Discover Why Healthy Fish Recipes Have Such Amazing Health Benefits
Healthy fish recipes play an important role in the diets of almost all populations that boast a high percentage of healthy centenarians. This fact alone is worth thinking about and all of us eating a lot more fish!
There is a lot of information on this page, you can use these links to quickly find the sections you most want to read
- Health Benefits of Eating Fish
- Importance for Pre-natal Growth
- Importance for Mental Health
- Importance for Heart Health
- Potential contra-indication of Fish Oil
- Joint Health
- Heavy Metal Contamination Risk
- Best Omega 3 Sources
- Best Ways To Cook Fish
- Healthy Fish Recipes
Health Benefits of Eating Fish
A source of Protein Vitamins and Minerals
Fish is an excellent source of easily digestible protein and minerals like iodine and selenium. Iodine makes up part of the thyroid hormone, which controls growth and metabolism while selenium forms a part of cell wall enzymes that protect cells from cancer-causing free radicals.
Fish is also an excellent source of vitamin A, needed for healthy skin and eyes, and vitamin D, needed to help the body absorb calcium for strong teeth and bones.
The main health benefits of fish are due to the Omega 3 essential fatty acids they contain. These fatty acids are called essential because we cannot manufacture them in our bodies and we need to get them from foods that already contain them. These essential fatty acids have important functions in the body. They are needed for proper brain function which affects vision, learning ability, coordination and mood. They reduce the stickiness of blood, as well as controlling blood cholesterol and blood fat levels. They improve immune function and metabolism, reduce inflammation and maintain water balance. From this information you can see why healthy fish recipes need to be a major component of our eating habits.
Symptoms of deficiency of Omega 3 essential oils includes:Dry skin, any inflammatory conditions, such as asthma and arthritis, water retention, tingling in the arms and legs, high blood pressure, or high blood fats or triglycerides, being prone to infection, difficulty losing weight, a decline in memory or learning ability, lack of coordination or impaired vision.Plus - if a child is small for their age or growing slowly.
So, please get out your healthy fish recipes and start cooking fish dishes regularly for you and your family, and if you are a regular user of healthy fish recipes, give yourself a pat on the back and keep up your good work!
The Importance of Healthy Fish Recipes for Prenatal Growth and Development
Studies carried out on pregnant women show that women who eat fish once a week during their first trimester had 3.6 times less risk of a low birth weight and premature birth than those who ate no fish - so pregnant mums - please cook for yourself some healthy fish recipes at least once a week!
Brain Health
The human brain contains 8-12% fats including the Omega-3 fat in the form of DHA. Many studies have demonstrated that Omega 3 essential fatty acids play an important role in:
Learning ability, behaviour and concentration - At the end of one randomized placebo controlled double- blind study of children with learning and behavioural problems parents were asked to rate the behaviour of their children after 30 weeks.
Behaviour ratings for children supplemented with a combination of multi-vitamin and mineral supplements and Essential Fatty Acids improved significantly in nine out of fourteen scales.
From these facts you can get a good idea of how many health benefits there are for you and your children to be regularly eating healthy fish recipes.
Other double blind studies have also shown medium to strong effects of omega 3 fatty acids on ADHD symptoms after administering amounts around 1 gram for three to six months. These studies mean Omega-3 fatty acids offer a promising complementary approach to standard treatments for ADHD and developmental coordination disorder.
Non-prescription treatment for certain psychiatric and mental illnesses:
Several epidemiological studies carried out on populations, suggest significantly lower incidences of mood disorders in populations with high seafood consumption and vice versa, once again showing the importance of healthy fish recipes.
Other studies report highly significant improvement from Omega 3 fatty acids in supplement form in cases of depression (unipolar and bipolar) and anxiety, alone or in conjunction with medication. Other studies show that people with depressive disorders typically eat diets that contain little Omega 3 fatty acids.
We often do not seriously consider the strong correlation of what we eat to how we feel emotionally. We are however starting to better understand the connection of what we eat with our emotional as well as our physical health. From the information here you can see that healthy fish recipes are more than a "nice to have" they are very important for our total well-being.
Cardiovascular Health:
Research into treatment and prevention of heart disease with EPA/ DHA fish oils has shown that fish oils benefit cardiovascular health by -- Reducing the risk of ischemic and thrombotic stroke.
- Improving heartbeat irregularities or cardiac arrhythmias
- Improving varicose veins and similar disorders caused by poor blood circulation
- Improving blood flow in patients with unhealthy blood sugar levels
- Increasing the breakdown of fibrin, a compound involved in clot and scar formation
- Reducing blood pressure
- Reducing blood fats by up to 45%
- Reducing LDL or bad cholesterol by up to 50%
- Significantly reducing the risk of secondary and primary heart attack.
In a five year study patients who were given cholesterol lowering statin medication and EPAs faired better than those given statins alone for lowering cholesterol levels.
Similar to those who follow a Mediterranean diet, Arctic-dwelling Inuit - who consume high amounts of Omega3 fatty acids from fatty fish - also tend to have higher proportions of Omega 3 fatty acids, increased HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and decreased triglycerides (fatty material that circulates in the blood) and less heart disease. Here again is evidence that healthy fish recipes will provide you with great health benefits.
Potential contra-indication of Fish Oil supplementation include:
- Patients who also use aspirin or warfarin might experience increased bleeding if using high doses (over 3 grams per day) of fish oil
- Hemorrhagic stroke (only in cases of very large doses).
- Diabetics may experience difficulties controlling their blood sugar levels on high doses of fish oils
- Persons with congestive heart failure, or angina pectoris.
Joint Health
Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may find relief from pain and swelling and improve their mobility with regular inclusion of fish or fish oil in the diet.
Recent research has also found a link between Omega-3 fats and a slowing down in the wearing of cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis.
With a change in cooking and eating habits, by regularly cooking healthy fish recipes, a person suffering from joint pain may find their health improve considerably while reducing pain in their joints.
Heavy Metal Contamination Risk of Sea food:
Recently extensive reviews into contamination of fish, especially larger species, with heavy metals like mercury, cadmium and nickel and other toxins like dioxin and PBCs have found that the benefits of fish intake generally far outweigh the potential risk. So, as long as you eat the right type of fish - and you will see further on, what fish to stay away from - please don't consider that healthy fish recipes may in fact not benefit you.
Refined fish oil supplements pose the least risk of contamination both because contaminants don't generally accumulate in the oils of the fish and secondly because fish oils that typically make this highest grade are those that are molecularly distilled under vacuum, and have virtually no measurable level of contaminants.
Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and golden bass do contain higher levels of mercury though, and avoiding these will reduce the risk of contamination.
Fortunately the fish that are particularly rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids have been found to be least susceptible to contamination, so please keep cooking healthy fish recipes for you and your family.
Best Seafood Sources of Omega 3 and recommended daily intake:
The types of fish that contain high levels of Omega 3 oils are: mackerel, herring, sardines, salmon, tuna, and anchovies.
The recommended daily amount of omega 3 fatty acids from fish is 200-600mg.
The following are approximate amounts of omega 3 fatty acids per 60g serve of varieties of fish:
- Salmon (fresh Atlantic) 1,200mg
- Smoked salmon 1,000mg
- Canned salmon 500mg
- Sardines 1,500mg
- Trout (fresh rainbow) 350mg
- Gemfish 300mg
- Scallop or calamari 200mg
- Sea mullet, abalone 170mg
- Canned tuna 145mg
Methods of Cooking
One of the best things I like about fish is how quick and easy it is to prepare and how many healthy fish recipes you can create. Here then are some basic healthy cooking methods:
Baking - make shallow cuts along the top of the fish. Put into a greased dish and cover with foil. Flavour with herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. Bake at around 180°C and baste frequently.
Shallow frying - dry and flour the fish. Place a small amount of oil or butter in the pan. Fry the fish at a medium heat.
Grilling - cut slashes into whole fish to help the heat penetrate the flesh. Place fish on a preheated grill. Baste frequently. Alternatively marinate fish or brush with a little olive oil before and during grilling to keep fish moist.
Poaching - not suitable for flaky varieties. Place fish in gently simmering stock. Whole fish should be placed in a pan of cold stock, juice, or milk which is then slowly brought up to a gentle simmer, and barely covers the fish
Steaming - put fish in a steamer or on a plate over a saucepan containing gently boiling water. Cover.
To estimate the cooking time of a fresh piece of fish, measure the meat at its thickest part.
Suggested cooking times for fresh fish include:
Half an inch thick - bake for 3 minutes, shallow fry for 4 minutes, grill for 5 minutes, poach for 8 minutes, steam for 3 minutes.
One inch thick - bake for 11 minutes, shallow fry for 7 minutes, grill for 6 minutes, poach for 10 minutes, steam for 7 minutes.
- One and quarter inches thick - bake for 15 minutes, shallow fry for 10 minutes, grill for 9 minutes, poach for 12 minutes, steam for 11 minutes.
One and half inches thick - bake for 20 minutes, shallow fry for 13 minutes, grill for 11 minutes, poach for 13 minutes, steam for 14 minutes.
To estimate the cooking time of a frozen piece of fish
First, measure the meat at its thickest part. Suggested cooking times include:
Half an inch thick - bake for 17 minutes, shallow fry for 7 minutes, grill for 12 minutes, poach for 10 minutes, steam for 5 minutes.
One inch thick - bake for 22 minutes, shallow fry for 11 minutes, grill for 15 minutes, poach for 15 minutes, steam for 11 minutes.
One and quarter thick - bake for 35 minutes, shallow fry for 15 minutes, grill for 24 minutes, poach for 22 minutes, steam for 13 minutes.
One and half inches thick - bake for 39 minutes, shallow fry for 18 minutes, grill for 28 minutes, poach for 28 minutes, steam for 16 minutes.
To test the fish is cooked, slip the point of a sharp knife into the thickest part of the fish and pull aside. If flakes begin to separate, the fish is probably done. Remove fish from heat and let it stand 3 to 4 minutes to finish cooking.
Two Healthy Fish Recipes:
Marinated Fish Steaks
4 fresh or frozen salmon steaks (about 1 inch thick)
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons snipped Chinese parsley (cilantro)
2 tablespoons snipped sweet basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1-2 crushed cloves garlic
1/3 cup shoyu or tamari soy sauce
- Thaw fish, if frozen. Place fish in a shallow dish. Combine orange juice, shoyu, Chinese parsley, basil, garlic and oil: pour over fish. Let marinate in refrigerator for 4- 6 hours, turning the steaks occasionally. Drain, reserving marinade.
Place fish in a well-greased wire grill basket or cook directly on the grill. Grill over medium-hot coals about 8 minutes or till fish is light brown. Baste with marinade and turn. Grill 8 to 10 minutes more or till fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining marinade to boiling.
- Transfer fish to serving platter, drizzle marinade over steaks.
Serves 4
Salmon with Berry Relish
The warm berry relish complements the rich flavor of the salmon.
| 4 salmon fillets, | (4-ounces) 1 cup frozen raspberries, |
| unsweetened 1 cup frozen blueberries, | unsweetened 1/2 cup orange juice |
| 1 Tbsp granulated sugar or better still zylitol | 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon |
| Dash hot pepper sauce | 1/2 tsp ginger, |
| ground 1/8 tsp black pepper |
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the salmon on a large baking sheet. Bake until done, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the berries, juice, sugar, spices and pepper sauce in a small saucepan on high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and cook briefly, about 3 minutes. Remove from the stove.
- Serve the fish hot with the warm berry salsa.
Serves 4
Each serving: 221 calories, 7.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 53 milligrams sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 23 g protein.
The above are only two examples of many healthy fish recipes.In our Healthy Eating Guidelines you will be able to find other healthy fish recipes aswell as and many other tasty and healthful dishes.
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