About Seafood

Protein

What is it?

Protein is an important part of every cell in the human body and makes up a large part of your skin, hair, nails, muscles, organs and glands. Enzymes, hormones and blood all contain protein too. The foods you eat all have varying amounts of protein. Some common protein-rich foods include fish, meat, beans and dairy foods.

Proteins are made up of smaller building blocks called amino acids. Your body is able to take the proteins you eat as food and break them down into amino acids. It can then use these amino acids to put together new proteins for a variety of uses in your body.

Why do I need it in my diet?

Your body needs protein from food to repair cells and make new ones. It’s a necessary part of your diet in all stages of your life, but especially during those when you tend to grow a lot—like childhood and adolescence. You may also need a little extra protein during injury and sickness; women need a little more protein during pregnancy.

If you take in more protein than your body needs, it can’t be stored in the same form for later use (extra protein is turned into fat for storage). So, you must eat a little bit of protein each day to make sure your body has enough to work properly. The amount of protein you need depends on your age and health. Generally, most adults need only 2 to 3 servings of protein rich food to meet their needs. About 3 ounces of meat, poultry or fish counts as one serving.

Healthy Suggestions:

All protein isn’t alike. Many high protein foods also happen to have a lot of unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol. The good news is you can choose which protein-rich foods you eat. For example, a serving of protein-rich canned or pouch tuna is lower in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol than an equal serving of beef, pork, chicken or lamb.

Omega-3 fatty acids

What is it?

Omega-3 fatty acids are a healthy type of fat. There are two main categories of omega-3s.

• Plants and nuts contain mostly alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) omega-3s. These are also called short-chain omega-3s.
• Fish contain mostly eicosapetaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These are called long-chain omega-3s.

The body does a poor job of converting short-chain omega-3s to long-chain omega-3s, so it is important to eat fish to get plenty of EPA and DHA omega-3s.

Why do I need it in my diet?

You need omega-3 fatty acids in your diet because your body cannot make them on its own. Because of this, they are considered “essential.” Omega-3s play an important role in the way your brain works and are necessary for normal growth and development.

A wealth of research tells us that omega-3 fatty acids contribute to good heart health by decreasing blood triglyceride levels, slowing the buildup of plaques that contribute to the “hardening of the arteries,” lowering blood pressure slightly, and reducing the risk of abnormal heart rhythms that can lead to sudden death.

Pregnant women, newborn and young children also benefit from omega-3s. DHA helps babies’ eyes and brains develop normally. During pregnancy, all of the DHA gathered by the growing baby must come from the mother’s diet. And the richest whole food source of DHA is fish, especially oily fish like tuna.

Tuna: An Excellent Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Healthy Suggestions:

For an easy and tasty meal that’s high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fat and cholesterol, choose canned or pouch tuna. Canned white tuna (albacore) contains almost 3 times as much omega-3 fatty acid as canned light tuna. Pregnant and nursing women can safely eat 12 ounces of light tuna per week or six ounces of albacore.

Vitamin D

What is it?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it will dissolve in fat, but not in water. It can be made in your body after exposure to the sun, but many people don’t get enough vitamin D this way for optimal health. Instead, your diet provides much of the vitamin D you need every day. Food sources include fortified products like milk, some brands of orange juice, and ready-to-eat cereals. Canned and pouch tuna is one of the few foods that is naturally a very good source of the vitamin.

Why do I need it in my diet?

The major role of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. It helps to build and maintain strong bones and prevents rickets and osteomalacia—diseases of the skeleton where the bones become soft and weak. It may also help to prevent certain types of cancer and diabetes.

Healthy Suggestions:

Seafood, like tuna, is one of the few naturally rich sources of vitamin D. Include it at least twice a week along with other nutrient-rich whole foods as part of your healthy diet.

Selenium

What is it?

Selenium is a mineral you need in very small amounts for good health. It is found in soil, water, and some foods including nuts, meats, and seafood. Canned and pouch tuna is an especially good source of selenium.

Why do I need it in my diet?

Selenium plays a key role in the way your immune system works. It’s part of your body’s antioxidant defense system and helps to prevent damage to your cells and tissues. New research points to selenium’s potential role in cancer and heart disease prevention. It may also help to protect you from the effects of mercury exposure.

Healthy Suggestions:

Eating a balanced diet from all the food groups, including fish like canned and pouch tuna, will provide you with all the selenium you need for good health. One 3-ounce serving of tuna provides 95% of the selenium you need every day.