The importance of fish in the diet of children

A balanced diet is synonymous with health. The dishes that are eaten every day at home should be composed of different ingredients. Meats, eggs, cereals and fish. All of them have important benefits for the little ones in the house. Specifically, the products that arrive from the sea offer children elements that will be key in their development.

Proteins, vitamins (especially Ay D), and minerals such as iodine, calcium or selenium. All these elements are present in the fish, food that should be present in the diet of the youngest of the house and that can be prepared in many ways to make these dishes more attractive in the daily life of children.


What fish are there

Not only there are many ways to prepare fish, there is a great variety of these foods. This is their classification in relation to the amount of fat they contain:

- Lean or white fish. To this group belong those that have less than 1% fat, some examples are hake, cod, sole or rooster.

- Semigrous fish. They belong to those who have a proportion of 2 to 7% fat, is the case of the emperor, trout, red mullet, sea bream or palometa.

- Fatty or blue fish. They are those that have more than 7% fat, such as sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovy, anchovy and tuna.


How much fish do you have to eat

From the Nutrition Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, which promotes the Ministry of Health, explains that the right thing to do is take 3 to 4 servings weekly white fish and 2 in the case of blue. These portions should be 50 to 85 grams after having been cleaned and the thorns removed.

How to cook the fish

In some homes there is concern about the presence of dangerous elements such as mercury in fish. This element is generated naturally in the environment and when it is dragged in rivers, seas and oceans it is transformed into methylmercury that usually accumulates in some marine animals that end up being ingested by the human being.

Methylmercury has a great risk for the human being since it is able to cross the placenta and cause severe damage to the nervous system of children. Larger fish are those that have higher levels of this element, so pregnant women should avoid as much as possible the dishes containing this type of food.


Does not exist no way to eliminate it by cleaning it or cooking it. But you can lower levels of methylmercury by removing the skin and part of the fat of the fish since this element usually adhere to the tissues of these marine animals.

Another option to avoid the presence of this "ingredient" is to opt for some fish that have low levels of methylmercury as the salmon, sardine, trout, or choose seafood such as shrimp, shrimp, or molluscs such as calamari.

Damián Montero

Video: Top 5 Benefits Of Eating Fish | Best Health and Beauty Tips | Lifestyle


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