How Fatty is Your Fish?
Just when you think you have the food rules figured out, somebody changes them. We finally got the idea that fat is bad, and that we should limit how much of it we eat. And now we hear that there are exceptions. Good fat, even—imagine that!
Some foods—and seafood is a prime example—have the type of fats that actually help make you healthier. The Omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood can help lower cholesterol levels and make your heart stronger. So how's that for great news? Below is a list of some favorite fish varieties, followed by the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids they contain. And for once, the more fat the better!
Serving size is 4 ounces cooked.
Seafood Omega-3 Fatty
Acids (grams)
Herring, Pacific 2.7 Salmon, Atlantic (wild) 2.5 Anchovies 2.4 Salmon, Atlantic (farmed) 2.4 Bass, striped 1.1 Trout, rainbow 1.1 Tuna, white (albacore), canned 1.0 Halibut, Atlantic and Pacific 0.7 Flounder 0.6 Sole 0.6 Shrimp 0.4 Snapper 0.4 Tuna, light, canned 0.3 Tuna, yellowfin
0.3
Source: USDA Nutrient Database, release 14.
Published 02/01/08
