Go Fish!

Two reasons to eat fish for weight loss (and for good health):

2. Fish and other seafood are a rich source of a unique fatty acid, omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to the body and serve important functions in prostaglandin synthesis and cellular health. People who eat seafood and fish and eat less fatty meat tend to have a lower risk of heart attack and are less likely to have clogged coronary arteries. Even people who eat large amounts of fatty marine animals (Inuit) have very low rates of heart disease in part because of the benefits of these special fats in seafood.

These important fish fats, omega-3’s cannot be made by the human body. These fats help keep platelet cells from sticking together, reducing the formation of blood clots. In addition, eating fish has been found to lower triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels, important risk factors for heart disease. For this reason, eating fish and other seafood about two times a week is a very good habit to work on. By doing this, you are substituting a great, low fat source of protein for what you might otherwise eat (Hamburger? Roast beef? Chicken?) and you’re reducing your calorie intake for the week.

Fish and other seafood actually get their omega-3’s from eating phytoplankton, microscopic plant life that lives in the sea.  Since we don’t typically eat phytoplankton, we eat fish, which concentrate and store the omega-3 as fish fat. 

True or False?  Salmon is a good choice for low fat eating.

This is true. Salmon is considered a high fat fish, but even high fat fish contains only about as much fat as the lowest fat red meat, so it is a great choice, and a great alternative to red meat and poultry because of the potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Other fatty fish that a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids include mackerel and sardines packed in fish oil. If you don’t like these fattier fish, eat other types of fish, they also contain some omega-3 fatty acids. 

True or False? Shellfish is a good choice for weight loss and heart health.

True again. Many years ago, shellfish was considered taboo for people who were on low cholesterol, low fat diets. This is because shellfish like shrimp, crab, and lobster contain higher amounts of cholesterol than an equal portion of red meat. However, because shellfish is very, very low in saturated fat, it is now considered o.k. to have for good heart health in reasonable quantities. Four ounces of shrimp (about 6 medium) contain 120 mg of cholesterol and only .3 grams of saturated fat. Other seafood such as clams, oysters, scallops, and fish contain less cholesterol per ounce. Once again, shellfish and other seafood are low in calories because they are low in fat, and are an excellent source of high quality protein. 

A Sea of Butter

You can ruin the benefits of fish and other seafood very quickly by eating these foods swimming in butter! Breaded and fried fish, or fish served with rich sauces are really of very little benefit, you may as well have eaten red meat. Here are some good tips for making sure your fish and seafood is served in ways that retain the benefits of eating this great food. 

;Times New Roman"">        In restaurants, always ask if seafood pasta dishes can be served with a tomato-based sauce instead a cream sauce. Don’t be fooled by the words “light cream sauce” – the sauces are usually still quite rich if they are cream based.

2.        Use cocktail sauce instead of tartar sauce. You can make your own seafood sauce low in fat by using low fat or nonfat plain yogurt, add dill and a little pepper for a refreshing light sauce for seafood.

3.        Batter-coated fish or breaded fish that is frozen is typically pre-fried in oil, so even if you “bake” this fish, it was already fried before it was packaged. To be sure, read the labels for fat added in cooking, there should be very little fat and very little saturated fat in a frozen fish product.

4.        If you get stuck eating fish that is batter-coated and fried, try to remove the outer coating of batter to get rid of the fat trapped in the batter during deep-frying.

5.        The best ways to cook fish are quick and easy – microwaving without adding extra fat, baking, grilling, or poaching in water, wine or broth.

6.        Clam chowder is generally a very high calorie soup choice, unless you make it at home using a low fat recipe. In restaurants, eat a small portion of this (a cup, not a bowl) and avoid having it as a main meal, if it is “boston style” – the white kind. Manhattan chowder is tomato-based and is a better choice. 

How much fish?

A general recommendation is to eat fish about two times a week, up to six ounces at a time. 

One of the key benefits of eating fish in weight control diets is that fish and seafood contains only about 25-30 Calories per ounce. This is about half the calories of an equal portion of very lean red meat or chicken, so you can eat larger quantities of it and still be within your calorie guidelines for weight loss – a very good deal! 

Vary the varieties of fish you eat. For some people, the level of mercury in some fish (shark, swordfish for example) is of concern and certain varieties of fish should be avoided. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly should avoid eating too much of these types of fish that contain higher levels of mercury.  

A word about fish oil supplements

It has become popular over the ten years or so to take fish oil supplements in the form of capsules. While fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, it doesn’t replace the real thing. If you just supplement your diet of red meat, cheese and other fatty animal foods with a few fish oil capsules, you aren’t getting the benefit of substituting fish for animal foods high in saturated fat. Also, whole fish contains protein; fish oil is just straight fat, so it doesn’t take the place of eating fish and other seafood.