Weight Debate

Serves - 6
Serving size - 1 cut piece (cut into 6 pieces)

Ingredients
2 pounds fish fillets, such as catfish or cod
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
1/4 cup skim milk or 1 percent buttermilk
2 drops hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup cornflakes, crumbled or regular bread crumbs
1 fresh lemon, cut in wedges
Vegetable oil spray

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 475° F.
2. Wipe fillets with lemon juice and pat dry.
3. Combine milk, hot pepper sauce, and garlic.
4. Combine pepper, salt, and onion powder with cornflake crumbs and place on a plate.
5. Let fillets sit in milk briefly. Remove and coat fillets on both sides with seasoned crumbs. Let stand briefly until coating sticks to each side of fish.
6. Arrange on lightly oiled shallow baking dish.
7. Bake 20 minutes on middle rack with turning.
8. Cut into 6 pieces. Serve with fresh lemon.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (mg = milligrams)
Calories – 183
Total Fat – 2 grams
Saturated Fat – less than 1 gram
Cholesterol – 80 mg
Sodium – 325 mg

“Fish to avoid” is for everyone – but especially for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children. Some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may harm an unborn baby or young child’s developing nervous system.

Knowing what fish to avoid will help you gain the health benefits from fish and keep your exposure to mercury, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other toxics low.

AVOID these fish due to mercury:
Women who are or may become pregnant, nursing mothers, and young children should NOT eat:

• Mackerel (King)
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Tilefish
• Marlin (imported)
• Tuna Steak
  • Bluefin
  • Bigeye (imported longline)
  • Yellowfin (imported longline)

( Red Text: Overfished, farmed, or caught using methods harmful to marine life and/or environment).

Safe to Eat
It is safe to eat 2 to 3 average meals a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Some fish low in mercury are:

• Anchovies
• Butterfish
• Catfish
• Clams
• Cod (Pacific)
• Crab (Blue, King, Snow) (US, Canada)
• Crab-Imitation
• Flounder/Sole (Pacific)
• Herring
• Mackerel (canned)
• Oysters
• Pollock – Fish sticks
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Scallops
• Shrimp – Prawns (US, Canada)
• Squid – Calamari
• Tilapia (US, Central/South America)
• Trout
• Tuna – canned light

Albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. When choosing your meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat 1 average meal of albacore tuna per week.

An average meal is:
A seafood serving or “average meal” is about the size and thickness of your hand, or 1 ounce for every 20 pounds of body weight. Example:

• 160 pound Adult = 8 oz.
• 80 pound Child = 4 oz.

Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 1 average meal per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish during that week.

Remember:
Fish is a great source of protein, vitamins, and nutrients. Fish is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which provide protection from heart disease and are great brain food for you, your children and if you are pregnant, for your unborn child.

So… eat fish, but make smart choices and choose fish that are low in mercury, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), and other contaminants.

Visit www.doh.wa.gov for more information.

Fish is low in fat.
Fish is low in calories.
Fish is high in protein.
Fish is good for your heart and brain.
Fish is a good choice for people with diabetes.

Fish is an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids, a fatty acid that your body cannot produce on its own. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in every kind of fish, but Omega 3 fatty acids are especially high in fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, and anchovies. Good fish choices for Omega 3′s include:

• Salmon
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Herring
• Anchovies
• Tuna – canned light
• Trout
• Sea bass
• Oysters
• Crab
• Perch
• Shrimp
• Cod

Numerous studies show that Omega-3 fatty acids:

• Decrease heart disease.
• Reduce blood pressure.
• Help prevent arthritis.
• Help prevent abnormal heart rhythms.
• Promote healthy brain function.
• Aids short-term memory – The Rush Institute for Healthy Aging states that people who eat at least one meal of fish per week will be significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who never eat fish.

Fish is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.

• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) which aids the body in the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates.
• Vitamin D, which aids calcium absorption to help prevent osteoporosis.
• Calcium.
• Phosphorus.
• Iron.
• Zinc.
• Potassium.
• Iodine.
• Magnesium.

When people eat meat instead of fish, they decrease their intake of these essential vitamins, minerals, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

All fish contains some cholesterol and fat, but most fish is lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than beef, turkey, chicken, and pork.

Warning:
Due to high mercury levels certain fish, women of childbearing age and children should not eat

• King macerel
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Tilefish

Broiled fish, baked fish, or grilled fish – instead of fried fish – can be part of a healthy weight-loss plan.

You can’t tell if food is done by looking at it. Use a food thermometer to be sure.

Temperature Rules for Safe Cooking
Make sure you cook and keep foods at the correct temperature to ensure food safety. Bacteria can grow in foods between 40 °F and 140 °F. To keep foods out of this danger zone, keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

Use a clean thermometer and measure the internal temperature of cooked food to make sure meat, poultry, and egg dishes are cooked to the temperatures listed below.

USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures

Beef, Veal, Lamb, Steaks & Roasts – 145 °F

Fish – 145 °F

Pork (medium) – 160 °F
Pork (well done) – 170 °F

Ground meats – beef, veal, lamb, pork – 160 °F
Ground turkey, chicken – 165 °F

Egg dishes – 160 °F
Eggs – cook until yolk and white are firm.

Poultry breasts – 170 °F

Whole chicken, turkey, dark meat, duck and goose – 180 °F

Blood Cholesterol Level

To lower your blood cholesterol level, choose only the leanest meats, fish, shellfish, and poultry. Even the leanest of these have saturated fat and cholesterol, so limit the total amount you eat to 5 ounces or less per day.

Often when people cut back on meat they eat cheese instead, thinking they are cutting back on saturated fat and cholesterol. A serving of most natural and many processed cheeses have less cholesterol, but more than six times the saturated fat in a serving of chicken without the skin and almost twice that of lean round steak.

Poultry

• Choose chicken and turkey without skin or remove skin before eating.
• White meat contains less saturated fat than the dark meat.
• Limit goose and duck, which are high in saturated fat, even with the skin removed.
• Some chicken and turkey hot dogs are lower in saturated fat and total fat than pork and beef hot dogs. There are also “lean” beef hot dogs and vegetarian (made with tofu) franks that are low in fat and saturated fat.

Fish and Shellfish

• Some fish, like cod, have less saturated fat than chicken or meat.
• Shellfish varies in cholesterol content. Shellfish have little saturated fat and total fat.
• Shrimp can be enjoyed occasionally provided you eat less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day. For example, 3 ounces of steamed shrimp has 167 milligrams of cholesterol.

Meat Substitute

• Dry peas and beans and tofu (bean curd) are great meat substitutes that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
• Dry peas and beans have a lot of fiber, which can help to lower blood cholesterol.
• Try adding 1/2 cup of beans to pasta, soups, casseroles, and vegetable dishes.
• Tofu takes on the flavor of marinades well. Try marinating tofu in a nonfat dressing or a tangy sauce and grilling or baking for a heart healthy dish.

Listeriosis is a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes can be found in soil and water, and in a variety of raw foods.

• Raw unpasteurized and pasteurized milk, high fat and other dairy products like butter and cream.
• Cheeses – particularly soft ripened and unripened varieties – examples: feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, queso blanco fresco, cottage and ricotta cheese.
• Ice cream
• Raw fruits and vegetables
• Fermented raw-meat sausages
• Raw and cooked poultry
• Raw meats (all types)
• Raw and smoked fish and seafood – examples: smoked finfish and mollusks.
• Cooked crustaceans – examples: shrimp and crab

Listeria is killed by pasteurization and cooking, but, in certain ready-to-eat foods, such as hot dogs and deli meats, contamination may occur after cooking by the manufacture but before packaging.

Important!! Listeria monocytogenes can survive at refrigerated temperatures.

Anyone can get listeriosis, but it is especially harmful to pregnant women, their fetuses, newborns, older adults, and adults with weakened immune systems.

Listeriosis can be passed to an unborn baby through the placenta even if the mother is not showing signs of illness. This can lead to:

• Premature delivery
• Miscarriage
• Spontaneous abortion
• Stillbirth
• Serious health problems for the newborn, even death

Reduce Your Risk

• Avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk and raw milk products.
• Eat precooked and ready-to-eat foods as soon as you can, and don’t eat hot dogs, luncheon meats, deli meats, or leftovers unless they are reheated to steaming hot.
• Don’t get fluid from hot dog packages on other foods, utensils, and food preparation surfaces.
• Wash hands after handling hot dogs, luncheon meats, deli meats, and uncooked foods.
• Don’t eat refrigerated pâté or meat spreads. It is safe to eat canned or shelf-stable pâté and meat spreads
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Avoid meat and seafood cooked rare.
• Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood unless it is an ingredient in a cooked dish such as a casserole. Examples: salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, and mackerel which are most often labeled as “nova-style,” “lox,” “kippered,” “smoked,” or “jerky.” It is safe to eat canned fish such as salmon and tuna or shelf-stable smoked seafood.

Symptoms of Listeriosis

• Fever
• Chills
• Muscle aches
• Diarrhea
• Upset stomach

If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms may include:

• Headache
• Stiff neck
• Confusion
• Loss of balance
• Convulsions

Also, more severe complications can occur. Check with your doctor if you have these symptoms. A blood test will show if you have listeriosis.

Treatment
Antibiotics are given to treat listeriosis.

Not eating healthy affects your risk for having heart disease and poor blood circulation, which can lead to a heart attack and/or stroke. Heart disease is the number 1 killer of American men and women, and stroke is the number 3 killer.

In the main type of heart disease, a fatty substance called plaque builds up in the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood to the heart. Over time, this buildup causes the arteries to narrow and harden. When this happens, the heart does not get all the blood it needs to work properly. The result can be chest pain or a heart attack.

Most cases of stroke occur when a blood vessel bringing blood to the brain becomes blocked. The underlying condition for this type of blockage is having fatty deposits lining the vessel walls.

Foods That Help Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke
Fruits and vegetables.
Grains – At least half of your grains should be whole grains, such as:

• Whole wheat
• Whole oats
• Oatmeal
• Whole-grain corn
• Brown rice
• Wild rice
• Whole rye
• Whole-grain barley
• Buckwheat
• Bulgur
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Sorghum

Fat-free or low-fat versions of milk, cheese, yogurt, and other milk products.
Fish, skinless poultry, lean meats, dry beans, eggs, and nuts.
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats found in fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

Limit the Amount of These Foods:
Eating lots of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol may cause plaque buildup in your arteries.
Eating lots of sodium may cause you to develop high blood pressure, also called hypertension, which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Eating lots of added sugars may cause you to develop type 2 diabetes, which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Omega-3 is a type of fat called omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fatty acid that our bodies cannot produce.

Omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart and research suggests that it lowers your chances of dying from heart disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids are dietary essentials, and are critical to brain development and function. Increasing evidence suggests that a relative lack of omega-3 may contribute to many psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish promote healthy vision and brain development in infants and reduce risks of cardiovascular disease in the general population.

Good Sources of Omega-3s Include:

• Supplements
• Salmon
• Soybean oil
• Canola oil
• Walnuts
• Flaxseed oil
• Flaxseed – you must grind the seeds to get the benefits

Salmon is high in protein and an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Wild salmon is a great choice, but farmed salmon can also be a good alternative.

Fish that naturally contain more oil such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, anchovies, and sardines, have more omega-3 fatty acids than lean fish such as cod, haddock, and catfish. Be careful about eating too much shellfish. Shrimp is a type of shellfish that has a lot of cholesterol.