Top 10 Fish to Eat for Health-The Surprising New List

Top 10 Fish to Eat for Health

Rank	Species	Mercury (ppm)	Omega-2 (g)	M-O
1.	JACKSMELT	0.108	5.6	5.49
2.	PERCH (Freshwater)	0.14	3.5	3.36
3.	AMERICAN SHAD	0.065	2.65	2.59
4.	ATLANTIC MACKEREL (N. Atlantic)	0.05	2.6	2.55
5.	COD	0.095	2.5	2.41
6.	MACKEREL CHUB (Pacific)	0.088	2.2	2.11
7.	SARDINE	0.016	1.58	1.56
8.	HERRING	0.044	1.6	1.56
9.	TUNA (CANNED, LIGHT)	0.118	1.6	1.48
10.	WHITEFISH	0.069	1.5	1.43

The Next 10

Rank	Species	Mercury (ppm)	Omega-3 (g)	M-O
11.	ANCHOVIES	0.043	1.4	1.35
12.	MACKEREL SPANISH (S. Atlantic)	0.182	1.48	1.29
13.	SALMON (FRESH/FROZEN)	0.014	1.26	1.24
14.	SALMON (CANNED)	0	1.176	1.17
15.	BUTTERFISH	0.058	0.7	0.64
16.	MULLET	0.046	0.6	0.55
17.	TROUT (FRESHWATER)	0.072	0.6	0.53
18.	CARP	0.14	0.6	0.46
19.	POLLOCK	0.041	0.5	0.46
20.	CATFISH	0.049	0.5	0.45

About Fish and Health

We know that the American Heart Association and the United States Department of Agriculture recommend that we limit our consumption of fat to less than 20-35% of our total calories. And, most of our dietary fats should come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. We may also know that the recommended ratio of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids to omega-3 should be six to one and that the typical American diet contains a ratio of twenty to one.

Sources of Good Fats

Sources of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are liquid vegetable oils, such as soybean oil, corn oil, and safflower oil. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids come from both plant sources, and from fish and shellfish. Plants contain omega-3 in the α-linolenic acid form (ALA) and soybean oil, canola oil, walnuts, and flaxseed, are among the better sources. Fish and shellfish contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Fish that naturally have more fat, like salmon, trout, and herring, have more EPA and DHA than less fatty fish like cod, haddock, and catfish. There are suggestions in the literature that consuming omega-3 fatty acids from a fish source can improve heart health and reduce the chance of mortality from heart disease.

Caveats

The problem with eating large amounts of fish is that these fish live in water that has been polluted by mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs, dioxins, and other environmental contaminants. These substances, many of which are potent carcinogens, can cause nerve damage and are implicated in a number of diseases. These toxins are found in the flesh and fat of fish to varying degrees, generally higher in larger, older, fish at the top of the food chain.

The worst offenders are:

• Tilefish (golden bass or golden snapper) 1.45 ppm
• Shark with 0.99 parts per million (ppm) of mercury
• Swordfish 0.97 ppm
• And, King mackerel at 0.73 ppm
  

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that nursing or pregnant women, women who are about to become pregnant, and small children should not eat any of these fish. For everyone else, the guidelines allow for up to 7 oz. per week. Why anyone would eat these fish when there are better alternatives is beyond me.

Also according to the FDA, people in this group should limit their consumption of fish that carry about .5 ppm to 12 ounces per week, and all others to 14 oz. per week. Clearly we should be eating more fish, but it’s hard to know what is safe.

Methodology

I prepared a spreadsheet putting the fish on the FDA mercury monitoring list in the first column, the sampled mercury levels in the second column, and the combined omega-w (EPA+DHA) in the third column. I filtered the list for high and moderate levels of mercury and then subtracted the omega-3 levels from the mercury levels. What remains are low mercury fish with high levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Here is my recap from yesterday.

Daily Dietary Recap-3/26/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1160.34	76.84 g	165.52 g	1380.69 mg	17.49 g	13.57%

Poaching Salmon

Friday night is fish night at our house. Lately I have been having salmon while my wife has tilapia. She prefers the milder taste of the tilapia. I usually grill or broil my salmon but tonight I decided to poach it instead. Poaching fish usually is done in a small sauce pan in a liquid frequently consisting of half water and half white wine, or any of a number of other combinations. Poaching results in a mild flavor for the fish (as some of the natural flavor leaches out) and the poaching liquid helps to replace some of the lost flavor. Fish prepared this way is frequently served with or in a fairly aromatic sauce (often a cream sauce) or with a raw salsa or relish.

How to Poach

As I have didn’t have any wine in the house, I thought I would try a water broth with a few seasonings. (I don’t drink and we live in a dry county-I wasn’t about to drive to buy the real thing and I also wasn’t about to use a sodium-filled cooking wine) I filled a small sauce pan with enough water to submerge the salmon and added the juice of ¼ lemon, ¼ t. cinnamon, ¼ t. cumin, and 1 T white wine vinegar. I brought the poaching liquid up to a simmer and reduced the heat to just below a simmer. I slipped a small salmon filet in the liquid and covered the sauce pan. I had to keep adjusting the temperature to just below a simmer so the water was moving, but not bubbling. About ten minutes later the filet was done and I tasted it. It was indeed mild with a pleasantly aromatic Middle Eastern flavor.

I could have eaten it without much more than a squeeze of lemon juice, but I felt I needed a more substantial meal (and I had the calories to spare). So I heated three corn tortillas about 30 seconds per side in a dry skillet and folded them with salmon, mozzarella cheese, and shredded cabbage. All they needed then was a squeeze of lemon juice. I was surprised to find that the fragrance and taste of the cinnamon came through in one bite and of the cumin in another. It was very delicate and quite satisfying. Corn and Brussels sprouts completed this very satisfying meal.

The whole meal with 2/3 cup of corn, 9 Brussels sprouts (I am quite fond of them), three corn tortillas, a couple tablespoons of shredded cabbage, and 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese, only had 387.5 calories, 57.8 g carbohydrates, 5.77 g fat, and 179 mg sodium.

The Big Three 0

I almost forgot that I went to the fitness center today and weighed in. My cumulative weight loss since January 3, 2007 is 30.25 pounds. That is an average loss of .37 pounds per day. My blood pressure was a respectable 105/74. I feel like I am winning and eating well at the same time.

Here is my recap for yesterday and Wednesday. (I left my thumb drive with my spreadsheet on it at school yesterday.)

Daily Dietary Recap-3/21/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1105.42	63.14 g	164.83 g	950.53 mg	14.05 g	10.22%

Daily Dietary Recap-3/22/2007
Calories	Protein	Carbohydrates	Sodium	Fat	% Calories from Fat
1114.3	61.87 g	188.71 g	675.37 mg	10.83 g	8.73%

Chili-A Perfect Diet Food

My chili recipe (Joel’s Chili 3) is a nearly perfect food for those seeking a low calorie, low fat, low sodium diet goal. Some of the people I know who are on special diets are of the opinion that low sodium dieting isn’t too hard, and low fat isn’t either, but putting the two together is nearly impossible. My chili is a great combination and it is high in beneficial fiber as well. It contains celery-good for the blood pressure, three types of beans, no-salt-added tomatoes and tomato sauce, extra low fat ground beef (96/4), and my secret ingredient, apple cider vinegar.

A batch of my chili makes 16 cups and a one cup serving contains: only 116 Calories, 7.61 g protein, 22.52 g carbohydrate of which only 3.87 g is sugars and 8.61 g is fiber, 1.04 g fat of which .38 g is saturated, 16.25 mg cholesterol, and only 111.9 mg sodium. I usually cook up a batch on the weekend and, as it freezes well, I refrigerate enough for a few days and freeze the rest.

Ingredients

Extra lean ground beef (94/6)	1 lb.
2 onion-medium	1
Celery stalks-large	3
Green pepper-medium	1
Tomato sauce-no added salt 4 oz	4
Diced tomatoes-no added salt	14.5 oz.
Chili powder	3 T
Black beans-uncooked	1 C
Pinto beans-uncooked	1C
Red beans-uncooked	1C
Apple cider vinegar	.5 C

Soak the beans overnight or use the quick-soak method by bringing the beans to a boil for two minutes and letting them soak for one hour. Drain, rinse, and add 6 cups of water and two small cans of no-salt-added tomato sauce to the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and simmer 1 ½ hours. While the beans are cooking, brown the ground beef with the celery, onion, and green pepper. After the beans have cooked for an hour and a half, add the browned ground beef and vegetables, the remaining tomato sauce, one can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, three tablespoons chili powder, half teaspoon onion and garlic powder, and one half cup apple cider vinegar. Simmer 30 minutes to one hour and adjust the liquid to your preference by adding additional water.

I like to serve the chili over either brown rice or Barilla Ultra pasta with a dollop (1 T) of non-fat sour cream, a splash of apple cider vinegar, and sometimes a splash of Tabasco sauce. I prefer to add the Tabasco after cooking although if you prefer a spicier chili, you can add cayenne pepper to taste while the chili is cooking. Genuine Tabasco sauce contains only 30 mg sodium per ¼ t. while some of the imitators contain as much as 200 mg.

I find that the apple cider vinegar wakes up all the other flavors without adding salt. In previous versions, I added .5 t. sea salt which added minimal sodium to each serving, but I hadn’t yet introduced the vinegar. With the vinegar, I find that I don’t need the added salt.

Joel's Chili 3		Calories	Protein	Fat	Sodium
What's in it
Extra lean ground beef (94/6)	1 lb.	520	16	0	200
2 onion-medium	1	92.4	2.02	22.24	6.6
Celery stalks-large	3	26.04	1.29	5.52	148.8
Green pepper-medium	1	23.8	1.02	5.52	3.57
Tomato sauce-no added salt 4 oz	4	80	14	56	504
Diced tomatoes-no added salt	14.5 oz.	87.5	3.5	14	70
Chili powder	3 T	0	0	0	720
Black beans-uncooked	1 C	400	28	88	0
Pinto beans-uncooked	1C	360	28	80	20
Red beans-uncooked	1C	240	28	88	100
Apple cider vinegar	.5 C	25	0	1.11	6
Cooked Volume Cups	16
Serving size Cups	1
Servings per recipe	16
Total		1854.7	121.8	360.39	1779
Total per serving		115.92	7.61	22.52	111.19
Percent carories from fat				10.93%

Fish Tacos

Yesterday’s diet contained one of my favorite easy recipes, fish tacos. I use a variety of fish for this one but I think salmon is my favorite. I grill, broil, or bake the fish, heat the corn tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a medium-hot ungreased skillet, place about 1 oz of fish in the center of the tortillas and add about 1 t. mozzarella or non-fat cheddar cheese (watch the sodium on this one). Just before serving, I add slaw cabbage and squeeze lemon juice over the tacos. I sometimes eat them with pineapple-peach chipotle salsa or Frieda’s mild salsa, a natural raw vegetable salsa. Yesterday I found that the salsa overpowered the mild orange roughy, so I only used it on one fish taco.

I frequently eat microwave-baked sweet potatoes with my evening meal and prepared one yesterday, but I couldn’t eat all of it. These baked sweet potatoes are delicious with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg, and are very low in fat and sodium. As I was under all my diet goals yesterday, I indulged with a piece of Dove Rich Dark Chocolate.

Yesterday’s Diet 2/27/2007

		Calories	Protein	Fat	Sodium
Joel dietary- 2/27/2007	QTY
GoLean Crunch	1 C	190	9	3	95
Dannon all natural Plain Yogurt	.25 C	27.5	2.75	0	37.5
Non-fat milk	.33 C	26.67	2.67	0	41.67
Wild Blueberries	.25 C	17.5	0	0.25	0
Chili 3	1 C	114.4	7.61	1.04	110.8
Brown Rice	.5 C	100.5	2.1	1	0
Sour Cream-Non-Fat	1 T	10	1	0	30
Cole Slaw 3-Broccoli	.25 C	16.92	0.52	0.61	22.82
Orange-Medium	1	69	1.27	0.21	1
Orange Roughy-baked	4 oz.	75	19	0	70
Mi Casa White corn tortillas	3	120	3	1	28.5
Birds Eye Steamed mixed Vegs	2/3 C	60	2	0	20
Mozzarella	1 T	20	1.75	1.25	50
Wasa Lite Cracker	2	60	2	0	70
Carr's water cracker	1	30	1	0.5	45
Slaw cabbage	.25 C	4	0.22	0.02	3
Lemon juice-wedge	1	3	0.04	0	0
Sweet potato	.25 C	44	3.01	0.05	14.1
Butter Buds	.5 t.	2.5	0	0	60
Lemon juice-wedge	1	3	0.04	0	0
Salsa Mild Frieda's	1 t.	1.67	0	0	12.5
Orange-Medium	1	69	1.27	0.21	1
Dove Rich Dark Chocolate	1 pc.	42	0.4	2.6	0
Natural Ry-Krisp	2	50	1	0	65
Total		1157	61.65	11.74	777.9
Percent calories from fat				9.14%