Health Defence Blog

Guest blogger: Juliette Kellow - Fish Is The Dish Nutritionist

February 21, 2016

Omega-3 fats are a special type of fat and an important part of a heart-healthy diet. They can also be referred to as “essential” fats. This is because our body cannot produce them, so we must get them from our food.

Cod-laborating with the Live Better Blog this week is our special guest blogger, Fish is the Dish’s resident nutritionist Juliette Kellow. ‘Fish is the Dish’ have recently launched a health campaign aimed at promoting the benefits of omega-3. Here, Juliette shares her top 10 facts about omega-3 – and why eating oily fish will help your body and mind to stay fit and healthy. It’s all about the superfishoil!

Enter our Superfishoil competition for the chance to win a £250 set of pots and pans – note: this competition is now closed.

1. Omega-3 fats in fish help to maintain our blood pressure. It’s one of the many health benefits that omega-3 has for our bodies. High blood pressure is one of the main risk factors for stroke, which accounts for 7% of deaths in men and 10% in women. One in three adults have high blood pressure, so omega-3 can make a huge difference to our health.

2. When it comes to omega-3, mackerel is the winner – hands down. Mackerel contains the most omega-3 fats of all seafood, with 170g of the raw oily fish containing 4420mg. That’s a lot of omega-3!

3. It’s not an old wives tail – fish really is good for the brain. Omega-3 is proven to be important for normal brain function. It’s vital for your body no matter your age, but especially for mums-to-be and breastfeeding women, for a baby’s brain development.

4. Despite all the health benefits, most people – a massive 73% – still don’t know that they should eat two portions of seafood a week, one of which should be an oily fish.

5. And when we conducted research, 18% of people questioned didn’t know the difference between omega-3 fats and saturated fats, saying that both were bad for your health (for the record, we want less of the ‘bad’ saturated fats, and more of the omega-3s!)

6. The majority of people – 96% of Brits – have no idea how much omega-3 fat they should have. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition say that eating two-servings-a-week provides 3150mg a week – which averages at around 450mg a day.

7. It’s not just oily fish that contain omega-3 fats. Most other fish, including shellfish and white fish, contain omega-3 fats too.

8. Omega-3 fats aren’t just found in fish – they’re also in plant foods such as flaxseed, rapeseed oil, walnuts and green leafy vegetables. But crucially, omega-3 in fish converts more efficiently, meaning your body gets more of the health benefits.

9. Most people – 85% – don’t know what a serving of fish should weigh. The two-a-week guidelines are based on each serving weighing 170g raw or 140g cooked.

10. Oily fish contain much more than just omega-3. Most oily fish also provide protein, B vitamins – B2, B3, B6 and B12, vitamin D, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, and iodine.

The Superfishoil CHSS Pan-Tastic Competition – this competition is now closed.

Win a Prestige pots and pan kit – perfect for showing off your skills in the kitchen and getting your two weekly serving of seafood!

CHSS has teamed up with Fish is the Dish to support their Superfishoil health campaign aimed at making people aware of the many health benefits of omega-3.

Note: the views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.