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I consider my diet to be pretty healthy. I'm willing to try a wide variety of foods, but there is one thing that I've never been able to eat: seafood. My parents love fish and seafood, so growing up, I tried all kinds. The only seafood I ever actually enjoyed was breaded popcorn shrimp, mostly because it tasted more like fried batter than anything else. I wish I could enjoy fish. I take a DHA supplement because my diet is lacking in the healthy Omega-3's that fish provides. My husband loves fish, but I never cook it at home (because in general, I don't cook things I don't eat.) So I'm afraid my kids are going to develop my distaste for fish, only because they aren't being exposed to it regularly. The USDA recommends to eat at least 8 ounces of seafood per week (which is about two servings). According to a report from the Journal of Food Service, 45% of Americans eat seafood once a week, and only 22% eat it twice a week. I have a feeling that most people who don't aren't like me and just don't enjoy the taste of it. So why are those numbers so low? Some of the most common reasons for not eating more seafood are cost, limited access to fresh product, fear of contaminants (like mercury) and lack of knowledge about how to prepare it. There are good reasons to incorporate seafood into your diet, the biggest being that seafood can be a good source of Omega-3's. Research shows that Omega 3's can reduce the risk of heart disease, arthritis, and are important for brain development and cognitive performance. (That's why I give my kids a fish oil supplement.) For most people, the benefits of eating a diet that includes seafood outweigh the risks. |
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