When I was a boy, too many years ago to remember, fish was referred to as brain food.  These days the suggested health benefits of fish are much more wide spread.

The aim of this blog is to highlight a few of the key benefits of including more fish in your diet.  And to give you an opportunity to share any healthy fish recipes you use. So here goes:-

1)      White fish, such as cod, are low in fat and high in protein.   Thus a great way of keep yourself in trim.  It may also be useful for people with diabetes to help control their blood sugar levels.

2)      Fish lowers the levels of fats called triglycerides in the blood. High levels of triglycerides can mean increased risk of heart disease.

3)      Omega-3 fatty acids which are found in oily fish such as mackerel are vital for the body’s metabolism to function normally.  It has also been suggested that they can help with cardio-vascular conditions, dementia and may lower the risk of cancer.  However at this point there is no conclusive proof of this.  That being said there seems strong evidence that Omega-3 fatty acids can act as an anti-inflammatory and thus are very beneficial for people with arthritis.  For more on anti-inflammatory treatments please look at our previous blog https://patienttalk.org/?p=468.

4)      Depression.   It seems that fish should be part of a diet which helps lower the risk of

depression.

5)      Pregnancy. It has been suggested that eating fish during pregnancy can lower the risk of have a baby prematurely.

Healthy ways to cook fish include baking, poaching, grilling and steaming. Some nutritionists suggest that we eat two portions of fish a week. One of which should be fatty fish.

Some of our readers may have concerns about the sustainability of the fish they eat.   Check out Fish Online which seems to have a lot of information http://www.fishonline.org/.  It is also suggested that we “avoid fish high in mercury such as shark, swordfish and marlin”.

Finally we would like to give you the opportunity to share your fish recipes in the comments box below.

To kick start this I’d love to recommend a great way of help preventing osteoporosis. Simple!   Tinned sardines on wholemeal toast.  Why not try it for breakfast tomorrow.  It is best when the sardines still have their bones as this is a great source of calcium.