Wellness Wednesday

I am very saddened by the news I must share with you today. But as your Registered Dietitian I feel it is my responsibility to pass on all relevant breaking Nutrition related news. Well actually, the news I have to pass on is NOT so late breaking, it actually was published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association in July 2008. Unfortunately, my copy of that particular Journal issue was filed neatly away with all my other unopened journals. (There- I admit it, I don't read my professional journals!! Every year "Read 1 Journal article a month" gets put on my New Year's resolution list; but let's face it when I have a split second to sit and actually read an article I would much rather look at the pictures in Better Homes and Gardens then read about "Negative Association between Tofu Intake and Anemia in Jiangsu China" (actual article, no offense to Zumin, Shi- I'm sure it is a fascinating read)) Anyways.... I might still be in the dark about the issue to which this long introductory paragraph is about, had not my dear friend sent me an email.

OK NIKI ENOUGH ALL READY!- WHAT IS THE NEWS?

Ok, Ok here it is....... You know how every week I put at least 1 fish recipe on the weekly menu in an effort to help us meet the American Heart Association's recommendation to eat at least 2 servings of fish/week for heart health. And if you have paid any attention at all to my recipes you would know that my fish of choice is usually Tilapia. Well it turns out all fish are not created equal and some fish could actually be doing more harm than good!!! And guess what fish is getting the most attention for it's potential harmful effects? That's right- TILAPIA! specifically farm raised tilapia.

I didn't believe it myself when my friend sent me a link to a recent story she had seen on our local news. You can go here to watch it for yourself.

Refusing to believe my beloved fish was out to get me, I started researching. Boy was I surprised that the study the MD referred to was straight out of my own National Association's journal. After dusting off my copy, I read the article word for word and here is what I learned:

Farm Raised Tilapia's Omega 6 content greatly exceeds it's amount of Omega 3s creating an unfavorable Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. Got it?!? Of course not, unless you have a degree in nutrition you are probably still confused. Lucky for us I do have such a degree so let me further break it down for you.

There are two essential fatty acids: Omega 3 (DHA and EPA) and Omega 6 (aracidonic acid and linoleic acid). Both are essential for normal body function and both have been shown to have heart health benefits. However too much Omega 6, especially in conjunction with low intakes of Omega 3 fatty acids, have been shown to cause an inflammatory response. In other words- not good.

The problem with farm raised tilapia is that the Omega 6 fatty acids way out number the amount of heart healthy Omega 3s. In other words, If the whole reason we are told to eat at least 2 servings of fish a week is to increase our Omega 3 intake thus lowering our risk for heart disease- farm raised Tilapia might not be the best choice.

Which fish scored the best: Salmon and Farmed Trout. These 2 had the highest concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids and very low amounts of Omega 6.

Bottom line:
Q. Do you need to go get your stomach pumped because of the tilapia fish tacos you had for lunch?
A. Absolutely Not.

Q. Will I stop cooking with tilapia?
A. No. It is still a very lean meat choice and provides other valuable nutrients. I am simply going to limit my tilapia recipes to 1 or 2 a month and purposefully increase our Salmon and Trout intake.

If you have any specific questions regarding this topic please feel free to leave a comment.