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Vitamins and minerals do not provide calories and are only required in relatively small amounts. Vitamins and minerals are essential to the body so you could not survive long without any of them. Did you know that the body needs 13 different vitamins and 15 different minerals? If you read on you will see what a good source of several of these fish is.
Minerals in Fish and other Seafood
Iron
Although fish contain less iron than the amount found in red meat, iron in white fish is well absorbed and so is a useful source of iron. However, on a weight for weight basis, shellfish contain as much iron as lean meat. Iron is important in the body to prevent anaemia. Women with heavy periods and those that avoid red meat can sometimes go short of iron, especially if they don’t look out in particular for iron rich foods in their diet. Iron is essential for carrying oxygen around the body and a shortage of it will make you feel very weak and tired.
Calcium
Small fish, like sardines, which contains small bones that can be eaten, are a very rich source of calcium. Calcium is important for bone health and teenagers and young people who have not reached their peak bone mass sometimes go short of this mineral.
Selenium
Fish is a particularly good source of selenium. The recommended intake for selenium in the UK is 75 mcg a day for men and 60 mcg a day for women. Intake appears to be falling in the UK and are currently at around 29-39 mcg a day, which is far short of the recommended intake. A 100g portion of baked cod would give you 34mcg of selenium, which is roughly half your daily recommended intake.
Selenium is a component of some of the enzymes which protect the body against damage due to oxidation (free radical damage). It is also necessary for the use of iodine in thyroid hormone production and for immune system function. It has been suggested that low levels of intake may be associated with the increased risk of some cancers. Because of the falling levels of selenium in the UK diet, a Government’s advisory committee has been asked to review the situation.
Iodine
Fish is one of the few reliable sources of iodine and meat contains very little iodine. The UK recommended intake of iodine for adults is 140 mcg a day and a 100g portion of some fish can provide all the requirement of iodine for the day.
Iodine is used to make thyroid hormones, which control many of the body’s processes. If there is insufficient iodine in the diet, the result is lethargy and swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck, forming a goitre. Iodine is also required for normal neurological development and for energy metabolism. Infants born of severely iodine deficient mothers may be mentally retarded (cretinism). Nowadays iodine deficiency appears to be rare in the UK although recent dietary surveys to seem to indicate that young women have a low intake of this mineral.
Zinc
High-protein foods contain the highest amount of zinc, i.e. meat and fish, and it is easily absorbed from these sources. Oysters provides more zinc than any other food and other types o fish and seafood provides a significant amount too such as skate, anchovies, herring, sardines, crab, prawns, shrimps,mussels, and winkles.
Zinc is needed for the body's defensive (immune) system to properly work. It plays a role in cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and the break down of carbohydrates. Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste.
Vitamins in Fish and Other Seafood
Oily fish is a better source of the fat soluble vitamins: A, D and E , vitamin A and vitamin D, than white fish or red meat. Indeed oily fish is the best food source of unfortified vitamin D. Vitamin D is not found in many foods and tends to be a vitamin that many vulnerable groups go short of, such as teenage girls and the elderly. Although vitamin D can be made in the body by the action of sufficient sunlight on the skin, many still do not get enough of this vitamin in the UK. Vitamin D is essential for bone health, but it also plays a role in immune function and may offer protection against cancer.
Fish is also a good source of the B vitamins and can provide as useful a contribution to the diet for this group of vitamins, as does red meat. The B group of vitamins is responsible for converting food to energy in the cells of your body and they help with the function of nerve tissue. |
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