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Your Heart Will Thank You for Eating More Healthy Seafood
Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
Guest Column
Seafood is a great source of high quality protein and other
nutrients and is low in fat. One of the most popular
nutrients in seafood is healthy omega-3 fats. Eating about
eight ounces of a variety of seafood every week can help
prevent heart disease. How much is eight ounces? On average,
one drained can of tuna is about three to four ounces, a
salmon steak ranges from four to six ounces and one small
trout is about three ounces. Can you eat two servings of
seafood each week to benefit your heart health?
Are seafood and fish the same? Seafood is a large category
of marine animals that live in the seas and in freshwater
lakes and rivers. Seafood includes fish, such as
salmon, tuna, trout, and tilapia, and shellfish, such
as shrimp, crab and oysters.
Who doesn’t eat seafood? Some people have allergies to
shellfish. Sometimes a shellfish allergy is only to a
certain kind of shellfish or it may include all shellfish.
Certain religions have guidelines for allowable seafood.
Vegetarians do not eat meat, although “pescatarian” is
sometimes used to describe someone who does not eat meat but
does eat fish.
Even though there are health benefits to eating fish, aren’t
there also risks? Some of the main health concerns about
fish are about environmental contaminants like mercury. No
one needs extra exposure to mercury but it is very important
that pregnant and breast-feeding women and young children
avoid seafood known to be high in mercury including the four
types of fish: shark, swordfish, tilefish (golden bass or
golden snapper) and King mackerel (not Atlantic or Pacific
mackerel which are low in mercury).
The American Heart Association notes that for other people
like middle-aged and older men and postmenopausal women, the
benefits of eating fish far outweigh the potential risks
when the amount of fish are eaten is within the
recommendations established by the FDA and Environmental
Protection Agency.
One main health goal is to eat a variety of different kinds
of fish. Not only will that limit potentially bad effects of
environmental pollutants, it will also add many kinds of
nutrients to the diet since some types of seafood have
higher levels of omega-3s than others.
The most commonly eaten fish or shellfish in the US that are
low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon,
pollock, catfish, tilapia, crab, cod, clams and Atlantic
and pacific mackerel (not King mackerel, which is high in
mercury). Albacore tuna does have more mercury than canned
light tuna so limit albacore tuna to six ounces a week for
pregnant women.
February 22, 2012 is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent for
Christians. Some Christians refrain from eating meat on
Fridays during Lent and seafood is often an alternative on
the menu. Regardless of your religious beliefs and
practices, our fast food culture markets and advertises to
all patrons to eat more fish during this time of year.
The majority of fast food restaurants offer fried fish
sandwiches with tartar sauce. Some include cheese and a few
offer toppings like lettuce and tomato. From a heart-healthy
point of view, a fried-fish sandwich with high-fat garnishes
is not the way to add more fish to your diet. Frying fish
increases the trans-fats, which may contribute to increased
risk for heart disease.
A limited amount of fast food restaurants and even more full
service restaurants offer seafood options that are not
fried. If you are not in the habit of preparing fish at
home, consider healthy fish options when you are eating
out. Be cautious of descriptions and ingredients like
creamy sauces or breaded and fried. Look for dishes that are
baked, grilled, broiled, poached or steamed. If you order a
fish sandwich add lettuce and tomato and have it on whole
grain bread, if available.
Make your own seafood dishes at home. Compared to thick cuts
of other meat, many fish dishes take a relatively short
period of time to cook. For food safety, follow these rules.
Cook fish to an internal temperature of 145 degrees or until
it flakes with a fork. Cook shrimp, lobster and scallops
until they are opaque (milky white).
To bake fish, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put the fish in a
pan and add cut vegetables like onions, squash and carrots.
Bake fish and vegetables for 10 -15 minutes. The fish is
done when it breaks easily apart. Use spices and herbs such
as dill, chili powder or cumin and lemon or lime juice (you
won’t even miss the salt!). For salmon, try brushing with
maple syrup and grilling.
Easy ways to add fish to your home menus:
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Tuna or salmon patties
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Shrimp stir-fry
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Grilled fish tacos
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Clams with whole wheat pasta
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Anchovies on pizza
If fresh fish prices seem too high remember other options
like canned fish such as tuna, salmon and sardines. Frozen
seafood like shrimp or tilapia or salmon filets are usually
lower cost options. Just like the fast food restaurants
promote their fish sandwiches during this time of year, make
sure to check local advertisements in the paper and at the
store for seasonal sales and specials on seafood.
Information compiled from OSU Extension, USDA MyPlate and
the American Heart Association.
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