Both are Fishy and Veggie focused. What’s the real difference? Good question. I asked AI.

After years of studying the Lunar Calendar dietary recommendations and following the many diet trends over the last 30 years in practice, I’ve boiled them all down. There is one method that is the best of all of them put together: The Pegan Diet.

Learning more about it, I discovered it sounded very much like the Pescatarian Diet with its emphasis on fish. It also resembled the Mediterranean Diet with its emphasis on anti-inflammatory foods. I became curious about the differences. (This is where tools like AI can be helpful.)

So here’s the AI comparison breakdown between the two top FISH and VEGGIE diets: Pegan & Pescatarian.

• Pegan Diet = 25% Paleo + 75% Vegan
• Pescatarian Diet = 70-80% Vegetarian + 20-30% Fish

If you’re interested in Pegan vs. other popular diet fads, check out this comparison to other diets here! Super interesting if you’re into diet tweaking.

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What is the Pegan Diet?

Pegan Diet: Paleo + Vegan = Pegan

• Mostly Plants: 75% or more of the plate is veggies, fruits, and limited amounts of nuts, & seeds.
• Meat & Eggs: Small amounts of pasture-raised super clean meat including beef, lamb, poultry, & wild fish. Small amounts of meat (4-8 oz) only 4-6 days a week. Less meat consumption is practiced in the Mediterranean / Anti-Inflammatory diets as well.
• No Pork: Pork products are generally avoided. Clean meat is a main focus of the diet.
• No Dairy: Maybe some grass-fed butter if tolerated. The diet is usually dairy-free. This is because it’s associated with inflammation, allergies, and hormonal imbalance.
• Gluten-Free Always: No wheat, barley or rye breads, grains or pastas.
• Low Grains: If any, only gluten-free ancient grains (tiny amounts — like quinoa, millet).
• Low Sugar: Bare minimum sweet stuff, even natural sugars, and caution on artificial ones.
• Anti-Inflammatory Focus: It’s all about:
  • keeping inflammation low,
  • blood sugar steady, and
  • digestion smooth.

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Pescatarian Diet: Vegetarian + Fish = Pescatarian

• No Land Meat: No chicken, beef, pork, lamb, etc.
• Fish + Seafood OK: Load up on salmon, shrimp, sardines, mussels, etc.
• Vegetarian Otherwise:
  • Lacto- vegetarians eat dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), but not eggs and
  • Octo-vegetarians eat eggs, but not dairy — but it’s optional.
• Grains are Fine: Pasta, rice, bread…all good unless you personally avoid them for health reasons.
• More Flexible: Less strict about sugars, grains, processed foods (depends how “clean” you want to be).

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Key Differences:

	Pegan	Pescatarian
Animal foods?	Tiny amounts (meat/fish)	Fish/seafood only (no meat)
Grains?	Very little, only gluten-free	Regular grains fine
Dairy?	No (or rare grass-fed butter)	Allowed (optional)
Sugar?	Extremely limited	Depends on the person
Focus?	Paleo + Vegan = low inflammation	Vegetarian + fish = flexible

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Bottom line:
If you eat mostly plants, no dairy or gluten, but still have meat & fish = you’re doing Pegan.
If you eat veggies & fish but no other meat, and still have grains and maybe dairy = you’re Pescatarian.

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Specific Food Group Differences:

Nuts & Seeds — Pegan vs Pescatarian

Nuts & Seeds	Pegan Diet	Pescatarian Diet
Nuts/Seeds Allowed?	Yes, but limited — about a handful per day	Yes, more flexible — people often eat more
Type Preference?	Only raw, organic if possible; avoid peanuts (not a real nut)	Any, but quality matters less strictly
Focus?	Almonds, walnuts, macadamia, hemp seeds, chia (light on quantity)	Almonds, cashews, pistachios, chia, flax, whatever they like
Reason?	Pegan tries to keep Omega-6 fats low (too much = inflammation)	Pescatarians don’t focus as much on that ratio

Bottom Line:
Pegan is way stricter about how many nuts/seeds you eat. It also focuses on what type of nuts/seeds. This diet is all about anti-inflammatory balance. They avoid Omega 6 heavy nuts and seeds.
Pescatarian is less strict about nuts and seeds. Amounts determined by other factors.

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BOTH DIETS DO FISH, WHICH ONES?

Recommended Fish: Pegan vs Pescatarian

Seafood Choices	Pegan Diet	Pescatarian Diet
Types of Fish?	SUPER CLEAN: ONLY wild-caught, Lowest mercury possible	LESS STRICT: Farmed fish is allowed if wild caught is not available.
Best Fish Picks?	– Wild Salmon – SMASH fish	No restrictions.

Safest Fish Choices for These Fishy Diets

• Sardines
• Anchovies
• Mackerel
• Black Cod (Sablefish)
• Wild Caught Salmon
• Tuna (low mercury varieties)(Sustainably Caught)
• Cod
• Haddock
• Mahi-Mahi
• Shellfish (shrimp, scallops, mussels)

Bottom Line:
Pegan fish = small, fatty, wild (lots of Omega-3, super clean).
Pescatarian fish = broader — less strict about selections.

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Summary of Fish Choices:

Pegan Top 5	Pescatarian Top 5
1. Wild salmon	1. Wild salmon
2. Sardines	2. Cod
3. Anchovies	3. Mahi-Mahi
4. Black cod	4. Tuna (low mercury)
5. Mackerel	5. Shrimp, scallops

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CAUTION FOR FISH CONSUMPTION:

• Avoid Tilapia on either kind of diet, if you’re trying to stay healthy. (Way too many farm-raised, crappy feedlot versions.)
• No King Mackerel or Bigeye Tuna if you’re worried about mercury. These fish are high in mercury if you’re eating them often.