Inside the new Dietary Guidelines: Fish and other seafood

Omega 3 rocks! Go fish! Lean protein, perhaps many folds beneficial than red meat. Watch out for mercury level though. Few safe fish with low mercury are: salmon, tilapia and mahi mahi. Do google search on low mercury fish.

Like red meat and poultry, fish provides the protein essential for maintaining healthy muscles and other tissues. Most of us get more than enough protein. What really makes fish worth eating are its omega-3 fatty acids. New research shows that these healthful fats may help prevent age-related macular degeneration, a disease that impairs vision. But their benefits extend far beyond that.

Heart health. Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), help prevent cardiovascular disease and sudden cardiac death. Penny Kris-Etherton, professor of nutrition at Penn State, says these healthful fats can reduce heart arrhythmia, the leading cause of sudden cardiac death. The effect can take hold mere weeks after a person adds more fish to his diet, she says. Omega-3s may also lower triglycerides and blood pressure and prevent blood clots that can cause stroke.

Link to full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/22/AR2011032201789.html