Which is more nutritious, fish or meat?

★ Posted on 12-10,2024


There is a Chinese saying called big fish and big meat. So which one is more nutritious, fish or meat? Now let's look at the following two sets of debates.

1.The protein content of fish is about 15-22%, and the fish meat has fine fiber, which is helpful for digestion and absorption. The protein absorption and utilization rate is very high, about 87-98% will be absorbed by the human body.

2.The fat content of fish is less than that of red meat, about 1-10%, with an average of about 5%. Moreover, unsaturated fatty acids account for 80% of the composition of fat. These unsaturated fatty acids can inhibit the production of plasma cholesterol and triglycerides in the human body, promote the synthesis of more prostaglandins by cells in blood vessels, reduce thromboxane A2, thereby preventing platelet Coagulation, coronary artery spasm and thrombosis ensure smooth and safe blood supply to the heart and have a unique protective effect on the heart.

3.Fish fat contains eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are important for the development of the nervous system. They can promote the proliferation of brain cells and speed up the interaction between nerve cells. information transmission, so it is known as "brain gold".

4.Fish are rich in vitamins A and D, especially the liver of fish. Fish also contain water-soluble vitamins B6, B12, niacin and biotin. Fish meat is also rich in calcium, especially marine fish, which are also rich in iodine, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, potassium, iron, etc.

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Depending on the growing environment, fish are divided into freshwater fish and saltwater fish.

Freshwater fish, often called river fish, common ones include carp, crucian carp, grass carp, silver carp, Wuchang fish, tilapia, eel, etc.; marine fish include hairtail, tuna, large yellow croaker, small yellow croaker, Spanish mackerel and salmon, etc. .

Counter: Red meat is more nutritious than fish

1.The protein content of lean pork, beef and mutton is about 20%, which is higher than the protein content of most fish. The protein fiber of red meat is thicker and takes a longer time to digest, usually up to 3-4 hours. Therefore, it is not easy to feel hungry after eating lean red meat, so you will not eat too many snacks after meals, which is helpful. For slimming and shaping.

2.Red meat is rich in iron. Iron is an important component of hemoglobin. Moreover, the iron in lean meat is heme iron, which has higher bioavailability and is easier to be absorbed and utilized by the body. Therefore, appropriate amount of red meat It can effectively prevent and treat iron deficiency anemia. Especially for women, their unique menstrual cycle makes them more susceptible to anemia. Supplementing red meat will help you have sufficient qi and blood and a rosy complexion.

3.The fat content of red meat such as pork, beef, and mutton varies greatly. The fat content of beef tenderloin is only 0.9%, which is lower than the fat content of fish. Organ meats are high in cholesterol, but lean red meat has about as much cholesterol as fish.

4. Red meat is an important source of vitamin B12, thiamine, riboflavin and phosphorus.

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Red meat refers to meat that appears red before cooking. Specifically, pork, beef, mutton, venison, rabbit and other mammal meat are all red meat. The color of red meat comes from the myoglobin contained in mammalian meat. Myoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen to the muscles of animals. Red refers to the color before cooking, so although pork turns white after cooking, it is still red meat.

Nutritionist analysis:

Fish and meat are animal foods. They are good sources of high-quality protein, fat-soluble vitamins, lipids, B vitamins and minerals for humans. They are an important part of a balanced diet. . The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that adults consume 50-100g of fish and shrimp and 50-75g of livestock and poultry meat every day. Fish and red meat have different nutrients and cannot be easily distinguished. Therefore, we recommend that they be eaten in combination with each other to reflect food diversity.

The nutritional similarities between fish and red meat:

1.Rich in nutrients: In addition to being low in carbohydrates, fish and red meat contain a variety of nutrients needed by the human body. There are diversified choices in cooking methods and flavors to meet the needs of the public.

2.High-quality protein sources: The protein in fish and red meat is high-quality protein, with a protein content of 10-20%. The amino acid composition is relatively close to that of the human body, and the bioavailability of protein is high.

3.Rich source of vitamins and minerals: Cod liver oil is rich in vitamins A and D and the mineral zinc. Red meat is especially rich in iron. In addition, it contains various B vitamins and minerals. .

Nutritional characteristics of fish:

1.Fish meat tissue is soft and tender, and is easier to digest and absorb than red meat. Many people suffer from incompatibility of the spleen and stomach and poor gastrointestinal absorption. "No matter what you eat, you will not gain weight." In this case, it is not recommended to eat a lot of red meat. Instead, you should increase your intake of fish and shrimp and other meaty, fibrous foods to reduce the risk of weight loss. Gastrointestinal burden. Teenagers and the elderly should pay special attention to fish intake, but they should remove fish bones and chew slowly to prevent fish bones from getting stuck in the throat.

2.Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are mainly found in marine animals. Some fish that inhabit cold waters or deep water layers and some middle and upper water fish (such as sardines, cod, mackerel, sockeye salmon, mackerel, herring, saury, etc.) are rich in EPA and DHA. DHA helps regulate learning ability, strengthens the brain, and improves vision. EPA can regulate blood pressure and blood lipids, fight inflammation, and improve immune function. If pregnant women lack DHA, the supply of phospholipids in the fetal brain cell membrane will be insufficient, which will have adverse effects on the formation and development of the fetal brain, and may even lead to miscarriage or the birth of a baby with congenital mental retardation. But in red meat products, the content of these two fatty acids is very low.

3.The omega-3 fatty acids contained in deep-sea fish, including linolenic acid, DHA, and EPA, can relieve mental stress, balance emotions, and reduce aggressive behavior. It is reported that Japanese residents have seven times more fish in their diet than New Zealand residents, and their incidence of depression is about 60 times lower than that of New Zealand residents.

Nutritional characteristics of red meat:

1.Red meat is characterized by thick and hard muscle fibers and high fat content, especially the saturated fatty acid content is higher than that of fish. Among them, pork has the highest fat content, followed by mutton, and beef has the lowest. Even in lean meat, there is still a considerable amount of fat. For example, the fat content of lean pork is 6.2%, lean mutton is 3.9%, and lean beef is 2.3%. In fact, the content of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids is relative, and almost all natural foods contain both. The World Health Organization recommends that the energy provided by saturated fatty acids should not exceed 10% of total energy, so moderate intake of red meat is allowed. However, at present, the meat intake of Chinese residents is still mainly pork. Pork has high fat content and high saturated fatty acids, which is not conducive to the prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, overweight, obesity and other diseases. Therefore, the proportion of pork intake should be reduced, and eating Lean meat, especially lean beef.

2.Red meat contains L-carnitine, a fat burning accelerator. But this fat-burning nutrient is found in red meat products with relatively high fat content. Once healthy people lack L-carnitine, their fat metabolism will be restricted and they will be more likely to accumulate fat. There is also a small amount of L-carnitine in dairy products, but there is basically no L-carnitine in aquatic products such as fish and shrimp.

3.Red meat is rich in iron, and it is hemoglobin iron with high absorption rate.

4.Some studies have found that a daily intake of red meat exceeding 160 grams increases the risk of colon and rectal cancer by 30-40%. Eating fish 2 to 4 times a week can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 50%. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the balanced combination of fish and meat, so as to learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Special tips from nutritionists:

Reduce high-oil cooking of fish: Under the action of high oil and high temperature, unsaturated fatty acids are prone to peroxidation, accelerate human aging and arteriosclerosis, and make healthy fats become Not healthy.

Recommended healthy fish cooking methods: steamed grass carp, pan-fried crucian carp, steamed flat fish with lemon, steamed fish with mustard tofu, crucian carp stewed with eggs

If a fish bone gets stuck in your throat, you should stop eating immediately and keep making "ha, ha" movements with force. Use the air pressure rushing out of the trachea to remove the superficial fish bone. Be careful not to swallow a big mouthful of rice balls or steamed buns. It is very dangerous to try to push down the fish bone by choking, because this may cause the fish bone to penetrate deeper, even cause perforation of the esophagus or damage nearby large blood vessels, causing massive bleeding.

To identify the freshness of fish, the anus identification method is commonly used, which is simple and accurate. If the anus of the fish is white and tightens toward the abdomen, the fish is of higher freshness; if the anus of the fish is slightly red and slightly protruding, the fish is of lower freshness, but it is still edible; such as The anus has turned purple and is obviously protruding, indicating that it has become rotten and must not be eaten.

Pregnant women should avoid eating shark, mackerel, swordfish and tilefish because these fish contain high levels of mercury, which may affect the growth and development of the fetal brain.

The nutritional contents of freshwater fish and saltwater fish are roughly the same, but there are differences in the similarities. Marine fish has better muscle elasticity, delicious meat, and is rich in omega-3 series fatty acids, such as DHA, EPA, etc. The content of omega-3 series fatty acids in freshwater fish is far less than that in marine fish.

Comparison of protein, fat content and fatty acid composition of fish (g, calculated per 100g edible part)

Name

Protein

Fat

Saturated fatty acids

Monounsaturated fatty acids

Polyunsaturated fatty acids

Pork (tip of rear rump)

14.6

30.8

10.8

13.4

3.6

Beef (mean)

19.9

4.2

2.0

1.7

0.2

Lamb (mean)

19.0

14.1

6.2

4.9

1.8

Donkey meat (lean)

21.5

3.2

1.2

1.1

0.6

carp

17.6

4.1

0.8

1.3

0.6

Black carp

20.1

4.2

1.5

1.3

0.4

Silverbait

17.2

4.0

1.0

1.1

1.5

Silver carp

17.8

3.6

0.8

1.0

0.5

Crucian carp

17.1

2.7

0.5

0.8

0.5

Moray eel

18.8

5.0

1.2

1.4

0.8

Big yellow croaker

17.7

2.5

0.7

0.7

0.3

sardines

19.8

1.1

0.3

0.2

0.3

Bass

18.6

3.4

0.8

0.8

0.6

Salmon (salmon)

17.2

7.8

2.0

4.3

0.7

Pomfret (flat fish)

18.5

7.3

2.1

2.3

0.5

Nutrition Dictionary

All the carbon atoms in saturated fatty acids are combined by single bonds, and the contained hydrogen atoms are in a saturated state. Saturated fat will increase blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Monounsaturated fatty acids have a single bond in their structure, such as oleic acid. Monounsaturated fatty acids can not only reduce cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, but also increase high-density lipoprotein and anti-platelet coagulation factors, which can effectively prevent arteriosclerosis.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are fatty acids containing two or more double bonds, such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, etc. According to the position and function of the double bonds, polyunsaturated fatty acids are divided into omega-3 series and omega-6 series. Linoleic acid and arachidonic acid belong to the omega-6 series, and linolenic acid, DHA, and EPA belong to the omega-3 series. Linoleic acid and linolenic acid are called essential fatty acids, which cannot be synthesized by the human body and must be ingested from food. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have the effect of lowering blood lipids and blood cholesterol. Insufficient intake can easily cause memory and thinking skills to decline.

Authoritative organizations such as the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the Chinese Nutrition Society have concluded through research that when the balance of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the human diet When the ratio reaches 1:1:1, it is beneficial to the nutritional absorption of fatty acids. However, in 2000, Japan recommended a ratio of saturated fatty acids: monounsaturated fatty acids: polyunsaturated fatty acids of 3:4:3, which has changed from the past 1:1:1.

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