The Eating Buddy – Seafood (I love me some sushi!)

What is the potato chip saying;  ”You just can’t have one?” Well when it comes to Sushi that is my potato chip. Now before you say yuck or man you are strange, it did take sometime to develop the taste for the wonderful tasty morsels. But now watch out, so as I have stated before keep an open mind, I will try to keep my sushi portions down to a couple of plates.

Fish, in my 250 lb days consisted of the Fish sandwich from the local drive-thru (sad in a way because there was a time I lived in Florida and didn’t eat much fish.) Once I started to add fish into my diet things did improve for the better. Now eating fish was not the direct reason I lost the weight, but it proved to be a nice addition to the weight loss.

So here fishy, fishy…

Why eat fish or better yet seafood?

• High quality protein (good for repairing those muscles)
• Healthy unsaturated fats, especially those prized Omega-3’s
• Little or no saturated fat (unless it is coming through a drive-thru)

How much? (1 serving)

• Sushi I would say six or seven plates… oh wait that is me, scratch that one off the list.
• An 8-ounce bone-in fish steak
• A 6-ounce fish fillet (did I mention not from a drive-thru)
• 6-ounces of scallops
• 12-ounces of a whole fish
• 2 pound lobster (actually 1 1/3 servings but who is counting)

What kind? It is confusing?

1. Change things up. The fresher the better. Like most I don’t have the capability to walk down to the local fish market and choose something. I get the fish from the grocery store. After a few visits to the store you can gain a pretty good sense on what is fresher. I also like to ask for them to take the skin off (if there is skin), it makes things easier at home. Change it up from time to time. If you find you like salmon give it a try for awhile, but then try something new.
2. What season is it? Usually your grocery store will have a guide on what is in season. This goes back to buying what is the freshest.
3. How long does it last? Usually when I buy fish it will be the dinner that night or the next. There are a few things to look for such as the Certified Sustainable Seafood logo (www.msc.org). They will give you a good idea on how long the fish lasts.
4. Omega-3’s as much as you can get. Omega-3’s are healthy fats. It will improve cardiovascular health, controls cholesterol and reduces blood pressure. The list is highest to lowest.

• Salmon (the winner)
• Anchovies (not my favorite)
• Sardines (another not favorite)
• Herring (ah again not a favorite)
• Mackerel and Rainbow Trout (better)
• Tuna and Mussels (now we are talking)
• Oysters and Pollock (well not so much)
• Flounder, Sole, Halibut
• Shrimp and Scallops
• Clams and Haddock
• Cod

What to watch out for.

• Do not buy fish that comes from the same source. If you do the worries come from the same exposure level. Sorry to say there are runoffs from farms and sewage treatment plants out there.
• Enjoy the planet Mercury, not mercury from fish. Mercury is not good for kids and women who are or may become pregnant or nursing mothers. The fish with the highest levels of mercury are shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish.
• Organic – Just because it says organic does not mean it is. Sorry there are no regulations and the name organic becomes a marketing term.
• Medium to dark fish generally have the best levels of Omega-3’s, like salmon
• Light fish are low in omega-3’s, but higher in protein.
• There is no nutritional differences between fresh and frozen fish.
• Most shellfish is good like clams, crab, crawfish, lobster, mussels, oysters, shrimp and scallops. What is bad is the tons of butter that us humans put on these little beauties.
• When is a crab not a crab? Imitation Crab that is when. There is very little crab in imitation crab. It is a processed (bad word) seafood. Usually imitation crab has surimi which is a white fish that ground into a paste, add in a crab flavor and you have imitation crab. Sounds yummy doesn’t?

In closing fish/seafood is something you should have more in your diet? Yes, unless it comes from a drive-thru or has the word imitation. At a sit down restaurant be careful. Ask for the butter, toppings or mystery tastes on the side. That way you can determine how much of the bad stuff you like to eat.

All this talk about seafood is making me hungry, where is the closest sushi bar?

Until next time this is Your Fitness Buddy…