13][14]

Abstinence in religion
Judaism

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Pescatarianism (provided the sh is ruled kosher i.e., sh with ns and scales,

and usually caught without bloodshed) conforms to Jewish dietary laws, as kosher
sh is "parve" neither 'milk' nor 'meat'. In Sephardic Jewish homes, sh is never
served with foods made with milk products. All non-sh seafood is not-Kosher.
A member of the Liberal Judaism synagogue in Manchester founded The
Pescetarian Society in 2015 [15] to represent the interests of pescatarianism.

Roman Catholicism
Adhering to a diet closely resembling pescatarianism is a form of penance among
Roman Catholics. Such an approach is mandatory of Catholics on all Fridays of
the year, except in places such as the United States of America, where the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops made the practice optional but
recommended. It is still mandatory on Ash Wednesday and every Friday during
Lent, and some Traditionalist Catholics choose to abstain from meat during the
entire 40-day Lenten season, as was common practice in earlier times. [16]

Orthodox Christian and Byzantine Catholic usages

Eastern Orthodox Christians consume a variation of a pescatarian diet (allowing
shellsh and mollusks without sh directly) on Wednesdays and Fridays
throughout the year, as well as during Great Lent and the Nativity Fast[17] (which
in fact allows sh many days of the fast) and certain other fasting periods. [18]
Western Rite Orthodox are slightly more lax, requiring a stricter fasting period
(single meal per day) but allowing a typical pescatarian diet as cited above. [19]
During fasting periods, dairy (whether eggs or milk-based product) is prohibited.
In general, an Orthodox Christian diet uses a variation on pescatarianism
approximately half the liturgical year.[20] These usages are described in the
Typikon, or Ustav, of each local Orthodox Church.
By contrast, Byzantine Rite Catholic Churches such as the Ruthenian Catholic
Church have a set minimum of requirements for fasting, which includes eating
sh, and an ideal fast described in Eastern Canon Law as permitting only
shellsh, but not sh or other meat.[21] Fasting periods vary widely; some
churches, such as the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, have abbreviated the fast
to start on December 10, following the Feast of the Conception by Saint Anne,
reducing the fast to 15 days.[22] The Melkite Greek Catholic Church permits meat
on Saturdays, Sundays, and certain feasts, all of which are not treated as fast
days. The Melkite Church describes three levels of fasting: The Law "That which
is required", The Tradition "That which the devout follow", and Customary
Compromises.[23]
In general, Eastern Christian (whether Orthodox or Catholic) monks eat no meat,
but outside the aforementioned fasting periods, will consume dairy (except
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Wednesdays and Fridays, and in some cases Mondays).

Hinduism
By tradition, most Hindu Brahmin communities follow a strict lacto-vegetarian
diet. However, there are a number of Brahmin sub-groups that allow sh eating.
These include the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community from Coastal SouthWestern India.[24] This community regards seafood in general as vegetables from
the sea. They refrain from eating any land based animals. Other Hindu
communities who consume seafood in great quantity are the Maithili Brahmin and
the Bengali Brahmin.[25] The latter also eat meat on special occasions.

Comparisons to other diets

Pescatarianism is similar to many traditional diets emphasizing sh as well as
fruits, vegetables and grains. Many coastal populations tend to eat this way and
these features characterize the traditional Mediterranean diet and the diets of
many parts of Asia, Northern Europe, and the Caribbean. These traditional diets
tend to also include meat although it is peripheral. In common with some
vegetarians, pescatarians often eat eggs and/or dairy products, in addition to
fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
Pescatarians are sometimes described as vegetarian or pesco-vegetarian, but
vegetarians commonly do not consider the pescatarian diet to be vegetarian. For
example, the Vegetarian Society, which initiated popular use of the term
vegetarian as early as 1847, does not consider pescatarianism to be a vegetarian
diet.[26] The denitions of vegetarian in mainstream dictionaries sometimes
include sh in the diet.[27] The Pescetarian Society evolved separately from The
Vegetarian Society to better represent the lifestyle and interests of pescovegetarians.[15]

List of notable pescatarians

Nicole
Anderson[28]
Mira
Aroyo[29]
Brigitte
Bardot[30]
Rowan
Blanchard[31]
Kari Byron[32]

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Tracy
Chapman[33]
Parvesh
Cheena[34]
Common[35]
Misty
Copeland[36]
Billy
Corgan[37]

Fearne
Cotton[38]
Chuck D[39]
Ted
Danson[40]
Alan
Davies[41][42]
Sierra
Deaton[43]

Nick
Diaz[44][45]
Wendy van
Dijk[46]
David
Duchovny[47]
Susie
Essman[48]
Johnny
Galecki[49][50]

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Ben
Gibbard[51]
Michael
Hora[52]
Lee Hyori[53]
Steve Jobs[54]
Mark
Kermode[55]
Daniel
Kessler[56]
Alex
Kinsey[43]
Kristin
Kreuk[57]

Lousewies
van der
Laan[58]
Harvey
Levin[59]
Wendie
Malick[60]
Alyssa
Milano[61]
Dannii
Minogue[62]
Mary Tyler
Moore[63]
Cam
Newton[64]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism

Conor
Oberst[65]
Amanda
Palmer[66]
CM Punk[67]
Grigory
Rasputin[68]
A$AP
Rocky[69]
Henry
Rollins[70]
Olesya
Rulin[71]
Andy
Serkis[72][73]

Queen Sofa
of Spain[74]
Tom
Scharpling[75]
Hal
Sparks[76]
Howard
Stern[77]
Ben Stiller[78]
Sonny
Strait[79]
Hayley
Westenra[80]

See also
Semi-vegetarianism other forms of semi-vegetarianism that include
occasional meat consumption
Legal Sea Foods Boston, Massachusetts-based network of seafood
restaurants that uses the "pescatarian" term in their TV advertising

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External links
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What is a pescatarian?
Look up
(http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary
pescetarian in
/g/Pescatarian.htm)
Wiktionary, the free
pescatarian Life (http://pescetarianlife.com)
dictionary.
Type of Vegetarian Diet, Body Weight, and
Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes (http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content
/32/5/791.full)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pescetarianism&
oldid=728721519"
Categories: Semi-vegetarianism Diets Seafood
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