Seafood Is A Great Choice For Healthy Dieting
by Felicity Yarrow
http://www.fyfood.com
People everywhere are beginning to realize what scientists
have known for some time, that fresh seafood is both great-
tasting and good for your organism. Especially in this era
when it seems that everyone has sworn off carbohydrates the
solution of eating fresh seafood represents a healthy
alternative to red meats.
Fresh fish and shellfish is available in your supermarket's
seafood department, either fresh or frozen. For the record,
when it comes to seafood, fresh means recently caught.
Chances are good that unless you live on the sea coast, the
fish you buy in the supermarket was probably frozen at some
point in order to transport it without taking the chance of
introducing bacteria.
If you want to be sure of getting seafood that has never
been frozen, stick to local varieties. Even then, it's very
possible that the fish was iced immediately after being
caught to preserve its freshness and flavor.
Why is fish so good for you? The reason that it's causing
the kind of stir that it is recently is all the research
about omega 3 essential fatty acids. Omega 3 is a fatty
acid that's found in fresh fish and shellfish, and few
other foods. Over the past ten years or so, scientists have
discovered that not getting enough omega 3 has a serious
effect on the human body. Because it's one of the fats that
your body needs to build new cells of all kinds, not having
enough of it can affect everything from your mood to your
skin.
Just a short list of problems that doctors have found are
helped by increasing the amount of omega 3 in your diet
includes bipolar disorder, ADHD, diabetes, depression,
kidney malfunction, psoriasis, breast cancer, prostate
cancer and hypertension. There are far more - nearly every
study undertaken to find out about how omega 3 and fish can
improve your health has found yet another condition that
gets better when you eat enough fish and seafood.
Health benefits and omega 3 aside, though, there are lots
of other reasons that fish and seafood belong on your menu
when you're on a diet. Whether your diet plan is low carb,
low fat or low calorie, fish and seafood fit the bill. A
3 ounce serving of salmon, for instance, provides as much
high quality protein as the same size serving of beef - but
you save 150 calories. You also get one third the fat and
half the cholesterol.
The benefits of a diet that contains a lot of fresh
seafood are especially important to women. In countries
where the diet is naturally high in seafood, there's a
lower incidence of breast cancer. Fish is one of the
highest sources of iodine, essential to thyroid function.
It's an excellent source of iron, which is necessary for
the creation of red blood cells.
Oysters, mussels, scallops and other species of shells will
add iron and zinc to your diet. People who pay close
attention to their weight will love the fact that half of a
lobster only has around a hundred and fifty calories,
while a normal sized piece of fish has about seventy five
calories.
Need more convincing? If you're trying to lose or control
your weight - and who isn't? - seafood has a fraction the
calories of red meat while providing all the high quality
protein, zinc, iron and magnesium your body needs. Love
lobster? The meat in a pair of claws and tail of a lobster
has about 150 calories. A 3 ounce piece of halibut has less
than a hundred. Skip the butter and prepared tartar sauce,
and you have a low-cal meal fit for royalty.
There are dozens of ways to prepare seafood. Clams and
other shellfish can be steamed, baked, broiled and sauteed.
Fish and shellfish can be served en casserole, pan-fried,
in salads or as a main dish. Stuffed, fried, baked, broiled
or steamed - if you give seafood its rightful place in your
diet, you'll be eating healthy - and delicious.
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