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8 cans of tuna, AKA How to do Pescatarian Keto by Joy Sypher



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8 cans of tuna, AKA How to do Pescatarian Keto

Anyone who follows my social media knows I feed a big family.

There are 7 of us and most are on a different eating plan. I was happy at the beginning of the year when the whole family started eating keto with me. Meal planning was fast and easy and we rarely had leftovers.

Two weeks ago, the former pescatarian mentioned "I don't think I can eat meat anymore, it's hurting my stomach". This has been an issue in the past and wasn't a huge surprise. They want to stay keto but didn't know how to do a keto version of a pescatarian diet.

What is Pescatarian?

Simply, it's vegetarian way of eating with fish as an additional protein source. Pescatarian Keto is an optional eating plan and fits well with half the family, the other half won't touch fish or seafood.

What does Pescatarian Keto look like?

It would be easy to just share our standard list of keto foods and say "Just don't eat meat" but it is a little more involved. With fish as a protein source for 2-3 meals a day can lead to appetite fatigue. Alternate protein sources can be higher in carbs. What to eat becomes a daily struggle and many may give up. My hope is that you find a few tips and tricks in this blog to utilize in your way of eating.

First tip, eggs are your friend. Don't be afraid to eat eggs. They are full of vitamins like selenium, choline, and vitamin D. They are a complete protein source containing all 9 essential amino acids. Each egg has 6.5g of protein and 6.5g of fat, with over 4g of that fat as unsaturated. Egg Nutrition 101.

One great tip is to whisk raw eggs in a bowl and gently pour into a medium hot skillet with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Continue to stir the eggs, pulling the butter into the egg mixture until no longer wet, or to desired doneness. The butter adds to the creaminess and tenderness of the eggs.

I shared the recipe for cauliflower Mac and Cheese in last week's blog. If you look closely at the pictures of the gooey creamy strings of cheese you see my GreenPan on the back burner. This is the best skillet I've ever used for eggs. You get the non-stick properties of Teflon but without the forever chemicals. Eggs slide right out on my GreenPans.

Look for protein sources from dairy like whey. Cheese does contain some carbs. The softer the cheese, the higher the carbs. Hard cheeses like parmesan have 0.2g of carbs in 1 tbsp. Hard cheeses also have a stronger flavor and we tend to use lesser amounts in our cooking.

One go to snack idea we all eat is to bake a variety of cheese slices until crisp and eat as crackers. While this is a fast and easy snack, I also buy the precooked cheese crisps. The grandson's current favorite food is Whisps Cheese Crisps.

Avoid overly processed plant based sources of protein. Stick to single ingredient whole foods. Read the labels. When you remove an entire food group from a product, sugar is often used as a filler and to make it taste better.

8 Cans of Tuna

I opened 8 cans of tuna for tonight's dinner. I made tuna patties and we did not have as many leftovers as I had hoped. I followed this recipe for salmon patties, multiplied the ingredients by 8 and used canned tuna instead. This recipe is very versatile. Form smaller 1 inch balls and fry to use in fish tacos. Serve on a bed of lettuce or shredded cabbage with your favorite toppings. Here is a small list of our standard pescatarian entrees I currently have in rotation.

Poke bowls. Raw salmon or ahi tuna is best. Riced cauliflower and fresh kale as the base. Drizzle keto dragon sauce to taste. Just mix siracha and mayonnaise for the dragon sauce.

Tuna melts on bell pepper. Top with slice of cheese and broil a minute or two. Grilled fish. Any will do. My favorite is sea bass or salmon but tilapia or cod is often on the menu.

Devilled eggs or egg salad. Served on lettuce leaves.

Cauliflower steaks. Slice large heads of raw cauliflower about ¾" thick, season with taco seasoning and grill until done. Use as you would taco meat.

Cauliflower florets as Buffalo wings. Cut a large head of cauliflower into florets and season with buffalo wing sauce seasoning, bake and serve with blue cheese dressing.

Pescatarian Keto doesn't have to be repetitive or boring. Enjoy your meals fellow ketoers.

Written by Joy Syper
Published: February 25th, 2023



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