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Pescetarianism

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Pescetarianism is the practice of a diet that includes seafood and excludes mammals and birds. In addition to fish or shellfish, a pescetarian diet typically includes some or all of vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, beans, eggs, and dairy.

Terms like "pesco-vegetarianism" are sometimes used to describe pescetarianism[citation needed], to emphasize that pescetarians eat vegetables, fruit, and grains as well as fish. However, this term is controversial and less used[citation needed], in part because it implies that pescetarianism is a type of vegetarianism, and some vegetarian groups do not want to be aligned with people who choose to consume fish. The Vegetarian Society, which initiated popular use of the term vegetarian as early as 1847, does not consider pescetarianism a valid vegetarian diet.[1] The definitions of "vegetarian" in mainstream dictionaries vary.[2]

In July 2008 The Associated Press reported that Merriam-Webster Inc. has added more than 100 new entries to its new edition of the Collegiate Dictionary; one of those words was pescetarian.[3] The definition of the word according to that dictionary is: "vegetarian whose diet includes fish."

Terminology

Pescetarian is a neologism formed as a portmanteau of the Italian word pesce ("fish") and the English word "vegetarian". The Italian word is IPA: [ˈpeʃːe], whilst the English neologism is commonly Template:Pron-en, with a /sk/ sound, thus differing from pronunciations of similar terms in English and Italian. As a result, pronunciation of the word resembles partially classical, as opposed to ecclesiastical, Latin, wherein 'c' is always pronounced /k/.

Pesce in turn derives from the Latin piscis, which has the form pisci- when it serves as a prefix, as it often does in scholarly terms (e.g. "pisciculture" /ˈpɪsɨkʌltʃər/), or "piscivore" /ˈpɪsɨvɔr/). Note that a piscivore eats a diet primarily of fish (a sub-set of carnivores), whereas the neologism "pescetarian" refers to human omnivores who consume both fish-meat and plants.

Rationale

Transition to vegetarianism

For some, becoming either vegan or vegetarian is the overall goal and the pescetarian diet is sometimes seen as an interim in a period of transition from a western pattern diet to a vegan or vegetarian diet.

Health benefits

One of the most commonly cited reasons is that of health, based on findings that red meat is detrimental to health in many cases due to non-lean red meats containing high amounts of saturated fats.[4][5] Furthermore, eating certain kinds of fish raises HDL levels,[6][7] and some fish are a convenient source of omega-3 fatty acids,[8] and have numerous health benefits in one food variety.[9]

It can be claimed conversely that fish also contain toxins such as mercury and PCBs,[10] though a careful selection of fish can ensure a low-risk or toxin-free product.[11][12]

Environmental ethics

Livestock farms can be perceived as an inefficient food source with a negative impact on the environment. Most cattle, pigs and chickens[13] that supply the United States meat market are not free range. Instead, they are fed grains (not grasses) that are grown for the sole purpose of animal feed. The amount of calories in the grain needed to feed a cow, pig, or chicken (to a lesser extent) greatly exceeds the nutritional value of the meat these animals provide. Were this grain to be used for human consumption instead, far more food could be provided.

A 2006 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ("Livestock's Long Shadow") estimates that livestock are responsible for roughly 18 percent of the global warming effect,[14] outstripping even the contribution of transportation. The main greenhouse gases produced by livestock are methane — the natural result of digestion — and nitrous oxides emitted by manure. Furthermore, the deforestation needed for grazing lands also contributes to global warming, by eliminating the CO2 sinks that forests provide.

Comparisons to other diets

Pescetarianism is similar to a traditional Mediterranean diet, which focuses on seafood, grains, fruits, and vegetables. However, the Mediterranean diet does not entirely exclude meat from land animals as pescetarianism does. Since pescetarians do not eat meat from mammals nor birds, they experience many of the same social pressures as vegetarians. This gives the two groups at least one commonality.

List of pescetarians

See also: Category:Pescetarians

This is a list of notable people who are known to be pescetarians or were pescetarians.

References

  1. ^ "Vegetarians do not eat fish!" The "fish campaign" webpage of the Vegetarian Society
  2. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, vol. 2 (6th ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 3506 defines "vegetarian" (noun) as "A person who on principle abstains from animal food; esp. one who avoids meat but will consume dairy produce and eggs and sometimes also fish (cf. VEGAN noun)."
    Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, vol. 2 (5th ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 3511 has the same definition.
  3. ^ "Merriam-Webster unveils new dictionary words""The Associated Press - Stephanie Reitz – Jul 7, 2008"
  4. ^ E Giovannucci, EB Rimm, MJ Stampfer, GA Colditz, A Ascherio and WC Willett, ""Intake of fat, meat, and fiber in relation to risk of colon cancer in men""., Cancer Research 54, 2390-2397, (May 1, 1994)
  5. ^ Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPh and Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPh, ""Types of Dietary Fat and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Critical Review""., Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 20, No. 1, 5-19 (2001)
  6. ^ Paul J Nestel, ""Fish oil and cardiovascular disease: lipids and arterial function""., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71, No. 1, 228S-231S, (January 2000)
  7. ^ Sacks FM, Hebert P, Appel LJ, Borhani NO, Applegate WB, Cohen JD, Cutler JA, Kirchner KA, Kuller LH, Roth KJ, et al., ""Short report: the effect of fish oil on blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels in phase I of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention""., Journal of Hypertension, 209-13, ( Feb 12, 1994)
  8. ^ Frank B. Hu, MD; Leslie Bronner, MD; Walter C. Willett, MD; Meir J. Stampfer, MD; Kathryn M. Rexrode, MD; Christine M. Albert, MD; David Hunter, MD; JoAnn E. Manson, MD, ""Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Women""., JAMA. 2002;287:1815-1821.
  9. ^ Get Hooked on Fish! by Sue Gilbert, MS, Nutritionis
  10. ^ Committee on the Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury, Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology, National Research Council, ""Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury""., ISBN 0-309-07140-2 (2000)
  11. ^ Experts Say Consumers Can Eat Around Toxins In Fish - Science Daily
  12. ^ Mercury: Are Fish safe to eat? by Gloria Tsang R.D.
  13. ^ United Egg Producers, ""United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines"" (PDF)., 2005
  14. ^ Food and Agriculture Organization, ""Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options"" (PDF)., 2006
  15. ^ http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/snippets/issue11/ladytron/
  16. ^ Vivinetto, G., 2000. Chapman giggles; reporter hatches heckling plan. St. Petersburg Times, [internet] 14 September. Available at http://www.sptimes.com/News/091400/Weekend/Chapman_giggles_repor.shtml [Accessed 10 June 2009]
  17. ^ Late Night with Conan O'Brien, 2007. [TV programme] Broadway Video, Conaco, Universal Media Studios, NBC, 27 September 2007.
  18. ^ http://dave.uktv.co.uk/hall-of-fame/daves-mates/alan-davies/
  19. ^ Ready Steady Cook, 2008. [TV programme] BBC2 27 May 2008.
  20. ^ Home Box Office, Inc. ca. 2009. Susie Essman - Susie talks about life on the set and why there are so few female stand-up comics. [Online] (Updated 2009) Available at http://www.hbo.com/larrydavid/interviews/Essman_2.html [Accessed 10 June 2009]
  21. ^ IGN: Death Cab For Cutie, 4 September 2003, accessed 21 March 2009
  22. ^ http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=192
  23. ^ Nieuwenhuis, Marcia (2006-02-16). "Fractievoorzitter van D66 Lousewies van der Laan interviewt stand-up comedian Jan Jaap van der Wal" (in Dutch). lousewiesvanderlaan.nl. Retrieved 2008-04-16. (Original Dutch) V: "Ben je vegetarisch?" A: "Nee, ik ben eigenlijk pescatarisch, een vegetariër die vis eet." (Translation into English) Q: "Are you a vegetarian?" A: "No, actually I am a pescetarian, a vegetarian who eats fish."
  24. ^ Mary Tyler Moore (2001-05-07). (Interview). Interviewed by Larry King http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0507/01/lkl.01.html. Retrieved 2008-03-19. {{cite interview}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |callsign= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |program= ignored (help)
  25. ^ http://vegetarianstar.com/tag/conor-oberst-and-pescetarian/
  26. ^ Watkins, G., 2009. 5-Minute Time Out: Andy Serkis. Babble, [internet] 30 January. Available at http://www.babble.com/Andy-Serkis-The-Inkheart-star-on-being-Gollum-King-Kong-and-a-father-of-three/index2.aspx [Accessed 15 June 2009]
  27. ^ Renaud, J., 2009. Andy Serkis. Geek Monthly, [internet] 7 January. Available at http://geekmonthly.com/blog/?p=188 [Accessed 15 June 2009]
  28. ^ http://www.staugustine.com/stories/040201/new_04020100011.shtml
  29. ^ "Hayley Westenra – 'I'm a tough chick'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
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