Professor Thompson
RHET 110
November 15, 2012
Word count: 3938
What is the best fish to eat? Fish are the oldest vertebrates (“Fishes”). Amazingly, these ancient creatures inhabit the vast majority of Earth’s aquatic environments from fresh water lakes to rivers and even the darkest depths of the ocean. Scientists have identified about 26,000 different species of fish. (“Fishes”). Because of their long history and widespread availability, fish has become an extremely important part of the worldwide human diet. With the improvement of living standards, concern about health and diet is also increasing. In daily life, people need to get various nutrients from their diet in order to maintain nutritional balance. From a nutritional perspective, fish is a good source of crucial nutrients which sustain health. Compared to vegetables, grains, fruit, and meat, fish is packed with vitamins and protein that can prevent disease and promote health (“Fishes”). As eating fish regularly may reduce the risk of some illnesses like childhood asthma and bowel cancer, fish dishes have become very fashionable (“Eat Fish”). Many health benefits accompany the consumption of fish, but consumers face the dilemmas of choosing which species to eat, environmental contamination, and determining consumption frequency. Fish is generally accepted as a very nutritious food. Not only is the seafood a good food supplement, but also the taste is delicious. The wide variety of fish consists of two main categories: marine and freshwater. No matter the classification, the contained health benefits are roughly the same. The only difference is just the exact level of each nutrient the diverging types of fish contain (“Fish”). Fish contains folic acid, vitamin B2, and vitamin B12 (“Fish”). Specifically, the low fat, high protein composition, and abundant omega-3 fatty acids in fish contribute to coordinating the biological functions of humans (Zuzanna
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