Incorporating Seafood into Your Diet, Part 1

Whether you’ve been told by your doctor to incorporate leaner proteins into your diet or you’re just interested in eating more seafood, there are plenty of ways that our finned friends can play an exciting role in the kitchen.

Why Eat Seafood? How Much?

We think the taste itself is a good enough reason to eat more seafood, but we may be a little biased. The American Heart Association, citing fish as a source of omega-3 that’s low in saturated fat, recommends eating fish at least twice a week. Mayo Clinic lists fish as one of the top five foods that can assist in lowering your cholesterol and recommends eating one to two servings of fish per week. (Your doctor, dietician, or nutritionist can provide more detailed information if you have specific questions about the connections between nutrition and health.)

Which Fish Are Best?

With so many fish in the sea, where do you start?

If you’re concerned about fat you’re in luck: almost any fish you choose will have less saturated fat than the meat you’re replacing. (Compare the labels for the exact numbers.) Some fish is even fat free: we have a list of all fat-free Crown Prince products, which includes many varieties of crab, clams and even some tuna.

If you’re interested in omega-3 you also have many great choices. Most seafood contains some level of this valuable fatty acid, but cold-water fish have higher levels of omega-3. Among Crown Prince products, omega-3 levels (grouped from highest to lowest) are as follows:

• 2 grams per serving: Kipper Snacks (Crown Prince, Crown Prince Natural and Ocean Prince lines), Brisling Sardines (Crown Prince and Crown Prince Natural lines) and Skinless/Boneless Sardines (Crown Prince, Crown Prince Natural and Ocean Prince lines)
• Between 1 and 2 grams per serving: Sardines from Morocco in various flavors (Crown Prince and Ocean Prince lines), Pink Salmon (Crown Prince and Crown Prince Natural lines), Smoked Oysters in Cottonseed Oil (Crown Prince line)
• Less than 1 gram per serving, but still present: Smoked Oysters in Cottonseed Oil (Ocean Prince line), Smoked Oysters in Olive Oil (Crown Prince Natural line) and Skinless/Boneless Pink Salmon (Crown Prince Natural line)

How Do You Cook With Seafood?

It’s not hard to find fish that can take your cooking in a healthy direction. Excited to start eating seafood but unsure of where to begin? That’s a good place to be. Stay tuned for Incorporating Seafood into Your Diet, Part 2, where we’ll give specific suggestions on how to incorporate simple and flavorful seafood dishes into your culinary repertoire.

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