Enough with the Tilapia already!
Apr 21st, 2010
Some days I am just too darn tired to cook so I rustle up the fam and go out to dinner…a lot. To avoid packing on the lb’s I generally order some type of fish. Well, lately many of my favorite seafood dishes have been replaced with tilapia. Hello?! Where did my salmon and grouper go? They have been pushed aside for the much cheaper, much dirtier, bottom-feeder fishy, the tilapia. Many people think all fish is healthy for you and full of omega 3’s. Not so. The problem is that the tilapia served in restaurants and sold at grocery stores is mostly farm-raised. Farm-raised fish are generally fed a corn-based diet that is extremely high in omega-6 fatty acids. In contrast, fish in the wild feed off of greens that give them their high amounts of omega-3. The difference? Too much omega-6 fatty acid intake can lead to obesity, diabetes, fatigue, and memory loss. They can also cause inflammation in your body that leads to many health problems, including joint pain and heart disease. Your body needs both omega 3’s and omega 6’s but the ratios have to be correct in order to be healthy.
Check this chart out. Hopefully, it will help you make healthier, more informed choices next time you are out to dinner or stocking up on the weekly groceries.
| Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio of
Wild-Caught and Farm-Raised Fish |
||
| Wild Sockeye Salmon | 19:1 | |
| Wild Coho Salmon | 10:1 | |
| Wild Trout | 7:1 | |
| Wild Eel | 5:1 | |
| Cod | 5:1 | |
| Farmed Trout | 4:1 | |
| Halibut | 4:1 | |
| Swordfish | 3:1 | |
| Flounder | 3:1 | |
| Farmed Eel | 2:1 | |
| Farmed Salmon | 2:1 | |
| Black Bass | 2:1 | |
| Farmed Catfish | 1:11 | |
| Farmed Tilapia | 1:11 | |
| Source: Journal of Diet Assoc (July 2008); American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1990) | ||
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Written by Lea Barlow • Leave a comment
