One of the healthiest additions you can make to your diet is to eat more fish! It’s a great protein option and one of your best sources for omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fats are critical for brain health. They also help nourish the immune system, lower inflammation in the body, support heart health, and help with healing and repair post surgery or injury.
The problem though is most people do not get enough omega-3 fats in their diet. And unless you’re taking a supplement, you will be deficient in this very important nutrient.
You can read more about the health benefits of Omega-3 Fats plus how to get more in your diet from both animal and plant based sources HERE.
I think one of the best ways to do this is by eating more fish. Wild, cold-water, oily fish will be your best source. That’s because these fish have higher amounts of omega-3s per gram (or ounce) with lower amounts of mercury or other contaminants.
I love this chart I found in an article from The Washington Post several years ago. It gives a nice round-up of which fish are the safest and healthiest, when it comes to Omega-3s.
My personal goal and the goal I share with my clients is to aim for 2 servings of fish every week plus a daily dose of plant-based omega-3s…from foods like ground flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, or walnuts.
Now if you’re not used to eating or cooking fish this may seem like a lot. Start with 1 meal per week centered around fish and then gradually add in more.
The following recipe is a super easy, fool-proof way to start. And it works well for many of those fish in the upper corner of the chart.
I like to cook salmon, trout, halibut, and cod this way. You can experiment with other fish too.
Easy Stove-Top Fish
Ingredients
- Fish (the amount depends on how much you want to eat or how many people you’re serving…I typically purchase about 200 grams per adult (or 3-4 oz per adult).
- Organic, Pasture-Raised Butter
- Fresh Lemon Slices
- Herbes de Provence
- Optional: organic dry white wine
Directions
Step 1: Place ~½ inch water at the base of a medium-sized pan.
Step 2: Place your fish in the pan with several slices of butter and lemon on (or in) each fish. Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over each fish.
Step 3: Cook the fish for about 10 minutes, uncovered, on medium-high heat, flip the fish, and cook another 5-10 minutes…just until the flesh is cooked through (the time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish) → Bottom line: fish cooks fast and you don’t want it to dry out.
Optional Step: Before you flip the fish for the final stretch of cooking you can add some white wine to the pan for a little added flavor.
That’s it. Not much to it and yet such a big health boost. Serve hot; I like to warm my plates for a bit in the oven since fish will cool down very quickly and won’t be as tasty when it’s not hot.
I like to serve my fish with a couple sides. Sometimes this is a grain like rice or couscous with a salad and sometimes it’s with 2 veggies; like golden cauliflower or roasted rainbow carrots and a mache salad. In the summer I like to put it on top of a big colorful salad or nourish bowl.
The best part is fish goes with just about anything. So mix and match different sides each week to keep things simple but interesting.
Give it a try and let me know what you think?!
