The Hemp Connection:
tilapia

I've been working on my home study course for the past week, and one of the topics I spent quite a bit of time on…was my frustration about the misinformation we spread about fish. (I guess you could say"fish" is something I have a"beef" about…)

We have this tendency as nutritionists to create the perception that the only fish that has any omega-3 content…and therefore worth eating…is salmon.

I live in Phoenix. We love salmon here as much as anyone, but it's not a local fish. It's seasonal. And it's expensive. It's not the greatest choice if you have trouble with the"fishiness" of fish. And for many of the people I work with, it's simply not an affordable option.

And this idea that you have to eat salmon to get your omega-3's is simply not based in fact.

A few years ago I did an analysis of all seafood. And it turns out, whether or not you eat clams, shrimp, salmon, catfish, or mussels, you're getting omega-3's in your diet. So eat what you can get locally at an affordable price, and enjoy it!

I have a particular fondness for tilapia because it is a mild fish, it's affordable, available in most locations, and very doable for someone who's not a big fish lover. Secondly, I love this fish because it is farmed, which means it has the potential to feed a lot of people yet be a sustainable resource.

Have you considered what we do to the poor wild salmon population when we all quit eating other fish and eat this one and this one alone? It's not really logical or rational to assume that there are enough wild salmon in the Pacific to feed every person on the planet.

If you're not a tilapia fan, do take the time to visit this website: www.montereybayaquarium.org. They have a great list of seafood choices that are sustainable and therefore the ones to gravitate toward in the grocery store and in restaurants. I was surprised at what popular species are overfished and my shopping habits have changed to reflect what I learned.

I think one of the reasons people don't eat more fish is because it intimidates them. They don't know how to buy it. To cook it. So they don't prepare it.

I stumbled on an answer to that at Safeway Stores tonight. They have come up with a series of frozen, vacuum-packed seafood entrees that are the perfect basis for a healthy, easy weeknight meal.

Waterfront Bistro is the name of the product, and there are about 10 different varieties: Alaskan Cod, Halibut Steak, and Sockeye Salmon are plain and easily dressed up with fruit salsas or healthy sauces after grilling or broiling.

Want it to be easier than that? Try the Garlic Lemon Pepper Sockeye Salmon, Sesame Teriyaki Pacific Salmon, Toasted Black Pepper Tilapia, Tuscan Roasted Garlic Pacific Cod, Lemon Dijon Pacific Salmon, or the Sesame Chili Tilapia.

There are a couple of breaded varieties I'm not listing because some of the oils on the label were pro-inflammatory. But this still leaves you with a lot of choices for quick and easy seafood meals.

I challenge you to find these difficult or inconvenient ways to include more seafood in your life!

I was looking for a quick and easy meal to prepare for myself and a friend…and found this great option in the Trader Joe's freezer case!

Tilapia is a great"starter fish" for anyone who's thinking fish is just too strongly flavored to be a meal option. It's bland and it goes well with just about any kind of sauce, salsa, chutney…etc…that you might think of to top it with. Here's a chance to see what you think without much effort on your part!

I did a quick check around the Internet and most bloggers reviewing it also give it a thumbs up, with one caveat--you cook it in a traditional oven rather than in the microwave.

The dinner, with a salad and some quinoa, would easily serve two.

Give it a try and let us know what you think!

I wanted to share some thoughts about tilapia since a study just came out suggesting that it may not be a"healthy" fish, because its ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids was too high.

A few years ago I was looking for information on the fatty acid content of tilapia. It was nearly impossible to find. I did manage to find a tilapia researcher, Kevin Fitzsimmons, who makes a living helping countries develop tilapia farms for economic development.

He told me that the fatty acid content of tilapia varies from farm to farm and it is dependent on the market the tilapia are being sold to. For example, tilapia grown to be sold in China is actually very lean, because the Chinese like to make soups with their fish. Tilapia sold in the United States is very fat…because like everything else, Americans have to have fat, juicy, oversized portions of it.

So if an American researcher took a sample of American tilapia from just one farm, that had been fattened up to make the American consumer happy…OF COURSE this is what she would find if she analyzed the tissue!!!

We do the same thing to livestock. We fatten them with omega-6 predominant grains, then we complain that they're not good for us. I find it interesting that we mess with nature like this, then point the finger at nature when the food supposedly becomes a problem.

It's probably hard to do, and maybe that should be one of my projects, to find out what kinds of feed are given to tilapia at which farms. Maybe there are better ones out there who just didn't know they needed to promote their superior feed.

I would not interpret this finding in a completely negative fashion. Tilapia is a non-fishy tasting fish that has much potential for getting people who don't eat fish to even try it…once in awhile, a tilapia filet is fine. And in the meantime, maybe tilapia farmers can work to improve the quality of the food they feed their fish, so it contains the fatty acid balance that makes it a perfectly fine food choice.