Super-food: Go Fish

The question I get asked the most is, “Kathy, what’s the most important thing I can do for my health?” The most important thing you can do is take good care of your heart.  To be more specific, I am talking about getting regular exercise, not smoking and controlling stress, along with eating a variety of nutritious, heart-healthy foods as part of a healthy diet. The top “super-food” that I tell people to add to their list of favorite heart health boosters is fish. But not just any fish. Fish that is a good source of omega-3 fats.

Fatty fish guard your heart, brain and circulatory system. Plus there is evidence that people suffering from depression can benefit from diets rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a certified dermatologist and well known anti-aging expert, is considered the “father of fish oil” because he was one of the first serious supporters of fish oil supplements as well as wild salmon for supplying the body with much-needed essential fatty acids (EFAs) necessary for healthy, young looking, supple skin.

So what’s the difference between wild salmon and farmed salmon? There are some very compelling reasons why you might want to choose wild salmon. It has high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, and a healthier ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s. It has a lot less saturated fat than most farmed salmon does, and it’s a superior source of DMAE, the main ingredient for better muscle tone. Wild Sockeye salmon is the best choice because they eat algae instead of small fish, like their cousins the Coho and King. This means Sockeye don’t absorb as many toxic chemicals that they can pass on to us.

In addition to being heart healthy, fish oil does make you smarter if you make it a regular part of your diet. It strengthens brain cell membranes and enhances cell-to-cell communication. People that take it over time find they can remember in depth conversations, think on their feet, do better on tests and have less difficultly reading maps.