Gone Fishing: Eat Fish Lose Fat

Fish is Good For You

Unless you live under a rock, you know eating fish is good for you.  I guess vegans will talk about mercury (if this concerns you, read here) but other than them, EVERYONE admits eating fish is healthy.  Seriously, how many foods can pretty much every spectrum of the nutrition world agree is good for you?  Off the top of my head, I think dark green leafy vegetables and fish pretty much cover it.

I remember reading that the average Japanese person consumes two servings of fish a day.  Is it any wonder why they live longer than anyone else?

Side note: an estimated .08% of Japanese people are vegetarian — they love fish and they live longer.

Fish is great but why?

Fish is high in Omega 3’s

Are you a serious lifter who just feels beat up?  My wrist hurts, my shoulder hurts, don’t get me started on my lower back…  If this is you, then maybe you have too much inflammation.  Recently, Stephanie talked about balancing your omega 6 to omega 3 ratio.  Most of our audience likely works out really hard and this is awesome – keep it up!  But if you couple this hard work with a poor omega 6 to omega 3 ratio then this could lead to serious inflammation.  Many athletes believe they have fibromyalgia when in reality they just need to increase their omega 3s.

Personally, I have a feeling the problem isn’t really with too much omega 6.  In fact, don’t be surprised if in a year or so researchers say the whole omega 6 to omega 3 ratio thing is a farce.  I think the true problem is that most Americans just do not consume enough omega 3.

If you are like most Americans, do this:

1. Add flax seed to your diet when you can.  Flax seed is super high in omega 3.
2. Take fish oil.  Aside from whey, this is probably the single best supplement you can take.

Do you need more reasons to increase your omega 3s?

• Omega 3s helps prevent heart disease.
• Omegas 3s fight cancer.
• Need more reasons?  Here are 61 health benefits of Omega 3s.

How does any of this help me look good naked?

Ok so I promised in my Bikinis banned article that my next few posts would provide tips for looking good in a bikini.

Hopefully, you read my green tea post and are already seeing some of the benefits.  Well this is the precise reason I chose fish as my topic.

Eat Fish for Fat Loss

For all you nutrition nerds, here is a cool study showing how much better a diet high in fish was vs. a standard vegetarian diet.  It turns out that people who eat a high amount of fish have better leptin levels.  Often people with poor leptin levels suffer from obesity, poor metabolic function, and fatigue.  Chalk one up for fish!

Fish is also a great source of protein, it is fairly low calorie, and it satiates.  If you are getting ready to look good on the beach then you are likely feeling hungry.  Satiety is more important than ever.

Salmon with Watermelon Salsa

Ingredients:
Salmon filets
Lemon wedges (2-3 per filet)
2 cups of diced watermelon
1 cup of diced mango
3 jalapenos (diced)
1 bunch of cilantro (finely chopped) and if you don’t like cilantro then mint leaves will work well.

Instructions:
Mix the watermelon, mango, jalapenos, and cilantro. Place in the fridge for about thirty minutes.
Bake the salmon at 250 degrees on a roasting pan for about 20-25 minutes or until firm.
When the salmon is done, serve over a bed of spinach with a large portion of the watermelon salsa.

Good luck and let us know how your fishing adventures work.

Sources:
http://whatjapanthinks.com/2009/01/08/fish-eating-and-vegetarian-statistics-in-japan/
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/05/17/national/japan-still-tops-in-life-expectancy/#.Uc3Th3dnCSo
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/106/21/2747.full
http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/omega-3-fatty-acids
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/61-health-benefits-omega-3-fatty-acids