Saving Seafood

Nutrition for Today: Wild-caught seafood not necessarily better than farm-raised

August 6, 2024 — There’s no question that fish and seafood are good for us.  Diets rich in seafood are consistently linked to lower risk of heart disease. For many years the American Heart Association has recommended that we eat at least two servings per week, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans echo that same advice.

Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which not only promote cardiovascular health, but help reduce inflammation in the body and help strengthen the immune system. Children born to mothers who consume seafood during their pregnancies have been shown to have better neurocognitive function.

The richest sources of omega-3s are fatty or oily fish, which include salmon, sardines, and mackerel. All fish contain these healthy fats, but the fattier fish contain more.

Read the full article at Florida Today 

New Dietary Guidelines Recommends Moms & Kids Eat More Seafood for Brain Health

December 29, 2020 — The following was released by the Seafood Nutrition Partnership:

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 was unveiled today. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide science-based advice on what to eat and drink to promote health, reduce risk of chronic disease, and meet nutrient needs. This ninth edition is the first time guidance is given for infants and toddlers under age 2, and the recommendations are that seafood is important for children’s brain development.

“Seafood intake during pregnancy is recommended, as it is associated with favorable measures of cognitive development in young children.” Starting at about 6 months of age, the DGA says to introduce iron- and zinc-rich foods, such as fish and shellfish. Seafood is an important source of “iron, zinc, protein, choline, and long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids … needed for the rapid brain development that occurs through the infant’s first 2 years of life,” states the DGA. “Some types of fish such as salmon and trout are also natural sources of vitamin D.”

This follows the findings from the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report, released in July 2020, that emphasized the need for women before, during and after pregnancy, and children beginning at 6 months of age to eat more seafood.

For the women and the general public, the seafood consumption recommendations remain the same as from the previous DGA 2015-2020 of 8 to 12 ounces per week, now based on daily caloric intake.

Read the full release here

Americans’ Seafood Consumption Below Recommendations

October 4th, 2016 — From fish tacos to smoked salmon pizza to shrimp sushi rolls, Americans are finding new ways to eat seafood. Seafood (fish and shellfish) is a nutrient-dense source of dietary protein, which is relatively low in calories and saturated fat, compared to some other protein sources, and rich in key nutrients, including vitamins A, B12, and D; iron; zinc; magnesium; phosphorous; and potassium. Seafood is the primary food source of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

The 2015-20 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and supporting USDA MyPlate food group targets recommend that Americans eat a variety of protein foods, including at least two servings of seafood per week, as part of a healthy eating pattern low in added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium. For an average 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, that advice translates into at least 8 ounces of fish and shellfish per week, or about 20 percent of total consumption from the protein foods group (meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and soy foods).

ERS food availability data suggest that Americans are eating less than this recommended amount of seafood. After growing from 12 pounds in 1970 to a peak of 16.5 pounds in 2006, average per capita supplies of seafood available for Americans to eat were 2 pounds less in 2014 at 14.5 pounds. Loss-adjusted availability (a proxy for consumption) was 2.7 ounces per week, or about one-third of recommendations.

ERS annually calculates the available supply of a commodity as the sum of production, imports, and beginning inventories minus exports; farm, industrial, and other nonfood uses; and ending inventories. Per capita estimates are determined by dividing the total annual supply of the commodity by the U.S. population for that year. ERS calculates a second set of data—loss-adjusted food availability—by adjusting for food spoilage, plate waste, and other losses at the retail and consumer levels, to more closely approximate actual intake.

Survey data show that while more than half of Americans meet or exceed Dietary Guidelines targets for the total protein foods group, most people need to make changes in their choice of foods within the group to reap the health benefits of seafood and stay within limits for total calories and saturated fat. Compared to the recommended 20 percent, seafood accounted for 5 percent of total consumption from the protein foods group in 2014, which was dominated by meat and poultry.

Consumers also chose a relatively limited variety of seafood products. Five foods—shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, tilapia, and Alaska pollock—made up nearly three-quarters of total seafood consumption in 2014. Low-cost imports of farm-raised shrimp, salmon, and tilapia and the use of wild-caught Alaska pollock in fast-food fish sandwiches, frozen fish sticks, and imitation crab meat have largely driven the popularity of these four seafood species.

Consumption of seafood may be limited by a number of factors, including a lack of awareness about the health benefits of seafood; unfamiliarity with preparation methods; higher retail prices, on average, compared with meat and poultry; and concerns about food safety and mislabeling of imported seafood products.

Read the full story at the USDA