Yesterday, I went fishing with friends off the coast of Newburyport, traveling over 20 miles out to sea. Aboard The Wharf Rat, my friend Adam Japko's fishing boat, we had much luck, catching many haddocks, and one lone pollock, and we ended up with approximately forty pounds of fillets. It was a fun day, with excellent weather, and now we all have fresh fresh for dinner this week. I look forward to enjoying this delicious fish. When's the last time you went fishing?
As I've said repeatedly before, in multiple articles over numerous years (and it continues to bear repeating), Americans need to eat more seafood. Seafood consumption will significantly lessen your chances of dying from the leading cause of death in the U.S., heart disease. That's a powerful reason why you should consume more seafood and it's far from the only reason.
Annual seafood consumption had been on a depressing decline, with seven years of constant decline, down to 14.5 pounds in 2013. In 2014, there was a tiny increase, to 14.6 pounds, but the best news came in 2015 when annual consumption actually increased nearly a pound to 15.5 pounds. The problem is that according to recommendations from the USDA, and many other bodies, Americans should consume at least 26 pounds of seafood each year, essentially meaning you should eat seafood twice a week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the leading cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease, killing over 614,000 people each year. We all have had family and friends who have died from heart disease, and we should be doing what we can to reduce our own chances of acquiring heart disease. Do you want to die prematurely, leaving your loved ones without your presence? Do you want to die from heart disease when you could have adopted a small lifestyle change which might have saved you?
Seafood consumption is a significant key to reducing your chances of heart disease. Since the 1970s, over 20,000 research studies have been conducted on the health benefits of seafood and they have concluded that eating seafood twice a week can reduce your chance of dying from heart disease by about 36%. You won't find another single food that has been scientifically proven to reduce heart disease so much. Low seafood consumption is blamed for 84,000 deaths in the U.S. and 1.4 million globally. Besides helping to reduce heart disease, research has also been providing growing evidence of the health benefits to the brain and bones as well as against cancers and inflammatory diseases. Eating more seafood is such a simple change to your lifestyle and it can bring so many health benefits.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the leading cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease, killing over 614,000 people each year. We all have had family and friends who have died from heart disease, and we should be doing what we can to reduce our own chances of acquiring heart disease. Do you want to die prematurely, leaving your loved ones without your presence? Do you want to die from heart disease when you could have adopted a small lifestyle change which might have saved you?
Some good news has just been released, providing some hope to the situation. The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) just released information on seafood consumption in 2021, and it indicates that Americans consumed 20.5 pounds, a record amount. In 2019, Americans had consumed 19.3 pounds, and in 2020, they consumed 19 pounds, with Covid-10 playing a role in the slight decrease in 2020. 2021 consumption is still 5.5 pounds short of the recommended amount, but the increase in consumption is great news. Let's hope seafood consumption continues to grow over the new few years.
Shrimp stills takes the #1 spot, with Americans eating an average of 5.9 pounds, nearly a 2 pound increase since 2015. Salmon was #2, with 3.38 pounds, an increase of nearly half a pound since 2015. Canned tuna was #3, with 1.9 pounds, a decrease of .3 pounds since 2015. The rest of the Top Ten includes Tilapia (1.04 pounds), Alaska pollock (.78 pounds), Pangasius (.71 pounds), Cod (.6 pounds), Crab (.59 pounds), Catfish (.51 pounds), and Clams (.26 pounds).
You should eat seafood that's not part of that Top Ten list, checking out the rest of the delicious seafood which is available, from mussels to dogfish. Expand your palate and delight in the wonders of the entire world of seafood.
What's stopping you from reaching your seafood consumption goal?
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