Women’s Adventure

Go Fish

May/June 2007

Our guide will help you figure out what’s what at the seafood counter.

You’ve heard the good, healthy news about fish, but you may have also heard the bad news about toxins and possible depletion. Confused? Our guide will help you figure out what’s what at the seafood counter.

By now you’re likely well aware that fish is good for you. Research shows that it helps us fend off heart disease and depression, and it’s even great for your skin and hair. But recent news may have you wondering which seafood is safe and which is politically correct to eat. Some are drowning in toxic chemicals while others are being loved to death. So what’s one to do? Keep eating fish. Loaded with healthy nutrients, it should be a centerpiece in an active women’s diet—so long as you know what’s what. Here’s the bottom line on the healthy virtues of fish and some of the dangers you should know about before heading to the seafood counter.

Fish Fact #1: The Fattier the Better

When it comes to beef, chicken, and pork, you’ve heard it before: cut the fat. Well, throw out that advice for seafood because, with fish, the fattier, the better. Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, herring, trout, and mackerel, are the only reliable dietary sources of two potent omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which have broad range of health benefits.

“By reducing inflammation and the stickiness of the blood and by lowering triglyceride [a type of blood fat] and blood-pressure levels, fish fat is very heart protective,” says Monique Ryan, sports dietician and author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, 2nd ed. (VeloPress, 2007). For these reasons the American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish per week.

For pregnant women dietary omega-3 fats are extremely important for optimal fetal brain development. And because it’s effective in reducing inflammation, “fish fat may also help minimize muscle irritation associated with a stiff workout,” adds Ryan.

Fish Fact #2: Fish is a great source of lean proteinein

Similar to beef and chicken, fish is an excellent source of high-quality protein. Just 4 ounces of salmon delivers 25 grams of protein or 30 percent of what a 125-pound active women would need in a day. “Fish’s favorable amino acid profile makes it especially useful in repairing and building lean body mass,” explains Ryan. In other words toss canned salmon in a whole-wheat pita for the perfect post-workout meal.

Fish Fact #3: Fish is Nutrient Dense

Even though the omega-3s and the protein get all the accolades when it comes to seafood, there’s other stuff under those gills that’ll keep you healthy and on the trail. “The iron in fish helps carry oxygen to your working muscles, their B vitamins play a central role in energy metabolism, and the vitamin D found in the fat of fatty fish like salmon is a potential cancer fighter,” says Ryan. And fish bones, which are softened during processing, in canned sardines, salmon, and mackerel are a good source of bone-building calcium.

Fish Fact #4: Toxins Accumulate in Fish

Linked to learning and memory problems, immune- and nervous-system dysfunction, and even cancer, dangerous chemicals such as mercury, dioxins, DDT, and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) have made their way into oceans and waterways. These are chemicals that pose a significant risk to pregnant women and their developing fetuses.

“A general rule of thumb is that larger fish like shark, swordfish, tuna, and king mackerel and those that have a long life, such as orange roughy, grouper, Chilean sea bass, and Pacific rock bass, can accumulate lots of toxins,” reports Timothy Fitzgerald, a scientist with Environmental Defense’s Oceans program. But not all seafood is drowning in contaminants. Fitzgerald recommends wild Atlantic salmon, Arctic char, trout, sardines, pacific halibut, and tilapia as healthy alternatives.

Farmed Atlantic salmon carry a similar toxin stigma. “That’s because carnivorous salmon are fed large amounts of contaminated fish,” explains Fitzgerald. This results in farmed salmon carrying around more PCBs than their wild counterparts. In fact, a recent study in the Journal of Nutrition found that some of the benefits derived from the fat in these salmon can be diminished due to the presence of PCBs and other contaminants.

Albacore “solid white” tuna has roughly three times more mercury than “chunk light” tuna. “Albacore is a much larger fish than the skipjack used mostly for light tuna,” says Fitzgerald. So if you’re a fan of tuna, make sure to stick with the cheaper stuff or, better yet, switch to canned salmon, which is not only lower in mercury but also higher in omega-3s. A bonus is that almost all canned salmon is wild.

Fish Fact #5: Fish Is Not an Unlimited Resource 

Seafood may be delicious, but the fishing practices that are putting it on your plate can leave a bad taste. Fitzgerald says that “70 to 75 percent of global fisheries are overexploited or depleted.” Higher consumer demand, improved fishing technologies, and destructive fishing methods such as dragging large nets on the ocean floor are draining the world’s oceans of fish.

Seafood Shopping List

Use this list to help steer you away from species that are high in toxins and those that are being overfished.

* Fish that are high in contaminants

+Fish that are being overfished or poorly harvested