Fish meat is not only quite delicious and versatile for cooking and preparing different dishes, but it is also a very healthy choice that comes with many amazing benefits. It is low in fat and rich in protein, and it also comes with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, making fish a great choice to add to our daily diet. Among the health benefits of having a fish-rich diet, we can find that it enhances your brainpower, reduces the risk of heart disease, improves your mood, contributes to a healthy pregnancy, and it can give you shiny hair and healthy skin.
Fish Enhances Your Brainpower
One of the most amazing health benefits of having a fish-rich diet is that this can enhance our cognitive functions. This is because of the omega-3 fatty acids that we can find in fish meat, particularly EPA and DHA, which are an important component of the human brain. According to diet and nutrition specialists, low levels of DHA represent a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, besides cognitive impairment that may come with age.
It Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease
Besides enhancing our cognitive activity, having a diet that is rich in fish meat can help us reduce the risk of heart disease. Fish has anti-inflammatory benefits, and several studies have found that people with diets that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids tend to have a lower risk of cardiovascular issues like low levels of LDL cholesterol, low triglycerides, and low blood pressure.
Eating Fish Improves your Mood
Another way on which having fish as a part of our diet can benefit our brain is by improving our mood quite significantly. Just as omega-3 fatty acids stimulate our cognitive functions, they also help us reduce incidences of depression, seasonal affective disorder, and postpartum depression. Research has found a link between low levels of omega-3 and high incidences of depression since these fatty acids result in healthy cell membranes, which become more fluid and flexible thus function properly.
It Contributes to a Healthy Pregnancy
DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, which is a type of omega-3 fatty acid we can find in fish, plays an important part for pregnant people as it helps the healthy development of a baby’s brain and central nervous system. Growing fetuses get their omega-3 fatty acids directly from their mother, and is incorporated into brain development between the 24 weeks of gestation and the first two years of the baby. However, even when pregnant people must consume plenty of fish, this must be done in moderation and choose fish low in mercury and other harmful substances.
Fish Can Give You Shiny Hair and Healthy Skin
Last but not least, we must mention that having a fish-rich diet can also boost collagen production, which results in shiny hair and healthy skin. Since omega-3 fatty acids improve cell membrane fluidity, it regulates the movement of molecules into and out of our cells. This results in cell hydration, which in turn reduces our chances of having dry skin. Therefore, if we want to have shiny and healthy hair and skin, we should consider having fish on a regular basis.