Page 114 - How to Be a Conscious Eater - Making Food Choices That Are Good for You

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WHY FISH AND SEAFOOD

ARE WORTH YOUR WHILE

hen it comes to consuming life under water, there are a lot
Wof issues to contend with.

IS IT WORTH IT?
To cut to the chase: Given the abundance of other foods avail-
able to most people in the United States, most of us don’t need
to eat fish and seafood for survival—or even for optimal nutri-
tion. As with milk, if all the associated production problems
are enough to make you throw your hands up and ask whether
it’s really worth the trouble to buy the darn thing, the answer
in both cases is that it may not be. And that’s perfectly fine.
But fish are packed with things we want in our bodies—
protein and vitamins and minerals. They also have nutrients
that are somewhat hard to obtain elsewhere in the diet, such
as omega-3 fatty acids, a type of healthy polyunsaturated
fat, of which fish are the best source out there. Omega-3s are
essential for helping cell membranes form, and yet our bodies
don’t produce them on their own, so we have to get them from
food. As you may have seen on labels or supplements, EPA and
DHA in particular (two types of omega-3s whose full names
are incomprehensible) have been tied to lower risk of heart
attacks and strokes, and to the development of the brain and
nervous system in infants. For these reasons, pregnant women
are encouraged to eat certain types of fish up to twice a week,
and at least one good source of omega-3s per day. Adults more
generally are encouraged to eat fish twice a week. Numerous

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