Seafood Is A Great Choice For Healthy Dieting
by Felicity Yarrow
http://www.fyfood.com
People everywhere are beginning to realize what scientists
have known for some time, that fresh seafood is both great-
tasting and good for your organism. Especially in this era
when it seems that everyone has sworn off carbohydrates the
solution of eating fresh seafood represents a healthy
alternative to red meats.
For the best quality, you should look for seafood that is
fresh, without extra preservatives and fillers that are
often found in commercial products. While we think of fresh
as meaning 'never frozen', that's not always true when it
comes to fish. Unless you live right on the coast, the fish
in your supermarket was probably frozen for transport. In
fact, it may have been immediately frozen when it was
to avoid spoilage. If you want to be sure that your seafood
was never frozen, you can buy live shellfish, or stick to
local varieties of other fish.
If you want to be sure of getting seafood that has never
been frozen, stick to local varieties. Even then, it's very
possible that the fish was iced immediately after being
caught to preserve its freshness and flavor.
On the other hand if you decide to go the unfrozen route,
here are a few sure ways to tell if the fish is fresh. The
eyes must be clear while the gills must have a reddish, not
pink color. The flesh should have a firm texture when
poked. You should keep fresh fish refrigerated at 39
degrees farenheit (or 0 degrees celsius) and use it as soon
as possible.
Lately, the real buzz in the seafood world has been about
omega 3 fatty acids. Found in fresh fish, particularly
fatty cold water fish like tuna, salmon and anchovies,
omega 3 fatty acids are one of the essential building
blocks of life. Deficiencies of omega 3 have been
implicated in diabetes, heart disease and many other health
conditions of modern life. The evidence that eating fish
at least twice weekly helps prevent those conditions mounts
with every passing week.
Women, in particular, can get all the benfits from a diet
containing fresh seafood on a regular basis. It is a great
source of iodine and iron, two substances which help in the
normal function of the thyroid and in red cell formation.
The benefits of a diet that contains a lot of fresh
seafood are especially important to women. In countries
where the diet is naturally high in seafood, there's a
lower incidence of breast cancer. Fish is one of the
highest sources of iodine, essential to thyroid function.
It's an excellent source of iron, which is necessary for
the creation of red blood cells.
In countries where the consumption of red meat outweighs
the consumption of fish, the incidence of diseases like
thyroid disfunction and anemia, associated with
deficiencies of iodine and iron, are substantially higher
than those reported in countries and regions that make
seafood a large part of their diet.
Need more convincing? If you're trying to lose or control
your weight - and who isn't? - seafood has a fraction the
calories of red meat while providing all the high quality
protein, zinc, iron and magnesium your body needs. Love
lobster? The meat in a pair of claws and tail of a lobster
has about 150 calories. A 3 ounce piece of halibut has less
than a hundred. Skip the butter and prepared tartar sauce,
and you have a low-cal meal fit for royalty.
If you've been avoiding fish because you remember those
gummy, tasteless fish patties that you got in the high
school cafeteria, it's definitely time to take a fresh look
at seafood. You'll like what you see - and your body will
thank you for it.
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