A study places salmon, sardines and anchovies among the most beneficial types of fish due to their high protein content. Grilled, boiled or steamed, fish is nutritionally far more highly recommended than meat. In fact, there's little that can trump it.
For one, seafood is generally lower in calories and saturated fat than red meat. It's also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are linked to heart health. Red meat, on the other hand, is a good source of protein and iron. It also contains vitamin B, which is essential for energy production.
While they are both excellent sources of protein and add to your nutrient profile, the benefits of fish tend to be slightly higher than chicken, especially when it comes to the Omega-3 content in it.
If you're not ready to take the plunge into a fully plant-based diet, or if you're restricted from doing so for health reasons, substituting meat with fish could be an ideal compromise. There are plenty of reasons why you might want to consider pescetarianism, i.e. relying on fish and seafood as a source of protein.
Both fish and meat, such as beef, pork, and chicken can provide healthy nutrition, while poultry and fish are the best sources of protein and iron. Both have their place in a healthy diet. However, cutting down on red meat and increasing your fish consumption may vastly improve your health.
A diet that puts an emphasis on plant-based foods, fish, and seafood may provide health benefits. Fish, like meat, is a good source of protein. Yet, unlike red meat, it's low in saturated fat and often rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, abstinence laws say meat is considered something that comes only from animals that live on land, like chicken, cows, sheep or pigs. Fish are considered a different category of animal.
Fish is low in saturated fat and rich in other nutrients. Fish is also a source of complete proteins, so you don't have to combine proteins to get the nutrients you need, but you will want to incorporate other healthy foods such as grains, vegetables, and legumes into your meals.
The Cancer Council advises that meat eaters should limit red meat to three or four times a week (no more than 700g raw weight per week) and choose fish, chicken and legumes on other days. Processed meats should be cut out or minimised. Then, of course, there's our heart health.
Finally, health experts say to stay away from processed meats, which are generally considered to be unhealthy. These include any meat that has been smoked, salted, cured, dried, or canned. Compared to fresh meat, processed meats are high in sodium and can have double the amount of nitrates.
“For most individuals it's fine to eat fish every day,” says Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, in an August 30, 2015 article on Today.com, adding that “it's certainly better to eat fish every day than to eat beef every day.”
Best cuts: Sirloin tip side steak, eye of round roast, top round steak and bottom round steak. Worst cuts: T-bone steak, rib-eye steak, filet mignon and porterhouse steak. Best cuts: Breast. Worst cuts: Thigh, wing, drumstick and leg.
Lamb and beef have similar calories, total fat, protein, vitamin, and mineral content—but lamb (especially grass-fed lamb) is the winner when it comes to omega-3 fat content. Grass-fed lamb also has higher quantities of the healthy fat CLA, which is beneficial for cognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic health.
Avocado has a wide range of culinary uses and can be enjoyed by anyone following a plant-based diet. The versatile green fruit is a great cooking substitute for animal products, such as meat or traditional spreads, for anyone on the plant-based diet.
In fact, according to one study, pescatarians live longer than people who consume red meat and poultry.
Why might some vegetarians eat fish or seafood? Although plant-based diets have a lot of nutritional benefits, they can result in nutrient deficiencies due to the lack of meat and animal products. Including some fish or seafood allows some vegetarians to obtain protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin B12.
It simply meant abstaining from eating the flesh of warm-blooded animals—since the thinking goes, Jesus was a warm-blooded animal. Fish, though, which are cold blooded were considered okay to eat on fasting days. Hence, Fish on Fridays and “Fish Friday” (among many other religious holidays) was born.
This includes the meat from chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and other forms of livestock — any animal, really, that makes its home on land. This also includes birds. However, because fish make their home in the water, the Catholic Church does not consider fish a meat.
Eggs, though from chickens, are not the flesh of an animal. They are still an animal source of protein and thus a complete protein, but aren't actually meat.