Despite our best efforts to stay on top of our health, we can sometimes overlook important nutrients.
Seafood is often viewed as a luxury, meaning that many people cannot afford high-end priced fish like salmon or just buying fish in general. Unfortunately, this can lead to a deficiency in essential nutrients that can be detrimental to one's health.
Christopher Golden, a professor of Nutrition and Planetary Health at the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, has suggested that it may be time to shift to the bottom of the aquatic food chain.
Explaining to CNBC.COM he said that eating smaller fish can increase our intake of much-needed micronutrients that are often deficient in people's diets. Nutrients like zinc, vitamin B12, and omega-3 fatty acids are needed for a healthy body and mind.
A study about “Concentration of Total Mercury in Convenience Fish Products and Cooked Fish” published by the South African Journal of Chemistry highlights that, while the benefits of seafood is an excellent source of many of these essential nutrients, larger fish species can accumulate pollutants such as mercury, which can be harmful to the human body.
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that can cause serious harm to humans when ingested. It can accumulate in the body over time and cause damage to the nervous system, brain, kidneys, and other organs.
Some of the symptoms of mercury poisoning include muscle weakness, vision and hearing problems, tremors, and memory loss.
Children and foetuses are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of mercury, which can hinder their neurological development.
What to eat instead
Diets high in omega-3 fatty acids benefit your heart. But it may be time to skip the salmon and tuna and reach for foods lower on the seafood chain like sardines and clams instead.
Smaller fish, like anchovies, sardines, herring, scallops, mussels and oysters.
Smaller fish that are at the bottom of the food chain, such as anchovies, sardines, and herring, are highly nutritious and provide essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals that are important for human health.
These small fish are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are crucial for maintaining a healthy heart and cognitive function. They are also a good source of vitamin D, calcium, and iron, which are necessary to maintain strong bones, teeth, and overall health.
Furthermore, research suggests that these small fish might be good for the environment because they are lower on the food chain and therefore easier to sustainably harvest.
Eating smaller fish can also help promote a more sustainable seafood industry by reducing the demand for larger fish species which impacts marine ecology.