Eat Seafood More Often

The American Heart Association advises eating 2 servings of fish per week to maintain good health. Each serving should be 3.5 oz cooked, which is about the size of a deck of cards

• Fish is a great source of high quality protein as well as many vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and some even contain vitamin D.
• It may reduce the risk of stroke, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic conditions.
• Fish consumption has also been linked to boosting memory and reducing stress hormones.

Fatty fish, such as salmon, lake trout, herring, sardines and tuna, contain the most omega-3 fatty acids and therefore provide the greatest benefit, but most types of seafood contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Depending on how the fish you choose to eat is cooked, will determine how healthy that choice turns out to be. For example, broiling or baking fish is a healthier option than deep-frying.

It is important to note that mercury is a toxin that accumulates and, for that reason, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that pregnant and lactating women and young children avoid eating certain fish: swordfish, shark, tilefish and king mackerel. The EPA has no health warning to limit seafood consumption for any other population group. Scientific studies have found that the benefits of eating seafood greatly outweigh the risks and that removing or reducing seafood from the diet can have negative effect on ones health.

References:

1. "Fish: Friend or Foe?" http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fish/.
2. "Does mercury contamination outweigh the health benefits of eating fish?" http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/omega-3/art-20045614?pg=2.
3. Eating Seafood Sustainably. Sylvia Geiger, MS, RD
. Today’s Dietitian
 Vol. 14 No. 6 P. 38 (June 2012). http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060112p38.shtml.