Fish are nutritious and good to eat. When properly prepared, fish provide numerous health benefits, especially for the heart. The American Heart Association recommends eating two to three fish meals each week. The benefits of eating fish include:

1. Fish offer high-quality protein with fewer calories than a similar-sized portion of meat. For example, both catfish and ground beef are about 18% protein. But, for an 8-ounce meal, the catfish will have only about 232 calories, while the regular ground beef will have about 640 calories.



2. Fish are low in sodium and are good sources of potassium, vitamins, and other minerals.



3. Fish are generally low in cholesterol and saturated fats, which have been associated with high blood pressure and heart disease.



4. While the benefits of fish on nutrition are still being studied, much of the current research is focused on various kinds of beneficial fats in fish, particularly a kind called omega-3 fatty acids which are in some fish and fish oils. Some studies have indicated that these fatty acids have favorable effects on health conditions such as hardening of the arteries, high levels of cholesterol and high blood pressure.