Best Low-Calorie Fish Choices

Not only is fish loaded with protein, vitamins, and minerals, it’s a perfect choice for a healthy low-calorie diet. It tastes delicious, and pairing with a nice sauce and some veggies puts the cherry on top of the sundae. The oils in fish are important to your health as well as unborn babies and breastfed babies. Another great benefit of fish is its omega-3 fatty acids, which researchers have concluded help protect against heart disease. Eating a variety of fish combined with a healthy diet also helps to reduce your risk of stroke or heart attack. Here are some recommendations from nutrition whiz Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, author of The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

Sardines
Sardines are a health food in a can. They are on my top ten list of the healthiest and most convenient foods on the planet. They are loaded with omega-3 fats, as well as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, postassium, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese, not to mention a full complement of B vitamins. And because they’re real low on the marine food chain, toxins like mercury don’t accumulate in them.

Tuna
Canned tuna is the second most popular seafood product in the US after shrimp. The nutrient content of tuna differs depending on the company that canned it, the type of tuna (Atlantic, Pacific, white, light), and how it’s packed (water or oil). Nonetheless, all tuna is a terrific source of protein, containing large amounts of all the essential amino acids and then some. A single can of light tuna canned in water and drained provides an astonishing 42 g of high-quality protein, for under 200 calories. That same can has more than 100 % of the Daily Value for vitamin B6, and 82 % of the Daily Value for vitamin B12.