Lean proteins are an important part of an adult’s diet. For years, people heard warnings of mercury in fish. If your parents would like to enjoy seafood more often, it helps to learn how to increase their consumption without choosing fish that are higher in mercury. Here’s what you need to know.
Which Fish Have the Higher Mercury Levels?
The fish with the highest mercury levels tend to be fish like Chilean sea bass, king mackerel, shark, swordfish, tilefish, and tuna. If your parents can avoid those, it’s ideal. The one exception is canned tuna, which has lower levels of mercury.
Instead, they could choose cod, perch, hake, and lobster and limit it to once or twice a week. For the remaining days, they should stick to the fish and seafood choices with the lowest levels of mercury. They include pollock, trout, catfish, anchovies, sardines, salmon, shrimp, and tilapia.
No matter what your parents have heard, eliminating seafood isn’t a good idea. Studies find that healthy oils in seafood are more important than the small risk of mercury. It’s okay to eat fish. They just need to watch how much they eat. The current recommendations are that adults eat two or three servings of fish per week or one of a fish with a higher mercury content.
The Best Ways to Prepare Fish
Now that you know what fish to serve your parents, you should know the best ways to serve it. While battered and fried fish may taste great, it’s high in fat. Instead, you could dip the fish in egg, coat it in seasoned flour, dip it in egg again, and coat it in panko bread crumbs. Bake it for a baked version of “fried fish.”
Grill fish on cedar planks on the grill to give it a light smoky taste. If you do this, make sure you’ve soaked them for the recommended amount of time. Baking a thick piece of fish is easy to do and allows you to add your parents’ favorite herbs and spices.
One of the easiest ways to cook fish is simply by coating it with a little salt, pepper, and lemon and broiling it. It doesn’t take long and is versatile. You can serve a broiled fish filet with a vegetable medley and barley pilaf for a meal that meets your parents’ needs for fiber, vegetables, and lean protein.
Make sure your mom and dad eat well when you’re not there. Specifically, look into food preparation as an essential senior care service for them. The caregiver can prepare healthy meals that provide the nutrition they need. Talk to a senior care specialist to discuss their meal habits and areas you wish to improve.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE IS CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN CLAYTON, NC, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT SENIORS HELPING SENIORS TODAY. CALL (919) 761-5346.