Best Seafood to Eat?

What seafood is safe to eat? What is more healthy for you?

If you didn't already download this list on your phone for your shopping convenience, here is Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch List for those who live in California, or go to the main page to find your state's Seafood Watch Guide.  What is tough for those of us who try to eat healthy, is how to make it practical and easy to focus on the best choices (see list for California reprinted below).

In order to succeed in eating healthy, use this strategy -- prepare and stock up in your pantry and freezer. "No one plans to fail, we just fail to plan!" Seafood is a terrific choice for eating more healthy fats (heart healthy!) and getting lean proteins to support healthy weight or your weight loss goals.

You can get things like Arctic Char, Scallops, Tilapia, Alaskan Wild Salmon in the freezer section for budget-friendly shopping and store it in your home freezer. Small fish rich in Omega-3 healthy fats like Sardines and Herring can be found in the canned or jarred food section so you can have it ready in your pantry, for easily less than $2-3 per serving. Clams, Mussels, and Oysters have terrific levels of minerals, especially for women who need iron-rich foods -- there is a great easy way to make your own healthy seafood chowder at home. Whenever you make soups, chowders or chili, these are great foods to make in a bigger batch and save in your freezer for eating at another time. Gotta have strategies to save you time, money and keep your healthy eating at your best! If you're a vegetarian and want to balance your nutrition with vegetarian sources of minerals and Omega-3 healthy fats, there are other strategeis! Anyone you know who wants to improve your nutrition, please email me and we can set up your complimentary phone-consult--you can be anywhere with a phone and we'll get you started!

List of "Best Choices" seafood for California

• Arctic Char (farmed)
• Bass: Striped (US hook & line, farmed)
• Catfish (US)
• Clams, Mussels & Oysters
• Cod: Pacific (US hook & line)
• Halibut: California (US hook & line)
• Lobster: Spiny (Mexico)
• Prawns: Spot (AK)
• Rockfish (US)
• Sablefish/Black Cod (AK & Canada wild)
• Salmon (AK)
• Sanddab (CA, OR & WA)
• Sardines: Pacific (Canada & US)
• Scallops (farmed)
• Seaweed (farmed)
• Shrimp (AK wild, US farmed)
• Sole (CA, OR & WA)
• Tilapia (Ecuador & US)
• Trout: Rainbow (US farmed)
• Tuna: Albacore/White canned
• (Canada & US troll, pole)
• Tuna: Skipjack/Light canned
• (FAD free, US troll, pole)
• Tuna: Yellowfin (US troll, pole)

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Get the good fats for a smarter brain and stronger heart health

Is your memory not as sharp as you'd like it to be?
Worried about cholesterol?
Did you know that omega-3 deficiency is the 6th biggest killer?
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Get your good fats!
Hear all about it!

Get your good fats!
Tasty good fats!

Yes, essential fatty acids (omega-3) are needed for brain function and heart health and our bodies can't produce them. Here's an article summarizing a Harvard health study

I prefer to get my nutrients through food, but some days, I don't want to deal with possible digestive issues or a fishy breath (especially since I sing!). So on the days I know I'm not getting my omega-3 through food, I take an omega-3 supplement with my dinner--a fish oil supplement that has high quality control, and free of heavy metals because it is derived from small fish. Small fish don't get the metal toxification the way big fish do. You also want wild fish whenever possible, and not farmed fish that may have been fed corn and other unnatural feeds that actually make them sick. My favorite fish entrees are grilled wild salmon, or sea bass with herbs and mushrooms baked in parchment paper.*

Food ideas:
1) Smoked herring dill dip (easy can from Trader Joe's or any specialty food store)
~~~ approximate recipe~~~
* 1 can smoked herring
* 1 ripe avocado (optional--get it creamier and you get your other omegas from the avocados!)
* 1 cup greek yogurt (more protein and thicker than regular yogurt, but feel free to use regular yogurt)
* 3 tblspn chopped fresh dill
* freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
* optional squeeze of lime
This can make a great dip for snacking with sweet potato chips (more fiber than regular potatoes!)
If you like sardines, you can use the dip recipe idea above. I personally can't get myself to like sardines because they are muskier in taste and found the smoked herring is just more my style!

2) If you're eating pasta or mac and cheese--add smoked herring.
Ends up tasting like tuna casserole. Use fresh herbs like lemon thyme or italian parsley to lighten the taste of the canned fish. Always find an opportunity to sneak in more vegetables like peas or chard into your entree.

More ideas about herring can be found on Wikipedia. It's a less expensive alternative to wild-caught salmon.
Read about an omega-3 cookie from an older post: walnut pumpkin cranberry cookie recipe.
*baking an entree in parchment paper in my toaster oven lets me not work for my dinner and let's me multi-task and check my email while dinner is quietly and cleanly cooking in its own juices inside a parchment paper. easy dinner!