Amazing Health Benefits Of Eating Fish • Insteading

Packed full of high-quality protein and low in saturated fats, fresh fish is an exceptional source of omega-3 fatty acids and essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin D, B2, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, and iodine.

Extensive medical research studies support the American Heart Association’s recommendation of eating fish twice per week as part of a “Heart Healthy” diet that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, or stroke.

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Fish is also good for your brain. In a recent study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers report that consuming moderate amounts of seafood is linked with a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

The study indicated that persons who eat fish on a weekly basis have more brain grey matter, which helps to reduce deterioration and shrinking of brain cells that lead to complications and problems with brain function.

The Importance Of Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the maintenance of good health and the prevention of disease. Omega-3 fatty acids help to preserve heart health by lowering blood pressure, preventing abnormal heart rhythm, heart attacks, strokes, and death.

These vital fatty acids also support healthy brain function and may help decrease the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, dementia, and diabetes. They also help build strong bones, hair, and nails, and support a healthy immune system.

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Omega-3 fatty acids are crucial for optimum infant development of nerves and vision during pregnancy. Research studies also indicate that omega-3 fatty acids can help relieve and prevent inflammation and lower the risk of arthritis.

Participants in these studies reported a reduction in pain and morning stiffness, a lower dependency on anti-inflammatory drugs to control symptoms, and a decrease in the swelling of inflamed joints.

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However, our bodies do not produce omega-3 fatty acids, and we must obtain them from the food we consume. The good news is that omega-3 fatty acids are found in every kind of fish, both freshwater and saltwater varieties with the highest concentration in fatty fish.

Eat a variety of fish. Good choices include tuna, salmon, trout, canned mackerel, herring, and sardines.
Read on to learn more about the impressive health benefits of fish, ways to properly cook fish, and some tasty fish recipes to try out.

Awesome Ahi Tuna To Tantalize Your Taste Buds

Found in pelagic waters of subtropical and tropical oceans worldwide, yellow-fin tuna, often marketed as ahi, from the Hawaiian word ‘ahi’, may seem somewhat expensive compared to other fresh fish at the market.

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However, once you have experienced the incredible flavor and texture, you will have to agree that the price is justified. You will savor each exquisite bite.

Nutritional Value Of Ahi Tuna

Loaded with protein, six ounces of ahi offers nearly 41.5 grams of protein – more than 90 percent of the daily protein needs of women and 74 percent of the daily protein requirement for men.

As our bodies digest the protein in tuna, individual amino acids are generated. The body then uses these amino acids to manufacture crucial hormones and enzymes that regulate cell function as well as proteins needed for tissue strength.

A 6-ounce serving of ahi tuna provides 154 micrograms (three times the daily requirement) of selenium that helps control new cell growth and maintains healthy blood vessel function.

Grilled Marinated Filet Mignon Of Ahi Tuna With Japanese Eggplant

Ingredients

2 10-ounce ahi tuna steaks – cut 2 inches thick
2 garlic cloves
½ cup peanut oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup tahini
1 bunch of cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
10 Japanese eggplants – sliced in half lengthwise
½ cup toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Wash and separate the tender cilantro leaves from the stems. Discard stems (they cause bitterness).
Place cilantro leaves, garlic cloves, lemon juice, peanut oil, tahini, and salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend for a couple of minutes.
Place ahi steaks in a shallow enamel or glass pan, pour over the marinade; cover and marinate for 1 hour.
Sear tuna on high heat, grilling until cooked to taste.
Salt and pepper the eggplant and grill. Japanese eggplants, tasty and tender when about 3 inches long, can be found at specialty and local markets.
Place ahi tuna steaks on heated platters, sprinkle ahi liberally with toasted sesame seeds. Serve with grilled eggplant slices, serves 2.

Savory Salmon

Salmon receives high praise for its extra wallop of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. It’s no wonder that salmon aquaculture is the busiest food production system in the world. Many different types of salmon species inhabit the waters of both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and are savored by cultures worldwide.

Nutritional Value Of Salmon

Both medical practitioners and nutritional counselors alike agree that increasing our consumption of fatty fish, rich in omega-3, significantly decreases the health risk of not only cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but it’s also useful in maintaining weight loss and a normal range of body mass.

salmon and greens in a cast iron pan — Jennifer Pallian / Unsplash

Dietary intake of salmon also helps support healthy cholesterol levels. Providing lots of protein but little saturated fat, salmon is an ideal alternative to beef or chicken.

Salmon Croquettes

In my grandmother’s kitchen on the family homestead, something tasty was always simmering on the back of the cook stove, sizzling on the grill, or browning in the wood-fired oven.

Salmon, which can be baked, fried, smoked, or grilled, was plentiful. Grandma Ida’s salmon croquettes remain a family favorite.

Ingredients

2 canned filets of Pacific salmon
3 farm-fresh eggs
2 scallions, minced
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
2 tablespoons finely diced celery
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
vegetable oil for cooking

Directions

Mix all of the ingredients except cooking oil together in a large mixing bowl.
Form mixture into small patties and roll in additional crushed saltines.
Fry in oil until golden brown; approximately 3 minutes for each side.

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Serve with slices of fresh lemon and sprigs of fresh parsley. Grandmother always complimented her salmon croquettes with a side dish of creamed potatoes and garden peas.

Healthy Herring

Presenting soft and palatable flesh, a delicate flavor, and a broad assortment of important omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and protein, herring is a healthy addition to the diet.

Harvey’s Herring Pate

Ingredients

2 cans water packed herring, drained
1 teaspoon fresh or dried dill weed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly ground or prepared horseradish
⅓ cup sour cream or non-fat yogurt
½ cup creamed cheese
½ cup celery, finely diced
⅓ cup green onions, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely minced

Directions

Place all ingredients, except parsley, in a food blender and process until creamy.
Place in a bowl and fold in minced parsley. Chill to blend flavors.
Serve on toast points or crackers. Herring is complemented by a chilled glass of a light white wine.

Tasty Trout

If you’re an avid freshwater fly fishing enthusiast like myself, you already know there is nothing finer than freshly caught cutthroat trout, lightly floured and fried with butter or bacon drippings over an open fire.

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Serve with golden brown fried potatoes, crusty sourdough bread, butter, sliced tomatoes, and green onions. You’ll have a meal fit for a king.

Nutritional Value Of Trout

Trout is an excellent source of phosphorous, one of the most abundant minerals in the body, second only to calcium. Together, phosphorus and calcium work to maintain the integrity of teeth and bones, which contain as much as 85 percent of the phosphorus found in the human body.

Protein, essential to human survival, provides the building blocks for smooth skin, hair, nails, muscles, and cartilage. For optimum health, health experts recommend men get at least 56 grams of protein per day; women require 46 grams of protein or more.

Just three ounces of trout supplies 19 grams of protein making it an excellent alternative to pork, chicken, or beef. Trout can be fried, broiled, baked or grilled. Serve with a squeeze of lemon to release the flavor of the fish.

Mouthwatering Mackerel

One of the health benefits of eating an oily fish such as mackerel is that the fish is an excellent source of selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Consuming oily fish as a regular part of a balanced diet helps provide protection against age-related vision loss, prostate cancer, heart disease and dementia.

Mackerel, a somewhat oily fish with a strong flavor, pairs well with boldly seasoned sauces or glazes. Try seasoning with Gochujang chili paste, a favorite in South Korea, or a brown sugar teriyaki pineapple sauce.

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Experiment with your favorite recipe for a sweet and spicy honey-based glaze. Mackerel can be broiled, baked, poached, grilled, or smoked. Smoked mackerel is especially tasty in a salad of fresh greens, sprouts, and crispy wonton chips complimented by a tangy mango and poppyseed creamed salad dressing.

Mackerel, which goes by the name of bangada in Hindi, is a favorite fish, widely consumed in India. Bangada curry is an exceptionally tasty dish: hot, spicy, and lip-smacking delicious. I warn you, if you like a little spice in your life, mackerel curry (Bangada) is addictive.