Fish: The Best Source of Proteins

Many of us already know the importance of proteins to our body. Proteins play a crucial role in the membrane to ensure our body cells can live as efficiently and effectively as possible. Today in our modern world, we have abundant sources of proteins to choose from. They come from animal meats, such as, beef, pork, chicken, fishes, and etc. They are also available from vegetables, such as, beans and nuts. The question is: What is the best source of proteins?

It is a question less about animal or vegetable proteins, but more about what comes with them. While providing quality proteins, beans, nuts, and whole grains offer healthy fiber, vitamins and minerals. Salmon and Kona Kampachi, on the other hand, are rich of Omega-3 fatty acids, which is proven to be effective in lowering cholesterol in your blood vessels. With regular inclusion of salmons in my meals, I have kept my cholesterol in check and stayed away from heart diseases.

Although Salmon and Kampachi are fishes of excellent choice, each kind of fishes has its unique texture and flavor. Small fish such as orange roughy is sweet and tender, while large fish such as tuna tends to be a bit chewy. You should be aware that some long-live fishes and shellfishes contain higher level of mercury that may cause harms to children's nervous system, though. Although how much intake is considered safe is debatable, you should at least read the FDA/EPA report to understand the facts.

Another controversial subject with regards to fish is: wild v.s. farm-raised fish. In a 2006 Harvard School of Public Health study, printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (10/06), it was shown that the consumption of fish, all fish, including farmed-fish, may reduce the risk of coronary death by 36% and total mortality by 17%. A similar report was released by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although higher level of PCB's, dioxins, and/or artificial coloring is found in farmed fish, it is not considered alarming. Thanks to the new farming technology, Kona Kampachi is currently raised in so-called "open-ocean" fish farms near Hawaii. The Kampachi fish farms are far away from the shore to avoid potential pollutions and are much less crowded. The farms are in 2,000 feet deep of the ocean to allow Kampachi to develop Omega 3 fatty acids.

There are a wide verity of cooking techniques that I would like to share with you in my future posts. I enjoy sashimi - raw fishes as well as grilled ones. I hope all fishtarians enjoy fishes as much as they want.