Dos and Don’ts of Eating Fish

Hong Kong Chinese are very fond of eating fish. There is certainly no shortage of fish on offer like wild and farmed fish, it is also easy to find imported fish such as sole, mackerel and salmon. To help you make choices, dietitian Candy SIN offers some tips on smart and healthy ways to enjoy fish.

An adult’s recommended daily intake of meat is approximately 5 to 8 taels (uncooked, approximately 200g to 320g). She suggests choosing a larger portion of fish and a moderate portion of other meats to keep one’s diet balanced. Use natural seasonings such as spring onion, garlic, dried tangerine peels and fresh juice, and limit the use of preserved ingredients (e.g. preserved mustard) and flavour enhancers (e.g. MSG). The bone of canned sardines and mud carp is edible and thus can provide calcium, however, they are not recommended since most of these products are oil-packed, fried or in tomato sauce that increases their fat and sodium content. Canned tuna is a convenient choice. Choose water-packed tuna which has a lower total fat content. The oil-packed one contains several times the total fat of the water-packed one (Table 2).

Table 2: Comparisons on calories, protein, total fat and cholesterol among commonly seen fishes

(Source of Data: The Nutrient Data Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture)