How to Be a Conscious Eater

27

WHY FISH AND SEAFOOD

ARE WORTH YOUR WHILE

W

hen it comes to consuming life under water, there are a lot

of issues to contend with.

IS IT WORTH IT?

To cut to the chase: Given the abundance of other foods avail-

able to most people in the United States, most of us don’t need

to eat fish and seafood for survival—or even for optimal nutri-

tion. As with milk, if all the associated production problems

are enough to make you throw your hands up and ask whether

it’s really worth the trouble to buy the darn thing, the answer

in both cases is that it may not be. And that’s perfectly fine.

But fish are packed with things we want in our bodies—

protein and vitamins and minerals. They also have nutrients

that are somewhat hard to obtain elsewhere in the diet, such

as omega-3 fatty acids, a type of healthy polyunsaturated

fat, of which fish are the best source out there. Omega-3s are

essential for helping cell membranes form, and yet our bodies

don’t produce them on their own, so we have to get them from

food. As you may have seen on labels or supplements, EPA and

DHA in particular (two types of omega-3s whose full names

are incomprehensible) have been tied to lower risk of heart

attacks and strokes, and to the development of the brain and

nervous system in infants. For these reasons, pregnant women

are encouraged to eat certain types of fish up to twice a week,

and at least one good source of omega-3s per day. Adults more

generally are encouraged to eat fish twice a week. Numerous

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