I eat salmon, love it. What are other good-guy sources of fat?

April 21, 2024 7:57 PM

Kay Redfield Jamison, my go-to for info on manic depression, says "Eat like a grizzly. Salmon and blueberries." I'd like to go to Alaska, hop into a river and catch the fish in the air, and roar, but my life -- thus far -- has me settling for Trader Joe's. I spend the bucks for sock-eye, worth every extra nickel. There are so many fish-oil supplements, I don't mind spending extra for high quality but not just for a product with a fancy label.

Plus good-guy fat is good for our hearts, too; pretty much anything good for our brain is good for our hearts.

And how about let's not go to the tiresome "Food isn't medicine." bit. I'm sure you're right, in fact I'm positive of it, but just for fun let's pretend we're not all that smart, and that eating healthy food, while not medicine, is good for us.

posted by dancestoblue to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

I’m sorry, what is your actual question? Is it “I like salmon, what other foods have similar nutritional benefits like healthy fats?” Or is it something more nuanced?

Any oily fish is going to be a great source of similar nutrients. The cheapest option is probably tinned whole sardines packed in oil, although the really good tinned sardines can be about as expensive as frozen fish and can come from halfway across the world, so it’s a balance of taking into consideration where you live, what your budget is, what you like to eat, what your priorities are in terms of environmental impact, and more. I also like steelhead trout as an alternative to salmon, it cooks up and tastes very similarly but tends to have more bones. Avocados are a great plant based source of healthy fats and very easy to incorporate into a great many types of meals. Walnuts are probably the most nutritious nut but can be an acquired taste, but once you get into them they make a powerful impact with just a handful on a salad or used as a crispy topping.

Again, I’m unsure what it is you are asking for. Nutritional information, cooking methods, ideas for how to rethink what you eat??
posted by Mizu at 8:08 PM on April 21 [2 favorites]

The question is in the title: I eat salmon, love it. What are other good-guy sources of fat?
posted by cooker girl at 8:10 PM on April 21 [9 favorites]

If you are looking at supplements, Nordic Naturals brand lemon flavored fish oil capsules are worth the extra money. Even the slightest amount of reflux will bring fish oil back up on you and you will be thankful for the lemon flavor that spares you the horror of fish oil burps.
posted by corey flood at 8:16 PM on April 21 [2 favorites]

A direct answer is probably to be found on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch site here.

You should also definitely check out Josh Niland’s cookbooks on fish. I have both The Whole Fish Cookbook and Take One Fish, and both will make you much more confident in the culinary uses of every part of whatever fish you buy.
posted by mdonley at 8:27 PM on April 21

Unsaturated fats are "good fats." In addition to fish they're in avocados, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils like olive oil
posted by ojocaliente at 8:32 PM on April 21 [10 favorites]

+1 on fish burp avoidance. Also dont let them into the laundry…. We like Carlson’s with lemon in liquid form (kept in the fridge) and avocados also as stated above.
posted by drowsy at 9:31 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]

We live on salmon and wild game from our own backyard. Different varieties of salmon have different amounts of healthy fat: sockeye salmon has by far the most oil/fat, others (king, silver and chum) have less. Sockeye is my favorite salmon - cooked on the BBQ, please! Next to salmon, avocados are my next favorite healthy fat. I often have half an avocado, salted, for breakfast. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!
posted by summerstorm at 10:45 PM on April 21 [3 favorites]

Mackerel ought to fit your requirements - it's also a good source of the healthier fats and if you're in the US it's caught sustainably on the west coast (the east coast less so, says Monterey Bay).

An interesting recipe is to make a basic pate by blitzing cooked mackerel with cream cheese.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 11:07 PM on April 21 [3 favorites]

Here in Denmark, we can no longer get wild salmon from the Baltic Sea, and it is very sad. I don't eat farmed fish, so I'm just envious of all of you who can get the fish from Alaska. Trout is a good replacement, but also rare.
What we can get are mackerel and herrings. They are great fresh and whole, and tinned and smoked. Our PM posted a picture of herself eating mackerel in tomato sauce to demonstrate how folksy she is. The best is mackerel in mustard sauce, if you can find it. Pickled herrings might be a bit unusual, but here it is a staple food. There are tons of different dressings.
South of the border in Germany and the Netherlands they eat matjes, salt cured herrings. They are also very good.

A family favorite is tuna "mousse": equal parts tuna and butter, seasoned with a bit of chili. For a smoother version use half and half butter and mayo and a couple of cherry tomatoes. All goes into the blender until smooth.
posted by mumimor at 1:49 AM on April 22

Unsaturated fats are "good fats." In addition to fish they're in avocados, nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils like olive oil

Understanding which fats you want to eat - and which oils you want to cook with or avoid - depends on forming a detailed opinion about this topic. I am going to recommend Dr. Sten Ekberg's talk Top 10 Cooking Oils... The Good, Bad & Toxic! as a primer that explains the difference between different types of saturated and unsaturated oils - and why some are good or bad for you. This may way differ from your previous understanding of what is "good" and "bad" - it did for me.

As a follow up, here is Ekberg talking about What are the Best Fats to Eat?

Expect whiteboards, molecular models and research citations in either case - but getting to grips with the science will help with your other questions.
posted by rongorongo at 2:21 AM on April 22 [1 favorite]

(So that people can make informed decisions about who they get their medical information from, I'll point out that Sten Ekbert is a chiropractor, who's degree is from Life University.)
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 4:05 AM on April 22 [24 favorites]

Best answer: Yes. For folks who would like a more mainstream medical source of nutrition science, Here is a rundown of healthier / less healthy fats from Harvard U School of Public Health.
posted by ojocaliente at 10:14 AM on April 22 [3 favorites]

Mackerel.
Baby smoked oysters, on pizza, full of minerals and micronutrients.
You are what you eat.
posted by hortense at 11:27 AM on April 22 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Walnuts are very heart healthy fat.
Almonds have a lot of calcium.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:55 PM on April 22

Best answer: Eggs! My grocery store carries eggs that claim to be higher in omega-3s, but normal eggs are good too. Flax seed and walnuts (good especially in pancakes). Seeds. Olives. Pistachios, cashews, macadamia nuts.
I've been cooking salmon with ghee, salt and pepper, which makes it taste buttery and rich. I also like to chop and combine avocado, lime juice, serrano, and cilantro into a salsa to put on top.
posted by fern at 12:22 AM on April 23 [1 favorite]