Not All Fish Make Healthy Meals

Umum mengetahui bahawa ikan merupakan sumber makanan yang berkhasiat kerana mengandungi omega-3. DHA dan EPA adalah omega-3 yang diperlukan oleh otak untuk berfungsi dengan baik dan menghindari penyakit jantung. Namun begitu tidak semua ikan yang kita makan berkhasiat dari segi kesihatan. Ia bergantung kepada beberapa faktor terutamanya sumber dari mana ikan itu ditangkap, jenis ikan dan cara ikan dimasak. Pernah heboh suatu masa dulu terdapat ikan yang import diawet dengan formalin supaya kelihatan segar dalam tempoh yang lama. Pengumpulan formalin dalam badan kita amat berbahaya kepada kesihatan. Cara mudah untuk mengetahui terdapat formalin atau tidak pada ikan di pasar ialah dengan membaunya kerana bau formalin mudah dikenali.

Seboleh mungkin, cuba tanya kepada penjual ikan dari mana ikan yang dijualnya itu diperolehi. Cuba elakkan membeli ikan daripada kawasan perairan tercemar, terutamanya pencemaran logam berat seperti merkuri dan plumbum yang boleh menjejaskan kesihatan kita.

Cara ikan dimasak juga memainkan peranan penting menentukan khasiat ikan tersebut supaya tidak terjejas. Ikan yang digoreng kurang berkhasiat berbanding dengan ikan yang dikukus, bakar, mentah, salai (tidak terlalu hangus kerana ikan yang hangus berbahaya kepada kesihatan). Ikan yang telah lama disimpan dalam peti sejukbeku tentulah kualitinya kurang berbanding dengan ikan segar yang baru dibeli.

Bagi memastikan kita mendapat khasiat optimum daripada sumber ikan yang dimakan, pastikan faktor-faktor di atas diambil kira.

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Not All Fish Make Healthy Meals

Study: Choose the right fish if you want health benefits.

By Leah Zerbe

For the best dose of omega-3s, eat two servings of sardines or Alaska wild-caught salmon a week, or take algae capsules.

Eating just any old fish doesn’t guarantee a forkful of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, a new study published in The Journal of Nutrition found. The report reveals that fried fish and non-fried shellfish don’t pack a potent punch of DHA and EPA, two omega-3s that protect against certain diseases.

THE DETAILS: Researchers investigated fish consumption of 900 people and monitored their blood levels of DHA and EPA, two powerhouse omega-3s believed to improve brain function, fight , and ward off Alzheimer’s and coronary disease. People who ate more non-fried fish had higher omega-3 levels, but those who feasted on non-fried shellfish, fried fish, or fish in mixed dishes did not. The researchers also found that the biggest impact on omega-3 levels came when people ate non-fried fish twice a week; eating the fish more often didn’t yield higher levels.

Here’s how they classified the fish:

• Fried fish: Any fried fish or fish sandwich; fried shrimp or calamari.

• Non-fried shellfish: Shrimp, lobster, crab, oysters, mussels.

• Non-fried fish: Tuna, salmon, sardines, including sashimi and sushi, and other broiled, steamed, baked, or raw fish, such as trout, sole, halibut, poke and grouper.

• Mixed dishes: Fish stew or seafood gumbo, paella, stir-fried shrimp or fish with vegetables, pasta with cream sauce, cheese and meat, poultry or seafood, including tuna noodle casserole.

WHAT IT MEANS: Fish may have a rep as a healthy food, but that doesn’t mean you should dine on whatever happens to be the catch of the day.

Keep these tips in mind to find fish that’s high in nutrients and low in contaminants:

Fish for clues from your chef or server. When dining out, grill your server to find out where the fish on the menu came from. If they don’t know, don’t order it. The reason? Some fish are harvested sustainably in one part of the world, but their numbers are imperiled or they’re full of harmful toxins if taken from other waters. If omega-3-rich salmon is on the menu, for example, make sure it’s Alaska wild-caught, not farmed or taken from the Atlantic. Although grouper boosts omega-3 levels, its numbers are perilously low due to overfishing, and heavy metal contamination makes it unhealthy to eat. Try sardines caught in the U.S., mackerel from the Atlantic or black cod from Alaska or Canada for more sustainable, healthy choices.

Consider fish-free ultra-omegas. DHA and EPA aren’t found together in many foods, but vegetarians and fish haters, rejoice: You can get the healthy combo in algae supplements. There’s no official recommendation on how much DHA and EPA to take, but the American Dietetic Association suggests an average of 300 to 500 milligrams a day.

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