What a Seagan Diet Is and Why You Should Do It
Let’s face it: In some way, shape or form, we all want better health. Whether it’s trying a new seven-minute workout plan, attempting to follow Jen Aniston’s diet, experimenting with weird ways to get rid of blemishes or eliminating stress, chances are you’ve hopped on one bandwagon or another to improve your mind, body or spirit. For most of us, however, nutrition is what it all boils down to. According to the World Health Organization, what you eat determines your overall health more than anything else, and a plant-based diet is the best way to prevent chronic disease. In other words, if we want to live a long, healthy life, you might want to consider veganism.
So, if a vegan diet is really the answer, why are so many of us hesitant to try it? Sure, it has shown to promote weight loss, improve sleep and skin and could save the planet, millions of lives and trillions of dollars spent on healthcare (NBD). But what about seafood barbecues, tasty fish tacos and our beloved sushi donuts?
What is a Seagan Diet?
If giving up seafood is not in the cards, then we have one word for you: SEAGAN. Created by Amy Cramer and Lisa McComsey, a seagan diet follows the same plant-based protocol as veganism, but allows seafood a few times per week. Although animal protein is a major vegan faux pas, the ladies found that including seafood was a great way to adopt a healthy diet, while offering a bridge to full-fledged veganism.
“Seaganism is a healthy, diverse diet that packs a nutritional punch but is far less restrictive than traditional veganism,” Amy and Lisa say. “It’s perfect for those who want to make a change, but prefer to take a phased approach to their diet.”
Why the Introduction of Seafood?
After doing a ton of research, Amy and Lisa realized they weren’t getting the best nutrition their bodies needed — particularly omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are crucial for healthy cell growth and strong immune systems and have shown to reduce triglycerides (blood fat), blood pressure and cholesterol, joint pain and inflammation. They’re also amazing for your skin and can help with menstrual cramps, asthma and depression. Wow, basically sounds like a miracle drug, right?
While you can get omega-3s from seeds, beans, kale and other leafy greens, they’re thought to be inferior forms, and you have to eat a ton of them to reap the same benefits as fish.
So, they decided to add seafood to their diet, but limit it to just three times per week, since that’s the American Heart Association’s recommended amount and they wanted to monitor their mercury intake.
“Coming out as seagans wasn’t easy for us,” say Amy and Lisa. “We have staunchly defended veganism and even wrote a vegan guide and cookbook! However, we truly believe seagan is the new gold standard and count Bill Clinton, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lopez and Alanis Morrissette among our seagan brethren.”
The How-to Guide to Becoming Seagan
In their new book, Seagan Eating(dubbed the “ultimate manual for delicious, healthful eating”), Amy and Lisa help readers navigate the seagan lifestyle and offer decadent recipes, shine a light on “evil” ingredients and address tricky topics like genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), superfoods and organic versus non-organic. They also provide strict guidelines on seafood, such as eating only those that are sustainably caught and low in mercury.
If you’re interested in trying a seagan diet, pick up a copy of Seagan Eating. Let us know how it goes!
Will you try the seagan diet? Tell us @BritandCo!
(Photos via Getty)