New standards for hospital food in England will now see fish on the menu twice a week. This is great news for patients and their families, knowing they are getting the food fuel they need to help them get the vital nutrition they need. In 2009, I spent 10 days in hospital when my asthma flared up and I just couldn’t control it on my own. While lots of people complain about hospital food, I was pleasantly surprised what I was served up every day at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
Good news for patients in England is that new legally binding standards for the food served up in hospitals will now have fish on the menu twice a week for patients. I’m really pleased about this – it’s great news for our mission to encourage more people to eat fish! It’s even more important to eat a really healthy diet when you are ill so you can help your body to recover and get yourself back to feeling like normal. Seafood is an essential part of a healthy balanced diet which is typically lower in fat and calories than other proteins. What's more, seafood is packed full of essential vitamins and minerals including omega-3, vitamin D, iodine and selenium which our bodies need to thrive.
Our mission at Fish is the Dish, what I spend every hour of the day on – nights too – is designed to help people eat more seafood. We have a whole host of health information on this site to help people understand the benefits of eating seafood. With over 200 seafood recipes we also have lots of easy ideas for you to try too including these fab mackerel dishes which are an excellent source of omega-3 which our bodies cannot naturally produce by themselves. Another great way to get more seafood into your diet is to select it off the menu when you’re out at restaurant or bar. Swapping your normal lunchtime sandwich to a seafood option like tuna, prawn or salmon is another easy way to eat more seafood. When it comes to having a takeaway, again seafood is a healthier choice, fish and chips is lower in fat and calories (typically 800 calories per portion) in comparison to pizzas, curries, kebabs and burgers which are far higher.
If you have any questions about eating seafood simply tweet us at @fishisthedish Heather xx
