Choosing seafood wisely: Nutritionist's guide for healthier seaside dining

Vacation season can be considered officially started. Many vacationers will head to the seaside. A mandatory "attraction" in seaside restaurants is fish. But which one to choose? Some types should be avoided.

During vacations, we often forget about a healthy diet. And though, of course, vacations are for distancing ourselves from everyday life, it is worth choosing healthier treats.

The summer season by the sea is the time when fish reign supreme. What should we eat to avoid those that might harm us? Here is a helpful list.

Which fish can you choose without feeling guilty? This was discussed by nutritionist Agnieszka Pisakła-Topczewska. What does she recommend ordering by the Baltic Sea?

- Let’s choose fish that live short lives, such as cod or flounder, which is also a bottom-dwelling fish and thus less exposed to the absorption of large amounts of toxic substances into the meat. Other fish worth eating are herring or mackerel - advises the expert.

She also says we can safely eat sardines. Sea fish contain many important vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, such as phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, selenium, vitamin D, and valuable protein.

The nutritionist advised against choosing pangasius, which is not a fish that naturally occurs in nature but a "genetic creation designed for the mass consumer market." Pisakła-Topczewska also counsels caution with salmon. If the restaurant menu does not specify that it is wild North Atlantic salmon, your health should skip the dish.

The expert also advises against consuming shark, tuna, and swordfish, which are long-living fish.

- Tuna, to reach an appropriate size, about 40-50 kilograms, must live 20-30 years. Most of these fish are caught in seas where various types of accidents involving oil tankers transporting oil to Europe occur. The concentrations of cadmium, lead, or zinc are greatly exceeded in the fish meat - explained the specialist in an interview with WP abcZdrowie.