Love Your Heart by Eating Seafood Twice a Week!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Fortunately, many risk factors are things we have control over – such as our food and lifestyle choices. Making nutritious food choices and working in physical activity throughout the day are two excellent ways to help keep your family’s heart beating strong.

Did you know that eating seafood twice a week could help to improve your omega-3 levels and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease? Just a simple shift in your eating pattern can put you on a positive path to improve your heart health.

Seafood is a very important part of a healthy diet. Fish and shellfish are the major sources of healthful omega-3 fats and are also rich in nutrients such as vitamin D and selenium, high in protein, and low in saturated fat. There is strong evidence that eating fish or taking fish oil is good for the heart and blood vessels.

The strong and consistent evidence for benefits is such that the American Heart Association, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and World Health Organization recommend seafood at least twice a week, aiming to take in an average of 250-500 mg daily of omega-3s EPA and DHA. Higher intakes of 1 gram and above are supported for a range of cardiovascular benefits.

AHA: “We conclude that 1 to 2 seafood meals per week be included to reduce the risk of congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and sudden cardiac death, especially when seafood replaces the intake of less healthy foods.”

 

4 Tips to Cooking Heart Healthy:

1. Select fish as your lean protein option. Fill up the rest of your plate with healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
2. Consider cooking with healthy fats. Opt for unsaturated fats such as olive oil in moderation during meal preparation.
3. Try healthier cooking methods like grilling, poaching, roasting, broiling, and pan-searing.
4. Use fresh herbs, spices, and citrus in place of added salt to enhance food with bold flavors.

Heart Healthy Recipes:

For more heart-healthy recipes, please check out our high omega-3 recipes and visit the American Heart Association.

1. Sardine Simmered with Roma Tomatoes

2. Blood Orange Salmon

3. Mustard Baked Mackerel

4. Air Fryer Sweet & Sour Salmon

5. Blackened Swordfish with Corn and Tomato Relish

6. Pesto Salmon

7. Oysters on the Half Shell 

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