Is Baked Or Grilled Fish Healthier?
A fish is a healthy food as it contains Omega 3, fatty acid, Vitamins D, and B2. Aside from this, it is also rich in Calcium and a great source of minerals such as Iron, Zinc, Iodine, Magnesium, and Potassium. That is why experts say ‘eating fish at least two times a week is a great part of your healthy diet.’ Now you know why fish is essential, but they say that fish’s nutrients content is reduced depends on how it is being cooked.
Is baked or grilled fish healthier? Baked and grilled are the two main methods of cooking fish. Most people would say that baking a fish is healthier because it retains all the vitamins it contains compared to grilled cooking. It also prevents the loss of Omega 3 fatty acids.
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Explaining why baked fish is healthier is what this article all about. We will also tackle different methods of fish cooking aside from baked and grilled and the benefits of eating fishes.
Method Of Cooking Fish
Baking is a dry heat method that uses oven when cooking fish. Study shows that baking fish will cause less loss of Omega 3 fatty acids, meaning it is healthier. It is also proved that baked fish, unlike any other method, is a better way of retaining Vitamin D content of the fish. A study found that a baked Salmon kept all its Vitamin D.
Whereas fried Salon lost around 50% of its essential vitamins. Omega 3 fatty acids found in fishes are believed to reduce the risk of heart decease by lowering inflammation, blood pressure, and all damage—the reason why most doctors too advised to eat fish to avoid having a heart attack. When you backed your fish, use a minimal amount of heat-stable healthy oil like olive oil.
Grilling And Broiling
These two methods are very similar because they apply dry heat to your fish at a very high temperature. The only difference is the process of cooking it. Because when grilling, the heat applies from below, while boiling applies from above. Though these two are a fast way to cook fish, these methods can cause formation that is bad for our health. This harmful compound caused Hetero-cyclic Amines (HAs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
These two components may cause a change in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer. That’s why when grilling and boiling, avoid cooking with an open flame and try to keep your cooking times as short as possible. Tips on cooking fish by grilling and boiling are that you can apply marinade that helps reduce the formation of HAs and PAHs.
Pan Frying And Deep-frying
Both pan and deep frying use a hot pot temperature cooking. Deep frying methods involve submerging on a large amount of fat, while pan-frying uses a smaller amount of fat in a skillet or pot. When frying, the fish will absorb some of the fat and increase its content. Cooking using vegetable oil in specific have a high risk of contents of inflammatory Omega-6s.
It is also said that cooking will destroy the amount of beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids by 70%-80%. A high temperature of frying will also cause harmful compounds such as HAs and PAHs and AGEs or Advanced Glycation End products. If you want to fry fish, pan-frying is better than deep-frying and remember to use a healthy oil like olive oil.
Pouching And Steaming
These methods use water during the cooking process. Pouching means that submerging the fish in water, milk, stock, or wine when steaming means using hot vaporized water for cooking fish while on a pot. These methods also considered a healthy way of cooking fish because it doesn’t change the fats nor add calories. Using this will also help minimize the formation of harmful chemicals like PAHs and HAs.
The study said that the longer cooking time for steaming fish might increase the number of Cholesterol Oxidation Products that are harmful too. Both methods are considered healthy since cooking temperature are lower, that helps preserve healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.
Microwaving
This method of cooking fish uses a wave of energy in relatively low-temperature of heat. Microwaving is one way of cooking fish fast, and though many think it’s an unhealthy way of cooking, it should believe that it’s not. It uses a low temperature of heat that helped preserved some nutrients and prevent losing Omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, harmful compounds like PAHs and HAs are less to form too because of its low temperature.
Sous Vide
This method may sounds unfamiliar, but this one is from French cooking, which means under vacuum. It is where the fish is placed inside a sealed pouch and cooking in a temperature-controlled water bath. Though it is cooked at a low temperature, it means that the cooking period is longer. But don’t worry, it does not affect the nutrients found on a fish.
The nutrients are maintained, and the Omega-3 fatty acids retained because it’s inside a tightly regulated pouch. Like other cooking methods in low-temperature heat, this may result in forming fewer harmful HAs during the process. Whenever you are out of cooking method ideas, don’t forget Sous Vide in your cooking list.
Benefits Of Eating Fish
Not all of us know that many types of fish have different nutrition profiles too. In general, fishes are divided into two categories: lean and fatty. Both are considered nutritious and has an important role when it comes to our health. Wondering what are those nutrients, here are some:
- Fatty fishes contain an essential nutrient, including Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D, that are both essential in a human’s body.
- Vitamin D helps in absorbing calcium and helps in promoting bone growth.
- Omega-3fatty acids are essential in a body because it helps lower the risk of having a heart attack and some cancer.
- Eating lean fish can be linked to a lower risk of metabolic syndrome and reduced risks of having heart diseases.
Conclusion
Overall, fishes play an essential role in our body’s health. That’s why it’s important to choose wisely what methods of cooking you will choose. Baked fish is considered healthier than grilled fish because it does not reduce the nutrients and vitamins it contains while doing the process. There are plenty of fish cooking methods you can choose from. You have to do research what its effect on our health. Remember that it is not harmful to try different approaches in cooking. Make sure that it doesn’t compromise your health and others.
