We have been told that we should eat more seafood, but 80-90% of Americans are not meeting the weekly recommended intake which about 8 oz. of seafood. According to Prevention magazine Americans “eat nearly 4 times more chicken, 12 times more grains, and 41 times more dairy than they do fish, and shellfish per year.” People often avoid fish because of the fact that some fish contains chemicals residues such as mercury and/or polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins. Farmed seafood contains even more chemicals because farmers use antibiotics and pesticides. If you are avoiding fish because you are concern for your health you are doing yourself more harm than good by avoiding seafood.
Why is eating seafood so important? Seafood is high in protein and a good source of B vitamins and some antioxidants. It is a dietary source of vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acid which help prevent disease. It contains eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) which are primarily found in seafood and seaweed that our bodies cannot make which is why it is so important to eat food that contains them. You can also find omega-3 called alpha-linolenic (ALA) in flaxseed, eggs, and walnuts, but our body needs to convert ALA into EPA or DHA to use it which is not as beneficial for our body and some research shows that only 0.013% of ALA gets converted.
The 10 most terrible:
- Shark
- Tilefish
- Marlin
- Orange roughy
- Red snapper
- Grouper
- Asian-farmed shrimp
- Ahi/bigeye tuna
- White tuna
- King mackerel
The 6 safest:
- Wild trout (from US farms, or wild from the Great Lakes)
- Wild Alaskan salmon
- Farmed scallops (choose “dry” scallops farmed in the US, Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, or Norway)
- Wild mackerel (from Alaska, Pacific, Atlantic, or Gulf of Mexico)
- Wild or farmed shrimp (farmed from US, or wild from Alaska, and the Gulf Coast)
Source:
Praderio, Caroline. “What’s the Catch.” Prevention July 2016: 80-89.
I didn’t realize that most Americans didn’t eat as much seafood as they should! Honestly, I’m probably one of them. I love fish, but I never have the time to buy it and cook it, you know? Maybe I should make a goal to go to seafood restaurants more often. I feel like that would be the easiest way for me to eat the recommended amount of fish. Thanks for sharing all of this info! I didn’t know that seafood was so high in proteins and antioxidants.
I totally understand! One easy way to eat fish is to buy canned seafood. I also buy salmon steak that I cook 15 min in the oven at 400F with some curry on it. Super good, easy, and quick!
No problem!
I have never been a seafood lover, but I would like to try adding it to my diet. It would be nice to have a good meat that is so beneficial for my body. I like to take care of myself, so I am going to see if there is a way I can prepare the seafood so that I like it!
I admit that when I bought calamari for the first time I was not very appealed, but I found a good recipe that makes it pretty good. I think with seafood (when you do not eat it raw) you have to find a good recipe that you enjoy. I have a recipe for calamari if you want to check it out. The only problem with calamari is that it looks weird, so if you do not love seafood you might want to find something that looks more “neutral”. I am sure you can use the calamari recipe with any white fish.
I’m not much of a fish fan, but I didn’t realize that seafood is high in protein and a good source of B vitamins. It’s interesting that you point out that Americans ear nearly 4 times more chicken a year than they do fish. I probably fall into that category, but after seeing how healthy fish can be for you, I think I’ll try to add more of in in my diet. I bet there are benefits of eating seafood and fish that you just can’t get from chicken. Thanks for the tips!
Seafood is more nutritious than chicken, and you cannot get omegas from chicken. 🙂
I love that seafood has high protein in it! That makes it so much more appealing to eat because of that. I really need to up my protein because I have been feeling really tired lately. Hopefully eating fish, as well as adding more protein, will be helpful to me!
Adding protein is not a bad idea. Many of us eat way less protein than we should because we think that it is unhealthy. Try to get 30g of protein at every meal o see if that help 🙂