What is the importance of fish consumption in our diet?
Fish is a food of great nutritional value, especially for its contribution of high-quality proteins and good digestibility. It also provides B vitamins, zinc, iodine, potassium and iron, among other nutrients. In addition, white has the advantage of having little fat and blue has more fat, but it is very healthy (much healthier than meat) as it provides omega-3, which is essential for our nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems, etc. .
Any type of fish or are some more important than others in our diet?
They are all important. The white one, such as hake, whiting, sea bass or monkfish, is lighter because it has less fat, while the blue one, such as anchovies, sardines, salmon, bonito or trout, is more caloric because it has more fat, but it is very healthy since it provides omega-3; And if it is a small fish that we eat with the bones, it also provides a lot of calcium. There are fish that are not blue, but have a little more fat than the white ones, such as sea bream or cod, and these are also recommended.
Does seafood also have those healthy properties?
Yes. Seafood is interesting, above all, for being an excellent source of protein, low in fat, and rich in iodine and zinc.
How many times would it be advisable to eat fish a week?
The ideal would be to eat 3-4 servings a week, of which 2 should be oily fish.
And what about mercury?
That is the other side of the coin. Larger fattier (blue) fish accumulate heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead throughout the food chain. And those metals are toxic when we are exposed to it in the long term. In any case, the data that exists on the subject suggest that the benefits of eating fish are still much more worth it, but it is true that you should try not to regularly consume large oily fish such as tuna or emperor.
But is it convenient to reduce the consumption of some fish such as tuna (also canned) so as not to raise mercury levels too much?
Yes. If we can, it is better to do without those that contain large amounts of mercury such as swordfish or emperor, shark (which includes dogfish, mako, spiny dogfish, dogfish, and blue shark) and pike or eat them only sparingly. sporadic in favor of other oily fish such as bonito, trout, mackerel, salmon, sardines or anchovies. They will provide the benefit of omega-3 with much less heavy metals.
Should everyone eat fish and at any age?
Only people with an allergy to it should avoid it, in cases of anisakis, and reduce oily fish by people who have high uric acid. In addition, it must be taken into account that, at certain ages, such as when you are a child or an old man, you must try to avoid fish with many bones to avoid problems. Likewise, women who plan to become pregnant or who are breastfeeding should choose fish with less concentration of mercury and heavy metals more carefully, as well as children.
If we do not include enough fish in the diet, is it necessary that we resort to dietary supplements such as omega 3?
If we do not eat enough oily fish during the week, it would be advisable to take those omega-3 fats that we would lack in the form of a food supplement because, although some plant foods such as walnuts or chia have them, it is a less potent omega-3 than that of fish.
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