Seafood and Eat it!

combating fears around cooking & eating fish + recipe for Halibut & Spring Vegetable Skillet

I’ve dedicated the first part of this year to the foods to say YES to: fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and seafood. This issue, which dives into seafood, wraps up the series, but this is only the beginning. Moving forward I will continue to build on this foundation, with more delicious, do-able recipes and ideas based on these wonder-foods.

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Seafood and Eat it

When it comes to seafood, there are many compelling reasons to get more into your life, and plenty of easy, affordable, tasty ways to make it happen. (A note for vegetarians: you certainly don’t have to say “yes” to seafood, so no pressure.) But a whopping 80-90% of Americans do not get the recommended minimum of 8 ounces weekly---a stat that always shocks me considering there are many days I personally eat fish for breakfast (smoked salmon on a half of a bagel), lunch (a salad with tuna), and dinner (a nice filet of flounder or cod).

Many reasons people don’t get enough seafood has to do with their fears around it, from highly publicized stories about contamination to feeling intimidated purchasing and preparing it. Here I address these concerns, and I hope after reading this the only fish-fear you face is FOMO --- fear of missing out

Seafood’s Benefits

Eating seafood regularly dramatically reduces the chance of dying of a heart attack, improves children’s brain development, slows brain aging, lowers the risk depression and mood disorders, can help with weight management, and more.

Many of these benefits can be attributed to seafood’s omega-3 fats, which help reduce the inflammation in the body that’s thought to be at the root of many ailments. But fish is also rich in other nutrients most of us don’t get enough of, such as vitamin D, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, choline, vitamin B-12 and potassium. Then there is the displacement effect: by choosing seafood for dinner more often, we wind up eating unhealthy fatty meats less often. 

From a culinary perspective seafood one of the quickest cooking proteins, there is an incredible variety to choose from, and it offers a world of fantastically delicious dishes.

Fear of Contaminants

You’ve probably heard that fish contains various amounts of mercury and PCB’s, contaminants that can accumulate in our tissues and, in excess, cause neurological damage. That is scary stuff, for sure. But letting that steer you away from seafood entirely is a mistake, because the upsides of eating it far outweigh any potential risks.

The relative benefits of eating seafood are so clear and compelling that the FDA and EPA recently changed their recommendation for pregnant woman and young children from a cap on fish consumption, which unfortunately led many to avoid it altogether, to a recommended minimum of 8 ounces, and up to 12 ounces, a week.

Government guidelines still suggest choosing fish that is lower in mercury like salmon, shrimp, pollock, light canned tuna, tilapia, catfish, cod, sardines, sole, and trout. And pregnant woman and children are advised to avoid the types of fish that have the most, such as tilefish, shark, swordfish and king mackerel. Here is a link to the FDA’s list of Best, Good and Avoid seafood choices for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children.

Also, to minimize contaminants, check with your state department of health for any advisories before you eat fish you have caught yourself. With these simple guidelines in mind, put in perspective, most of us should be more concerned with eating enough fish than worrying about contaminants.  

Fear of buying it