SMASH..Do You Know What This Stands For? Hint Fishes

I’m taking Food as Medicine Certification for CEC’s and in the course it mentions the benefit of these specific cold water fish for Omega 3s.

The five best fish options are salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring
– otherwise known as SMASH.

Did you know that fatty, cold water fish can be essential to a healthy diet? They’re high in essential vitamins, nutrients and amino acids that contribute to overall wellness and help prevent disease. The anti-inflammatory properties can even support auto-immune sufferers cope with discomfort. Researchers say that the amino acids in fish are more bio-available (easily absorbed and assimilated) than the amino acids found in beef, pork or chicken. SMASH fish also has a high number of amino acids which are essential for a healthy digestive system. Consumption 2-3 times per week.

SMASH fish contain iodine. Iodine is difficult to source from other foods, but it’s essential for proper thyroid and immune function. It can also be supportive in healing wounds and as well as fertility. Table salt has been modified in recent efforts to provide higher levels of iodine, but by eating SMASH fish, you can get iodine directly from a healthy source!

SMASH fish are a great source of Vitamin D. Let’s face it – in our modern day world, we don’t always have the opportunity to get in the sunlight enough and reap all those benefits of soaking in Vitamin D! Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that regulates the absorption and transport of magnesium and calcium. It has also been shown to help control auto-immune diseases, regulate the release of serotonin, and control cell growth. Vitamin D makes your body physically and emotionally happy.

So you, along with most of the population have surely tried salmon or have made it a regular part of your diet but what about the others. All I remember about anchovies is that there was a time that people wanted pizza and hold the anchovies. Fish on pizza, yuck!

I can’t even say that I have tried anchovies but I know I have tried herring. I’m gonna go to the grocery (likely Sprouts or Whole Foods for best quality) and purchase the fish I haven’t tried. I’m gonna give it a chance and try them more than once since it takes a few times for your taste buds to really adapt to new foods. Not quite like the instant love connection that happens with cake, cookies and donuts. Look, I must say I didn’t like asparagus, bok choy and tofu the first time out of the gate either as I’m sure you have your own foods that had to grow on you as well. Spices and cooking method are likely the keys which is not my forte but I’m willing to use these new fish options as medicine for optimal health.

In my research for these fish the descriptors for herring and mackerel are salty, oily and flaky. Sounds yummy, NOT! One website said that doing an oatmeal coating while cooking can soak up some of the beneficial oil. Maybe I will use a gluten free rice flour breading instead and see how it goes since I don’t trust they can get the gluten out of gf oats. Americans generally aren’t interested in eating small, oily fish with numerous bones – even though, in the case of herring, their oil content is part of what makes them tasty and healthy, and many of their bones are small enough that they can be eaten.

“Everyone knows when Dungeness crab is supposed to start, and everyone knows when king salmon is supposed to start. How many people can tell you when it’s herring season?”

Small schooling fish like herring are especially healthy to eat, since they contain low mercury levels compared to predatory species like swordfish, shark and tuna. Small forage fish species are also lower on the food chain, which means it takes less energy for the ocean to produce them.

“You’re actually helping save herring by eating them directly, because if you eat a pound of farmed salmon, it took four pounds of herring to create that salmon,” says Geoff Shester, California campaign director for the marine protection group Oceana. Shester says, “So, you could just eat the one pound of herring directly.” For commercial fishermen in the San Francisco Bay, the most valuable part of the herring is the females’ roe, which is extracted, cured and eaten in Japan as the delicacy kazunoko. You can pickle, smoke or pan fry herring.

One website had this to say…”The mainstream American palate for seafood is really disappointing,” says commercial fisherman Kirk Lombard, who has a commercially registered kayak and sells hook-and-line-caught fish through his company, Sea Forager. “People want to eat fish that doesn’t have any flavor, and they don’t want to deal with bones.”

Here’s a note on anchovies.  They are best known as a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which promote brain and heart health. Anchovies also have selenium, which, if eaten regularly, may reduce the risk of some types of cancer. Anchovies are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which offer powerful benefits for your heart.

Now go try some new foods beneficial for your health and report back! If you have a recipe you love then send it to me please.

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