Mums… eat more seafood!

Your mother probably told you “fish is brain food.” Turns out she was right.

The nutrients in seafood are vital to the brain development of young children, especially during pregnancy. Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for visual and cognitive development and help prevent coronary heart disease. And scientific studies show that pregnant women who eat three-to-four servings of seafood per week provide the greatest benefit to the IQ of their unborn children. That makes fish an expectant or nursing mom’s superfood, and a healthy choice for the whole family.

Unfortunately, pregnant and nursing women and their babies may be eating too little seafood, causing them to miss out on the important benefits of fish. Low levels of consumption by children may be harming their brain development as well as preventing them from gaining the important health benefits of seafood.  Some consumers are turning to omega-3 supplements instead, yet these supplements are more expensive and not as rich in nutrients as seafood itself. Even vegetarians can obtain their omega-3 intake naturally from vegetable sources, so if you do not like seafood you have no excuse really.

Consumers, including women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should eat a minimum of two-to-three seafood meals a week. Eating a variety of seafood, from fresh fish to canned tuna, salmon and sardines, helps you enjoy its benefits of being low in calories, a healthy source of protein and a predominant dietary source of omega-3 fatty acids.

For soon-to-be-moms, this recommended diet will help children’s brains grow and work properly, maximizing their IQ potential and receiving all the nutritional benefits of omega-3s. For people of all ages, eating seafood helps prevent heart disease, maintain brain health and is an important source of protein.

It’s time to do what mom told you, and put that brain food back into your family’s meal plans. 

Here's one recipe idea to get you going: Tuna wrap