Quick Fish Question.

[Trick Nasty]

As I understand it Tuna is very good for you with its protien. I was wondering about other fish, specificly: scrod. High in protein? Good for me?

[Suhosthe]

I had to google 'scrod'; I'd never heard of it before. Apparently, it refers to young cod or haddock, split and deboned (thanks, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrod)). White fish is generally high in protein and low in fat, so - I'm guessing, but it's an educated guess - I'd say you're good to go.

Tuck in. :D

[wrydolphin]

Being a meat, yes fish of all sorts are high in protien. Kind of in the nature of having been an animal. Some fish are oilier then others- cold water oily fish are actually pretty good for you as they tend to be rich in omega oils. If you are worried about polution, eat farm raised fish or avoid preditors such as mahi mahi or shark.

[Suhosthe]

If you are worried about polution, eat farm raised fish or avoid preditors such as mahi mahi or shark.
Yeah. I was thinking about mercury levels in tuna actually being quite high, but sometimes I think I sound like a scaremonger. ;)

[wrydolphin]

If I recall tuna was deemed rather safe- but I concur that I might be wrong on that account. There are several online sources that are credible which list species by average mercury content if you are really concerned with it. Personally, if its not mercury its pesticides or saccrine so I tend not to pay too much attention to some of the media notices about food.

[kensei1984]

Sometimes you can't avoid a touch of mercury in your fish or other pollutants. Those farmed fish ain't that good for you either, casue some of their diet consists of parts from their dead mates, especially salmon.

Go for wild I'd say. And limit it to two to three servings a week. If you really want a boost in omega-3s go for reputable brand of fish oil. Go for a 1g a day. Might add a few kilojoules to your diet though.

[narcsarge]

I am with Wry here. Most free-ocean fish are wonderful sources of protein. Heck, your local pond's Sunfish or bass is a great source if you don't mind all the fuss with cleaning fish. Eating fish is a great source of protein in anyone's diet. I like Tuna, Swordfish, Orange Roughy, Salmon, and yes Mahi mahi or Dolphin (not Flipper).

I eat fish 3 to 4 times a week.

[Gary]

Go for wild I'd say. And limit it to two to three servings a week. If you really want a boost in omega-3s go for reputable brand of fish oil. Go for a 1g a day. Might add a few kilojoules to your diet though.
1g of fish oil will add 9 calories, it's nothing to worry about at all. I'm trying to find the study as there's over a thousand articles for me to trawl through on pubmed, but an intake of 3-6 grams of combined EPA and DHA fish oils can boost metabolism by up to 400 kcals a day. It's one of the main reasons a lot of nutrition guys will recommend bigger intakes of it.

[kensei1984]

1g is a good start. Of course you may have more, to a point. Some people have nosebleeds.

[Gary]

1g is a good start. Of course you may have more, to a point. Some people have nosebleeds.
Some people is very vague. Pretty much every substance has an adverse affect with 'some people', if you ask any pharmacist they'll tell you how only the most common symptoms make it onto the pack since for every person who may be at risk there are thousands of hypochondriacs who think they are. Important things, like the risks for pregnant women, diabetics or people with congestive heart failure will be advised to consult their doctor first. Although fish oil has only been shown to consistently cause nosebleeds at very high levels, these sort of levels are what eskimos living on a purely marine life diet would expect. 10mg a day will not produce this affect unless you're one of the few people susceptible to it, but as I pointed out this is a low enough percentage not to qualify for a warning on the pack.

[flaming]

Tinned salmon tastes a lot nicer than tuna its more expensive but its got omega 3's.

[Ad McG]

All wild fish is great, get your fill!

[Johnno]

I believe that there are guidleines advising that you don't eat tuna more than three times a week due to the levels of mercury.

[Garrett]

You will find mercury in higher levels in the big fish that eat other fish ie Tuna, shark and those types.
Guidelines in Australia allow for one tin a day, and that is on the safe side. More is generally fine.
Guidelines do suggest restricting it to 2-3 per week if you are pregnant, but again, the risk of any mercury complications are very small even at higher intakes of fish.

The whole mercury in fish thing has been massively over hyped. Most countries have regulations as to the maximum mercury content allowed in tinned fish, so it is quite safe to eat a lot.

[dboy000]

if you want protein i reckon eggs and milk mixed together or just buy a tub of protein shake

[spirez]

if you want protein i reckon eggs and milk mixed together or just buy a tub of protein shake

You need better sources of protein than that.

The eggs are fine but protein shakes aren't that great (isn't whey a waste product of the cheese-making process?!) and homegenised, pasteurised milk has a lot of the goodness taken out of it due to those manufacturing processes. and also, at the ed of the day it's meant for baby cow's to drink!

I love salmon but it's pricey. Mackerel is also high in omega 3's, is very tasty and cheaper.

[slacker6]

Technically, mercury levels are terrible in fish that live longer and of course grow larger. Swordfish is among the worst. Approx 6 months ago, there was a National Geographic article about the oceans. The author had his mercury levels checked on day 1 and they were normal, i.e. 3 on scale of 1-10. That night he ate two swordfish steaks and on day 2, had his blood tested again. His mercury level after eating the swordfish exceeded 10.

Personally, I eat lots of salmon, mahi-mahi, and a tuna steak once a week or so. Breakfast is oatmeal with no sugar and only water. Lunch is a greek salad with salmon or sushi, etc. Dinner is a little more open but will have at least one green vegetable such as brussel sprouts, broccoli or spinach. No eating after 7pm and running 4 nights per week. I've lost 50 lbs. in 5 months doing this, down from 227 to 177 or so.

I wish fish weren't so expensive. I really like sea bass and grouper but can't afford them!