This week, the USDA Economic Research Service published an article about seafood that tells an all too familiar tale, “Americans’ Seafood Consumption Below Recommendations.”

The article highlights seafood as a nutrient-dense source of protein, low in calories and saturated fat, and rich in key vitamins and nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

The USDA’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans eat a variety of protein food, including at least 2 servings of seafood per week, as part of a healthy eating pattern. Consumption data shows that most Americans are eating enough protein in general, but they’re not eating enough seafood.

The chart below illustrates that just 5% of the protein foods Americans ate in 2014 consisted of seafood, while the recommendation is 20%:

At a time when Americans are told to limit so many foods, seafood is among the handful of foods Americans are encouraged to eat more often, and the information in this article helps illustrate why. Plus, adding seafood into a meal plan just twice each week is not a difficult feat. Visit DishOnFish.com for recipe ideas and preparation tips. It’s time Americans #ShiftToFish.