How should you have you fish?

This trip to Los Angeles, I learnt something new..
Pop quiz. What is the healthiest way to consume your fish, sashimi or fried?

You may think that the fresher it is, the healthier, so if you answer is sashimi then you are wrong. Protein from sashimi is in a form that cannot be absorbed as easily by our body.

We will normally think if this fish has 100g of protein and if we eat the whole fish we have consumed 100g of protein. But this is not true. In its raw form, the body cannot absorb 100% of the protein.

Of course each types of fish will be different but for instance, we look at the salmon. We can only absorb 48% of the protein from salmon in its raw form compared to when it has been seared/aburi (lightly cooked on the outside) 60%.

Cooked fish transforms the meat inside to be in a form where the body can absorb the protein much better. Consuming cooked fish allows you to absorb all 100% protein. The method of cooking does not affect the amount of absorbable protein (smoked, made into soup, steamed, grilled, fried or boiled) but may affect other factors such as antioxidant, fat etc.

Another factor is consuming fish that has been frozen for too long/ not fresh. There is a time limit before the protein in the fish is completely gone. Fresh is always best!

FoodieGuru enjoys his sashimi, but if we talk about protein consumption, cooked fish is the winner!

P.s. For vegetarians, we have good news, the best protein is from soy milk so you don’t need to worry about the fish 🙂