Health Benefits of Seafood

I am so excited to announce that I’m teaming up with LoveTheWild to share the health benefits of seafood and aquaculture, and how their products can help support your healthy yet busy lifestyle!

For the last 6 months since not feeling well myself (that I’ve been sharing much of the journey of over here on IG), I’ve REALLY been trying to clean up not only my diet, but my home and life — making it as clean and natural as possible! For home and lifestyle, switching to all natural products has been key. And for diet, I’ve been trying to include lots of nutritious meals and snacks, instead of relying on what’s most “convenient” yet not nutritious, with my busy life. But that’s where the excitement of LoveTheWild comes in. Because they offer convenience AND nutritious meals that I can’t wait to share more about! (you’ve probably seen them on my IG stories lately!) So let’s break down the benefits, the WHY behind eating seafood and knowing about aquaculture, and then I’ll share more about their amazing, convenient options!

What are the Health Benefits of Seafood?

As a dietitian, I always love showing the WHY behind things. I’ll never tell you to eat or to do something “just because”. So why should you try to incorporate more seafood in your diet? What are the health benefits of seafood? Here they are, which are all evidence-based, because that’s important too!

Why it’s important to eat fish:

Fish is loaded with important nutrients for your body and brain: protein, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids
Fish contains nutrients that are crucial for development: Omega-3’s DHA (found only in fish and eggs), is especially important for developing the brain and eyes
90% of Americans don’t eat the USDA recommended amount of seafood, even though it’s loaded with important and unique nutrients that you can’t easily get from any other food
DHA and EPA are ONLY found in fish and eggs. Plant sources only contain the omega-3 ALA.
And some just fun but important ones:
- Eating seafood leaves lighter footprints on the planet… and helps keep our wild places wild.
- Fish is delicious and easy to prepare!

Okay… & What is Aquaculture / Why is it Important?

Aquaculture is the farming in water of aquatic animals or plants for food. Today about 50% of all seafood for human consumption is produced through aquaculture. But it’s what makes it all possible! See, when done right, aquaculture contributes to environmental health by sequestering nutrients and cleaning up the water. Waste is converted into fertilizer and food for algae and seaweed, mollusks, worms, crabs, and other fish.[NOAA]

Why aquaculture?

Farmed fish have the same omega-3 content as wild fish
Free from drugs, chemicals and hormones — as these are rarely used in aquaculture. Farmed fish, contrary to common belief, can be completely free from PCBs, mercury, and other contaminants.
Aquaculture relieves pressure on wild fish stocks. Overfishing has reduced stocks by 50%.
Aquaculture has zero bycatch. No animals are unintentionally harmed by fishing lines or nets.

The key is sourcing transparency. Tracing your seafood’s origins benefits both our personal health and the health of the planet, especially given the widespread mislabeling of fish! That’s why I’m super excited to introduce LoveTheWild, because they know and support their suppliers, even featuring a traceability panel on-pack, PLUS partner with many third-party certifying bodies to ensure the quality of their fish. Ummmm how cool and amazing?!

Tell Me More, Who is LoveTheWild?

LoveTheWild is changing the game in the frozen aisle friends, a place that has clearly never been a symbol of inspiration or sustainability. LoveTheWild was founded by Jacqueline and Christy, who I personally got to connect with and get to know a bit. Their mission? To make bold food that’s good for you and good for the earth. Even though it indeed is the most delicious fish you’ve ever tasted; more importantly, their goal is to make sustainable aquaculture the norm rather than the exception. In their hearts, the right choices for the planet are also the right choices for your plate!

I was SO excited to partner with this company and show off their products to y’all, because you know I’m ALL about the healthy eating without hours in the kitchen. And at LoveTheWild, they pair sustainably-sourced fillets with bold, artisanal sauces, that you can keep right in your freezer and have out and ready in minutes! Hellllllo restaurant quality fish at home with little effort or time. Not only that, but they pride themselves on finding the best aquaculture sources and informing consumers about where their seafood is coming from, through important supplier relationships and transparency to source. Which after reading this post, we know how important that it!

What does LoveTheWild Offer?

I mentioned that LoveTheWild allows you to have restaurant quality fish right in your own own, cooked in minutes. How?! Let me share just a litttttle about their products!

Both Products are:
- All Non-GMO Ingredients
- Gluten Free
- Antibiotic Free
- Earth Friendly Packaging
- Sustainable and Traceable
1) Seafood Kits: Easy 3-step oven ready kits for dinner in under 30 minutes!
- Varieties:
  - Shrimp with Cajun Creme
  - Barramundi with Mango Sriracha
  - Salmon with Maple Mustard
  - Red Trout with Salsa Verde

2) Microwaveable Bowls: restaurant quality meal in under 5 minutes!
- Varieties:
  - Sweet and Spicy Korean BBQ Bowl with Salmon
  - Baja Style Fish Taco Bowl with Barramundi
  - Hawaiian Style Tropical Bowl with Barramundi
  - Craft Ale Scampi Bowl with Shrimp

Now my fiance and I have been LOVING both, because 1) we love eating seafood 2) we try to fuel our bodies with nutritious foods 3) we have little time and these allow us to do #1-2 in anywhere from 5-25 minutes!

One thing I was SO surprised about, was that they didn’t have that super fishy taste that you would think microwaving fish would cause. I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried about that because I HATE when fish “tastes fishy”. But whether I microwaved the bowls, or I baked the fish kits in my little toaster oven, they were all delicious tasting and I would have never known got it out of my freezer!

I’m so excited to continue sharing about ways I’m incorporating LoveTheWild into my healthy lifestyle, but until then, you can find them at these places below to start trying them out yourself!

Bowls: Target, Earth Fare, Lucky’s Market, MOM’s Organic Market, HEB, Wegamens, Plum Market, PeaPod, Alfalfa’s, Natural Grocers, FreshDirect
Seafood Kits: Whole Foods Market