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Want Bigger Muscles & a Healthier Heart? Incorporate Fish Into Your Diet
By Tom Bonanti
Athletes and bodybuilders concerned
about getting enough high quality protein often grab first for
chicken breasts and lean beef, leaving fish to flounder in their
nutritional regiments. In reality, fish should be an essential
part of any body building diet because it is loaded with
protein, nutrients, and the world’s healthiest fat. Let’s take a
look at this gift from the sea and how eating fish can leave you
with bigger muscles and a healthier heart. While it may be necessary to trim the
fat from your beef, pork or chicken, with fish, the fattier the
better. The predominant fat in fish is the type that will keep
your arteries clear and healthy. Fatty fish like salmon,
sardines, and mackerel are the only reliable sources of
eicosapentanoic acid (epa),and docosohexanoic acid (dha), two
important omega-3 fatty acids with a broad range of health
benefits. Both of these miraculous omega-3’s help to lower blood
triglyceride levels making fish a heart healthy choice in
anyone’s diet. As an added benefit for those who work out, fish
fat may also help to reduce the residual muscle soreness that
accompanies working out.
Besides those tremendous omega-3 fatty
acids and the rich source of clean, lean protein fish provides,
there is more good news. The iron in fish helps to carry oxygen
to your working muscles; vitamin B6 assists in red blood cell
formation; selenium can keep your prostate healthy; zinc will
boost your testosterone level. The down side to fish is that it often
contains mercury. This neurotoxin is deadly to pregnant women,
children and even the toughest muscle head. As a general rule,
the larger the fish, like shark, tuna, swordfish and king
mackerel – and those that have longer lives like grouper and sea
bass can accumulate plenty of mercury. Salmon, catfish,
shellfish, pacific halibut, sardines, tilapia and rainbow trout
are safer options. And remember, The American Heart Association
recommends at least two – 3 ounce servings a week, but no
more than 12 ounces on a weekly basis. Here are some healthy hints about
cooking fish. A good filet will have no odor. Reputable fish
markets are your best bet for the good stuff. Handle your fish
as little as possible. Let it cook undisturbed for a few minutes
and turn only once during cooking. This allows for browning of
proteins on the surface which contributes to its flavor. When it comes to seasoning, a good
quality sea salt and pepper rub is all that a filet really
needs. If you marinate, do so only for 30 minutes. Fish is more
tender and porous than meat, so it requires less time to soak up
the flavor. Over cooking any food can rob it of
important nutrients and vitamins. Delicate fish like flounder
cook quickly, about two minutes per side if grilling or
broiling. For thicker fish like salmon and swordfish, just wait
for the color to change from translucent to opaque, remove from
heat and serve immediately. For more nutritional tips to help
your workouts, contact TrainerTomB@aol.com.  TOM BONANTI IS A CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER AND OWNER OF PUMP’N INC GYM AT 1271 NE 9TH AVENUE FORT LAUDERDALE, FL 33304, www.pumpnincgym.com. |
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For
the protein punch your muscles crave, fish will give you more
bang for the buck. Most fish is a lean protein source with a
superb protein- to- fat ratio which will keep you in an anabolic
state – key to muscle growth. Whenever possible it is great to
eat whole food protein an hour or two before your workout and
certainly within an hour following your workout. Guess what?
Fish is digested and absorbed faster than beef, pork or chicken,
and its amino acid profile makes it useful in muscle recovery as
well as building mass.