According to the American Heart Association, eating fish 1-2 times a week is recommended to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Unfortunately, simply adding fish to your diet doesn't always mean better health. It's important to get real benefits from it, and for that, it's worth digging deeper into the product.
Well, in this article I will tell you about some of the subtleties of choosing quality fish so that you have a really healthy dish on your table.
To begin with, let's understand why doctors and nutritionists recommend including fish in your diet. And here are the main reasons:
- Fish protein is essential for muscle maintenance and growth, healthy bones, teeth, hair, endocrine system and immunity.
- Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, B vitamins, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. This is why it is so useful for children during active growth, pregnant women, and those recovering from seasonal illnesses and emotional overload.
- Saturated fats from fish reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and do not increase the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood.
After all, fish is an incredibly tasty product that combines with literally everything: cereals, legumes, fresh and cooked vegetables, a variety of sauces… If you have already worked up an appetite and have an irresistible desire to eat a piece of fish, let's move on to the most important question – the choice of the most delicious and healthy option.
River fish or sea fish?
River fish are most often affected by parasites, as fresh water is a very favorable breeding ground for them., as fresh water is a very favorable breeding ground for them. However, this problem can be solved by careful treatment during cooking. In addition, river fish has less iodine and vitamin D, but plenty of B vitamins and magnesium. In addition, the iron it contains is better absorbed than in sea fish.
Sea fish is often more fatty, rich in omega-3, 6 fatty acids and antioxidants. It is high in iodine, which is good for the thyroid gland.
As you know, today many freshwater sources are on the verge of ecological disaster due to the impact of industrial enterprises that negatively affect their inhabitants, that's why sea fish is considered more useful, as it lives in cleaner water.
Conclusion: If you choose fish caught in ecologically clean places, the benefits of river and sea fish for the body are generally the same.
Wild fish or aquaculture fish?
It is believed that wild fish is healthier than farmed fish because it contains more vitamins, fatty acids, micro- and macronutrients. But the main difference, of course, is the taste. Wild fish is always much drier and less fatty. This is due to its nutritional content, carbohydrate content and mobility.
To the disadvantages of wild fish, in addition to the price, you can attribute the risk of infection with parasites. But after freezing and heat treatment, it becomes safe. In aquaculture, parasites in fish are extremely rare.
Conclusion: In general, both wild and aquaculture fish can be chosen in your diet and considered useful, each has its pros and cons, but to a greater extent it affects the taste.
Chilled or frozen fish?
When choosing fish in the store, many people pay attention to chilled fish, considering it more attractive and fresh. However, the risk of running into a low-quality product is quite high. Chilled fish is that which was placed in ice immediately after catching, without freezing. The problem is that unscrupulous sellers may add preservatives to the ice to prolong the marketability of the fish. Real chilled fish can retain its marketable appearance for 8-12 days. And this is only if it was caught and promptly delivered to the supermarket.
Also under the guise of chilled fish is often sold "defrosted" fish. "Defrosted" fish is a previously frozen fish that has been defrosted in a refrigerated chamber before sale (well, if only once) and laid out in ice on the display case. Thus, outwardly the fish looks chilled, but in fact the technology has been violated, and with it the quality.
That being said, the probability of finding properly chilled fish is very low.
Instead, a properly frozen fish can be just as good in quality as a good chilled fish. You're probably asking, what is proper freezing? Its name is shock freezing. Its main advantage is the complete preservation of the useful properties of fish. It allows you to freeze fish much faster, with noticeably smaller ice crystals, so the cells remain intact, and the fish itself retains all its useful properties and flavors.
In addition, shock freezing destroys all parasites, which means that the risk of poisoning is reduced to zero.
Conclusion: If you are not sure about the quality of the chilled fish you are going to buy, buy frozen sea fish. When cooking frozen fish may be a little dry, but its quality will certainly be higher.
Red or white fish?
There is no definite answer. Red fish is more nutritious, fatty, so those who adhere to a low-calorie diet, it is better to choose white fish. But this, of course, does not make one worse than the other. By choosing the right garnish for any fish, you can successfully cover all the needs of the body.
Choosing quality fish can be a real challenge, but the benefits and flavor of this product are worth all the effort.