The 61-year-old grandma Zhang has bad teeth, so she especially likes to eat fish. Fried fish, fish head tofu soup, steamed fish, cured fish… once or twice a week.

But recently, Grandma Zhang heard that the environment is so polluted that fish cannot be eaten. It contains mercury, which is harmful to the body.

There are many benefits of eating fish. Is it true that fish contains mercury and cannot be eaten? What kind of fish is suitable for middle-aged and elderly people to eat?

I. Fish contain mercury, can you eat it?

In fact, all fish contain a certain amount of methylmercury. Mercury sinks to the bottom and accumulates in the sludge. Microbes in the hand convert it into methylmercury, which is a neurotoxic Environmental pollutants.

Once ingested by aquatic organisms in ponds, once fish eat the aquatic organisms, the contaminant methylmercury can accumulate on the body, especially in the fatty areas. Guangdong Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Hospital Chief Physician Huang Jianxun said: If you eat too much fish parts containing methylmercury, it is easy to harm the body, such as damage to nerves tissue, resulting in language and movement disorders, limb disorders, etc.

Then we have eaten fish for so many years, why is there nothing?

Guo Baofu, Section Chief, Food Hygiene Section, Nanjing CDC said that the methylmercury content in fish does not exceed the standard , there is no problem in eating. Even the fish head, the mercury content detected is within the national limit standard.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have shown that ingesting methylmercury in doses of 1 to 4g can cause acute death in humans. And my country’s standard for methylmercury in aquatic products is 0.5mg/kg, which means eating more than 2,000 kilograms of fish that meet the national standard Classes are harmful to the body.

So as long as it does not exceed the standard, there is no problem in eating it. The claim that fish is inedible is baseless.

Second, if you want a healthy heart, eating fish is better than meat!

Fish meat is rich in nutrients such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, which can effectively prevent cardiovascular diseases.

In 2020, a study by the UK Biobank analyzed data from 420,000 volunteers and found that compared to eating red meat or Poultry, fish alone can reduce the risk of various cardiovascular diseases, such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, etc..

The study also showed that people who ate only fish had greater cardiovascular benefits than those who did not eat meat.

Domestic,Sun Yat-Sen University School of Public Health researchers from Guangzhou Twelfth Hospital and other institutions have also conducted a related study.

They conducted a follow-up survey of 18,215 subjects with an average age of over 60 years old for more than 11 years, and found that eating 200-300 grams of fish per week was better than eating 0- People with 150 grams of fish had a 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality and a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular death.

In addition, eating fish has these benefits.

Fish meat is rich in nutrients, containing a lot of riboflavin, vitamin D, thiamine, calcium, iron, phosphorus and other minerals, and fish meat contains twice as much as pork. High-quality protein.

Eating fish may prevent bowel cancer and reduce the risk of dementia. Eating fish three times a week can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study that followed 476,160 people for up to 15 years. According to a study of 1,623 people over the age of 65 by the University of Bordeaux in France, eating fish regularly has a lower risk of developing dementia.

Third, these types of fish are especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people

< span>There are many kinds of fish, among which there are three kinds of fish that are most suitable for middle-aged people.

1. Hairtail

National Senior Chinese Chef Gao Minghe span> said that hairtail is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and minerals such as selenium and magnesium, which can effectively protect the cardiovascular system. Hairtail is not only nutritious, but also has less spines and more meat, which is especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. Hairtail has a strong fishy smell, so it is recommended to clean it before cooking.

2. Yellow Croaker

Hubei Province Nutrition Society Honorary Chairman Huang Lianzhen said that yellow croaker is rich in niacin, protein, vitamin B2, vitamin E and many more minerals, especially selenium. Yellow croaker is a good food source of the essential trace element selenium for the human body. Every 100 grams of yellow croaker contains 42.6 mg and 55.2 mg of selenium respectively.element.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that yellow croaker can strengthen the spleen and appetizers, invigorate the spleen and fill the essence, soothe the nerves and stop dysentery. Moderate consumption of the middle-aged and elderly people is good for health.

3. Whitebait

Whitebait has the reputation of ginseng among fish,

3. span>Li Jian, a member of the Chinese Nutrition Society and an intermediate clinical nutritionist, said that whitebait is rich in nutrients, rich in protein and trace amounts of magnesium, selenium, calcium, potassium, etc. Nutrients, about 17.2 grams of protein and 46 mg of calcium per 100 grams of whitebait. Chinese medicine believes that whitebait has the functions of nourishing the spleen and stomach, benefiting the lungs and diuretic water. International nutrition organizations such as Japan also list whitebait as “natural longevity food”.

4. One way of eating may increase the risk of cancer

< span>Although there are many ways to eat fish, improper eating may destroy the nutrition of fish.

Wang Zhe, a national second-level public nutritionist, once said that Grilling fish is the worst way to eat, which not only destroys the nutrition of the fish, but also easily hides the freshness of the fish. degree.

DHA, EPA and other nutrients in fish are easily oxidized and destroyed under high temperature frying. The spicy and high-salt grilled fish makes it impossible for people to distinguish the freshness of the fish.

The rich protein in fish cannot withstand high temperature cooking, and some businesses will fry the fish first in order to shorten the cooking time, which may produce carcinogen heterocycles amines, which increase the risk of cancer.

So in order to ensure the nutrition of fish, it is best not to fry, fry, etc. cooking method. The recommended method is steaming.

The temperature of steaming and cooking is lower and less oil is used, which not only ensures the freshness of the fish, but also protects the nutrients in the fish from being destroyed to the greatest extent. . Eating fish pays attention to how to eat it in order to exert the maximum effect of fish meat. Of course, eat fish in moderation. It is recommended to eat fish 1-2 times per week, with no more than 300 grams per week.

Although fish is rich in nutrients and has many benefits for the body, pay attention to the correct cooking method and consumption.

Reprinting is prohibited without the author’s permission