What Are The Health Benefits of Fish and Chips
Have you ever wondered about the health benefits of fish and chips? If you haven’t , then it’s about time that you learned more about the nutritional value of this type of food. More people are enjoying eating fish and chips because when they are homemade, they are healthier than fast food restaurants. But is eating healthy really that simple? Or, are there certain criteria that you need to follow when choosing to eat fish and chips? In this article we will focus on this foods impact within the context of the US.
Preparing Healthy Fish And Chips
The truth is that the dietary guidelines for Americans have changed over the last few years. The previous dietary guidelines focused more on avoiding fat, but today, the focus is on eating foods that are lower in fat. In fact, the current dietary guidelines for the US may be leading to increased heart disease, obesity, osteoporosis, and other ailments. Because of these recent changes in dietary guidelines, it is important for people to learn more about the benefits of eating fish and chips.
One of the most common health benefits of fish and chips is found in the fish oil. Yes, we all know that fish and oil are great for you. The problem is that most fish used to be oily, or high in mercury. Today, fish is often low in mercury and is high in the omega-3 fatty acids that are known to promote heart health. Fish is also a good source of essential fatty acids that you need for overall brain health.
Further Health Benefits
Another one of the main health benefits of fish and chips is found in the high protein content. We all know that protein is essential for building muscle and tissue. And fish and beef are very good sources of high protein. However, when the fish are high in saturated fats, they can create a bad cholesterol profile in your body. By eating fish and beef, you can lower your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) while promoting HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
Of course, there are many other health benefits of eating fish and chips, such as providing essential fatty acids and lowering blood pressure. There are even more specific health benefits of fish and chips, such as reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and arthritis. It’s because of the fish’s high antioxidant content, as well as its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids that it has all of these health benefits. When you eat fish, the more of these antioxidants you get, which means that you are less likely to develop chronic diseases.
What Have We Learned?
Studies have shown that in the US the average American consumes only half of the recommended daily allowance of fish per person, which is unfortunate since fish supplies such high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Why is this? Because it takes so much fish oil to get the recommended daily allowance, because it is mostly found in fish that have been farm raised. Other foods may contain higher amounts of the nutrient, but because of the cost of getting fresh fish and the time necessary to prepare it, the American diet simply does not have access to high amounts of this nutrient.
In britain on the other hand, fish is much more popular as a staple diet, partly due to being seafaring nation. However much of this fish is consumed in takeaways. Whilst some takeaways can be healthy, many fail to properly clean and degrease areas. Fatty oil may also be used in the preparation of the fish. Therefore, we can conclude that fish and chips can be both healthy and unhealthy depending on how it is purchased and prepared. We recommend home cooking your fish with lean chips an fresh fish for the best health benefits.