Question: Dear Dr. Harris, I have been making great strides to get more SuperFoods into my diet. I am having trouble with fish though. I don’t go to the market very often--usually about once a week--so I don’t buy fresh fish. I have heard that fish sticks are bad, so I don’t know good ways to get fish into my diet. Can you recommend some ways I can include fish into my busy life?

Answer: Great question. I also have trouble getting fish into my diet at times. Let me pass on some tips and information that have helped me.

You are right about fish sticks--these and any breaded fish are to be avoided. Frozen, breaded fish tends to be high in saturated fat and trans-fats because of the batter used for the breading and the fact that they are deep-fried. These processed fish sources also tend to come from “scrod” which are young cod or haddock. These fish are not oily fish and therefore have a much lower concentration of beneficial Omega-3. Interestingly, scientific research reported from the University of Southern California in 2004 found that while pregnant woman who ate oily fish (salmon, trout, tuna) had children with a LOWER risk of developing asthma, pregnant women who ate fish sticks had children with a HIGHER risk of developing asthma, regardless of whether the mothers had asthma or not. Because they are deep-fried, breaded fish sticks and fish patties are not a good way to get fish into your diet, but there are some great alternatives.

First off, fresh fish is great. However, routinely getting fresh fish in your diet does require more frequent trips to the grocery than once a week. My wife and I typically plan a fish meal for the evening meal after a trip to the supermarket. That way, we know the fish is fresh hasn’t sat too long in the refrigerator. But, like you, my wife and I only tend to make it to the grocery store about once a week.

Secondly, when fresh fish is just not convenient, there are other great options to help you include healthy fish into your diet. Canned or vacuum-packed fish including water-packed chunk light tuna and wild salmon (which keep for months on your pantry shelf) can be easily crumbled over a green salad or omelette or turned into a cold salad of its own. Canned anchovies and sardines are another great pantry item which can be drained and will add great flavor (and an Omega-3 kick) to salads, pizza, or whole wheat pasta. On a busy night, my wife and I will take a frozen or delivery pizza and add our own spinach and anchovies and sundried tomatoes—upping our Superfood score without slaving away in the kitchen. Frozen filets are another huge timesaver—they can be easily pan-fried with a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil in a non-stick pan, baked in foil or parchment with mustard or herbs, or broiled. Because they’re flash-frozen, these filets are the next best thing to fresh fish but offer a little more latitude in when you will prepare them.

Be sure to check out the shopping lists that can be found in the original SuperfoodsRx book by Steven Pratt, MD and Kathy Matthews, SuperfoodsRx: Fourteen Foods that Will Change Your Life and the new SuperfoodsRx diet book, The SuperfoodsRx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients by Wendy Bazilian, Dr.PH, MA, Rd, Steven Pratt, MD, and Kathy Matthews. They even list specific brands that make getting from grocery to home to table more convenient and healthy.

Keep up your efforts with the SuperFoods and let us know how you are doing.

Hope this helps,

Geoffrey R. Harris, MD