Reasons for Changing

• A vegetarian may decide to adopt a pescatarian diet because he finds not consuming any animal protein too difficult. For ethical reasons related to the breeding and slaughtering processes, he may prefer not to eat beef, chicken or pork. Some vegetarians switch to pescatarianism because they want the health benefits of protein without the added saturated fat found in beef and pork. They also benefit from the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.
  
  

Benefits

• While vegetarians can get adequate protein in their diet from plant sources, the iron and protein supplies by plants are not as well absorbed by the body as those from animal sources. Eating fish high in essential omega-3 fatty acids also helps lower cholesterol and may help prevent heart disease. Iron from fish and other animals, called heme iron, is better absorbed than nonheme iron from plants. Your body absorbs between 15 and 35 percent of heme iron compared to 2 to 20 percent of nonheme iron, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. This difference is important if you have low levels of iron in your red blood cells, called iron-deficiency anemia.
  
  

Risks

• Fish contain mercury and other contaminants that enter the lakes, rivers and oceans as a result of industrial pollution. Certain fish populations, including swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish, are more likely to be contaminated with mercury and other pollutants, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Pregnant women and small children are particularly susceptible to the effects of mercury in fish and should limit their intake to 12 ounces of seafood per week and choose fish lower in mercury, such as salmon, canned light tuna, shrimp and pollock.
  
  

Considerations

• The choice to add seafood to your diet rather than follow a vegetarian diet is a personal one, but talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of each type of eating plan. Even if you're not pregnant, limiting your intake of high-mercury fish and favoring those fish with low mercury levels is a good idea.