Why is oily fish so good for you? – Surely fish is fish.
Make no bones about it, eating any fish is good for you, providing of course it’s not deep fried and coated in crispy batter from the chip shop. However, oily fish is particularly good for you for a number of reasons, the main one being, it is an incredibly rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
These fatty acids are essential nutrients and play a vital role throughout your body. Your brain contains large amounts and needs them to function properly, they reduce inflammation, thin your blood, lubricate skin and joints and generally improve your overall health and immune system.
In fact, fish-eating populations such as the Eskimos, tend to live longer with lower rates of disease.
But not all fish contains enough Omega 3s to be of any real benefit. The ones to look out for are the oil-rich, cold-water fish such as sardines, herring, mackerel, bluefish, salmon and trout, all of which contain large amounts of Omega 3s.
Eating oily fish three times a week should give you the minimum 7 grams of Omega 3s that health experts recommend, but you do need to be sure that the fish you buy comes from unpolluted waters. Many of the fish listed above inhabit rivers and coastal waters that have become contaminated and these contaminants can be passed down the food chain to us.
Alternatively, Omega 3s are also found in plants such as flax and hemp or you could try an Omega 3 supplement in liquid or capsule form.