The Powerful Health Benefits of Eating Fish

 What makes fish stand out from other excellent protein sources is its type of fat and fatty acid content, both of which have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. 

Polyunsaturated fatty acids, like those found in salmon, play a crucial role in the bodily process in which dietary fats are our major cellular energy source.  Polyunsaturated fats also control the passage of compounds into and out of our cells because these fats become part of the cell plasma membrane.  These fats also serve as powerful hormones on a cellular level.

Wild cold water fish, including salmon, mackerel and trout, have the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids.  In their natural environments, these fish eat omega-3-rich plankton and later pass it on to us; the colder the water, the higher the level of omega-3 in the plankton. 

The anti-inflammatory properties of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help people with rheumatoid arthritis. 

Fish also protects the heart by lowering elevated triglyceride levels, decreasing risk of arrhythmia, and risk of excessive blood clots that stick to the walls of blood vessels which cause atherosclerosis.

In general, the higher the fat content of the fish, the higher its omega-3 content. 

 The flesh of fish, especially salmon, contains DMAE, a powerful antioxidant.  This chemical stimulates nerve function and the muscles to contract and tighten under the skin.  DMAE prevents and reverses sagging skin.

Fish that is high in DMAE is recognized as a cognitive enhancer or “brain food.”  A diet high in DMAE will enable you to think more clearly, improve your memory, and increase your problem-solving ability.  DMAE acts as an antioxidant by stabilizing cell membranes, protecting them from free radical damage.

DMAE is a building block of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.  As we age, levels of acetylcholine decline, resulting in reduced muscle tone.  Instead of staying short and tight, the muscles become elongated and relaxed, resulting in a sagging face and body. 

Increasing levels of acetylcholine will help improve muscle tone.  To synergistically provide optimum levels of DMAE:

·        Eat fish, the only significant source of DMAE

·        Take DMAE in the form of a nutritional supplement.

·        Keep the muscles toned with exercise.

Protein should be present at every meal and every snack to provide energy and means of cellular repair throughout the day.  You should eat fish seven days a week and salmon at least five times a week.  You can choose fresh, frozen, canned or smoked fish.

Make sure salmon is your first choice.  You can buy Alaskan red or pink salmon in the can.  It tastes great with just a little lemon juice squeezed on it and is quick to prepare.  Whatever fish you choose, sauté, grill, poach or broil it, brushing it lightly with olive oil.  For additional antioxidant protection, season with garlic, onions, lemon juice, and tomatoes.

What is the difference between wild and farmed salmon?

·        Without additives, the flesh of farm-raised salmon would be gray, instead of pink.

·        Atlantic salmon is the predominant farmed species.  In Alaska, wild salmon are abundant and fish farming is currently illegal.  Therefore, Alaskan salmon always means wild.  If salmon is not labeled wild or Alaskan, it is probably farmed.

·        If it is fresh during the winter, it is probably farmed.  Most wild salmon are harvested and available fresh only during the spring, summer and fall.  Wild salmon is available during the winter only in the fresh-frozen, canned and smoked forms.

·        If there are white lines of fat running through the flesh, it is almost surely farmed.  Farmed salmon spend their lives in small, densely crowded pens where they are hand-fed a pellet diet.  Wild salmon migrates thousands of miles through the open ocean, hunting its food and avoiding predators.  This makes wild fish leaner.  They display little or no visible fat.

 More fish facts…

• Seafood is nutrient dense.  That means it offers large quantities of protein and significant amounts of vitamins and minerals without high levels of saturated fats and calories.
   

• Seafood is an excellent source of complete protein, providing all the essential amino acids.  The protein in seafood is easily digested, making it a perfect nutrition source for people of all ages.
   

• Seafood is a good source of B vitamins and provides key minerals, trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, fluorine, selenium, copper, zinc, and iodine – elements necessary for proper development and growth.
   

• Seafood contains a very small amount of fat.  The fats that is does contain are good fats.  Most varieties of fish and shellfish contain less than 5% fat.  Even high-fat fish generally have less than 15% fat, which is considerably lower than that of red meat.  Seafood is also lower in saturated fat than most other protein sources.  By substituting fish for meat you can considerably lower your total fat and saturated fat intake.
   

• Seafood is generally lower in sodium.  Most fresh fish contains between 60 to 100 milligrams per 3.5 oz of raw fish.
   

• Cholesterol levels are not significant in most seafood.

If you have been avoiding fish because of mercury warnings, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency states that there are only four kinds of fish to avoid because of high mercury levels:  shark, king, mackerel, swordfish, and tilefish.  Albacore tuna and tuna steak should be limited to one serving per week.  Light canned tuna, shrimp, salmon, Pollock and catfish are commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury.

To health!

Diane Cressey, CFT
 

Sources:
Perricone, N. The Perricone Prescription.
DeNoon, D. WebMD Medical News.  Benefits of Fish Outweigh Mercury Risk.
UPMC Nutrition Services, Nothing Fishy about Benefits of Fish Fat, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.