Eating fish can help with your weight-loss goals — provided you're choosing the right kind. Most fish are high in protein but contain fewer calories than other protein sources, like poultry or beef, says Kristen Smith, MS, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Researchers found that people who solely ate fish (and not other types of meats) in an eight week period recorded better weight loss than the ones who didn't. The study also suggested that people consuming three weekly servings of fish could also be good to lose weight and deliver better results.
Best: Lean Fish
For example, low-fat fish like tilapia, cod, flounder, and sole have fewer than 120 calories in a 3-ounce serving and give you plenty of protein. If you don't like fish but want to get more seafood into your diet, tilapia and cod can be a good starting point. Neither has much of a fishy taste.
Summary: Fatty fish contains omega-3 fatty acids that may promote fat loss. Fish is also rich in protein, which helps you feel full and boosts your metabolic rate during digestion.
Overweight men who ate 5 ounces of salmon or cod three times a week for eight weeks lost 2.2 more pounds after a month than the men who did not add fish to their low-calorie eating plans. All fish is high in protein, but some types contain more fat than others.
But is it safe to eat fish every day? “For most individuals it's fine to eat fish every day,” says Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, in an August 30, 2015 article on Today.com, adding that “it's certainly better to eat fish every day than to eat beef every day.”
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend eating two servings of fish each week for better health. According to the AHA, fish is a great option for weight loss because it's low in calories yet high in protein.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT): It is probably one of the fastest and most efficient ways to lose stomach fat and reduce the overall body fat percentage. HIIT is a high-intensity short period of exercise that usually doesn't exceed 30 minutes, with short breaks of recovery periods of 30-60 seconds.
Conclusion: Benefits of fish tend to be slightly higher than chicken, especially when it comes to the omega-3 fatty acids content in it. Studies show that fish might be a healthier option than eating chicken if we look at improving general health and wellness.
Benefits of eating fish
Fish are an important part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. They provide a good source of protein and vitamins, and are a primary dietary source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids can: lower risk of heart disease.
Eating fish alone is not enough to make you lose weight. You need to eat lots of healthy vegetables and whole grains, such as brown rice and quinoa, along with lean protein sources like fish to achieve weight loss goals (5).
Most simply, a pescatarian is someone who doesn't eat red meat or poultry, but does eat fish and other seafood. The term pescatarian was coined in the early 1990s and is a combination of the Italian word for fish, “pesce,” and the word “vegetarian.” Sometimes it's spelled “pescetarian,” but this means the same thing.
Burns calories
Consuming cold water before bed can also help your body to burn more calories during the night while you sleep! Water is a natural calorie burner and drinking cold water before bed causes your body to have to work twice as hard to warm the water up while you are resting, thus burning more calories.
Eat up to 12 ounces (two average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish are low-mercury fish. Albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So limit your intake of albacore tuna to once a week.
If you eat fish regularly, you can keep the risk of autoimmune diseases like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis at bay. Fish is a one-stop source of so many vital nutrients that it can maintain a healthy balance in your body, and help fight all sorts of major diseases.
Remember, fatty fish is still fatty. While the omega-3 fatty acids have lots of benefits, they're also high in calories. You'll gain weight if you overeat these fish.