Tag: seafood

Not so fast! Numerous studies have shown that getting your omega-3 fatty acid intake from a supplement does not have the same health benefits as getting them from real food, which generally means seafood. In fact, some studies have shown that omega-3 supplements have precisely zero cardiovascular or cognitive benefits. This seems counter-intuitive, so what gives? The details are not all worked out yet, but some possible reasons for this discrepancy are:

• Nutritional supplements are not regulated in the US, so there is no guarantee that those fish oil capsules you bought actually contain what the label says they do.
• The additional nutrients you get when eating fish may interact synergistically with the omega-3 fatty acids to provide health benefits. These additional nutrients are of course lacking when you take supplements.
• The omega-3 fatty acids in supplements have been processed and seems to be absorbed by your body less efficiently that those directly from seafood.

What about vegetarians/vegans and those allergic to seafood? Fortunately, there are good plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids, for example flax seed (and flax seed oil), chia seeds, walnuts, and soybeans.

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Some fresh (not frozen) scallops you see in the store are as white as snow. Others are more of a pale tan/ivory color. Many people mistakenly think the whiteness means better quality. Actually, it is the reverse.

The snow white scallops are called “wet scallops” because they are soaked in a solution of water and sodium tripolyphosphate. This helps to preserve them and also causes them to absorb more water–and to turn pure white. As a result, the same amount of scallops will weigh more after soaking than before, and bring in more money.

The “dry” scallops are not soaked and hence keep their natural tan/ivory color.

Most seafood lovers always head to the fresh fish counter and never go near the frozen seafood case. Why? Because fresh – that is, never frozen – seafood is generally considered to be higher in quality. This is a misconception. It’s true that high-quality fresh seafood is the gold standard, meaning that it has been handled properly, kept at the proper temperature, and isn’t too old. Unfortunately, most of the “fresh” seafood sold in this country does not meet this standard—you see some pretty sad looking specimens for sale! In contrast, much of the frozen seafood is frozen right on the boats, soon after being caught, or maybe as soon as the boat returns to port. The result can be very good quality fish or shellfish, better than the tired old fillets at the fish counter. So, don’t turn your nose up at it.