What Fish Is High in Cholesterol?
With news that red meat can raise cholesterol levels, fish has been touted as a healthier alternative. While fish is healthier than red meat with respect to cholesterol, some types of fish are healthier than others.
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Types of Fats
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Unlike other forms of meat that can be high in saturated fats, like beef, pork or lamb, fish are low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are responsible for raising your cholesterol, while unsaturated fats are not. It is important not to fry your fish in butter or other saturated fat, otherwise you will negate the healthful effects of the fish while raising your cholesterol. Broiling, grilling, poaching and baking fish are all low-fat methods to cook fish.
Types of Cholesterol
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Fish do not contain cholesterol. However, fish is high in a type of fat known as omega-3 fatty acids. These are monounsaturated fats that are responsible for actually lowering levels of LDH, which is a harmful sort of cholesterol. On the other hand, these same fats increase the levels of the beneficial cholesterol HDH. The fish that contain the highest percentage of omega-3 fatty acids are the fattiest fish. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least twice weekly, particularly fatty fish like salmon, lake trout and albacore tuna.
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Sources of Contamination
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While fatty fish may be beneficial to consume for good heart health, some fish are better to eat than others because of contamination. For instance, tuna fish has high concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids but can also contain high levels of mercury. In fact, there are weekly recommendations with respect to how much tuna fish you should eat. Most medical experts agree that the benefits of fish in the diet likely outweigh the harm in potentially consuming contaminants in fish tissue. Additionally, wild caught fish contain fewer contaminants than farm-raised fish.
Types of Fish
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Fish vary in the amount of fat their tissues contain. Salmon contains higher amounts of fat per gram of tissue than any other fish species. Mackerel, tuna and sardines also contain high percentages of fat per gram. Cod is a widely popular type of fish found in fish sticks and fish patties. However, cod only contains a single gram of fat per 100 grams of fish tissue making it relatively deplete of the healthful benefits of fish oil.
Other Options
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For individuals that do not like fish, taking fish oil capsules may provide the same benefit as eating fish. People with fish allergies can get daily doses of omega-3 fatty acids by eating flaxseed or taking a flaxseed oil supplement.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Salmon is high in omega-3 fatty acids
