fish throw down

Welcome to Fish Boxing Central...

Ladies and gents! It's a three-way fish throw-down!

In this corner (of the world) we have the Mighty COD!

And in that corner (of the world) the Mighty TILAPIA!

BUT WAIT!

Here comes the local favourite!

The (nearly) undisputed champion of the Omega 3's

The awesome - the wonderful - the Mighty SALMON!

A fish is a fish is a FEESH, right?

Well, maybe not!

To really get all the Omega 3's "they" say we need,

The fish needs to be an oily fish.

Now, wait a minute.

Fish is supposed to be LOW FAT, Anne.

That's why we eat the stuff, right?

Well, yes, and no!

Omega 3's are a PUFA -

A PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acid...

And the Omega 3's are an Essential Fatty Acid.

Meaning that the body can not make them - we must eat them.

And, a such - they are a fat. FAT!

That's right; Omega 3's and 6's are fatty acids.

These fatty acids are made up up long chains of carbons

and "other" things, held together by "other" things.

Not THAT kind of chain, eh?

"I pity da fool that doesn't get this!"

This is Tilapia. 

240 mg of Omega 3 (not so much!)

Some are recommending that adults get

1000 mg a day minimum - of the Omega 3's.

Look at the 20:5 n-3 (above)

THAT is EPA.... one of the major components of the Omegas.

True, we can convert these from foods like Flax, 

but maybe only 1 to 10%.

It's easier to get them from diet.

That's how the fish get them!

They eat them from Algae.

DHA then is converted to EPA,

another major part of the Omega 3's.

DHA is 22:6 n-3. 

These numbers - the EPA and DHA -

are what you buy when you get Omega 3 supplements.

The numbers for Tilapia... are pretty low.

To be fair, most oily fish come from cold waters.

Tilapia is found in the Sea of Galilee.

Many people think this was the type of fish Jesus ate.

At any rate - Tilapia is mainly a warm-water fish.

Turns out, only some kind of fish get to be the Alpha 

AND the Omega 3!  - Sorry, Charlie!

This is Cod.

The numbers are little better than Cod, for the Omega's.

Still not great. Most Fish places serve Cod.

Tasty - mild... ok... but...

Not the powerhouse we might think it is!

PLUS, deep frying food is not so good for the Omega 3! 

They change and breakdown - in high heat.

Not to mention - the veggie oil they are often fried in!

So the numbers for cod are pretty low!

Now the cod LIVER - is a different story!

Cod Liver Oil is famous for being a "cure all."

Alot of good Omega 3 supplements are made from Cod Liver Oil.

Now comes Salmon.

HUGE Omega 3. Good 6:3 ratio.

[All these stats are for 3 ounces, or 100 grams, by the way.]

And look at the 20:5 n-3 [EPA]

And the 22:6 n-3!! [DHA]

Remember... "n-3" is the other name for Omega 3.

It looks like we have a winner!

Winner, Winner, Salmon Dinner!

The Wild-Caught ALASKAN Salmon! YAY!

[NOT the Atlantic Salmon, or farmed Salmon]

Technically, Mackerel is higher... (link)

Depends on how you prep it, too.

But that's another story for another day.

Plus, most people won't eat the stuff.

It is an acquired taste.

Also, since Salmon spend time inland,

and swim out to sea, they tend to have less levels of mercury.

Not that kind of Mercury!

I found all this info on Nutrition Data. com (link)

They have almost every known food in the world 

- with every known component of nutrition listed!

And the pics came from google. So thanks, google- meister!

I hope this info helps to understand a little more

about the Omega 3's and the fish we eat!

We are all learning together!