6 Fish-Free for Life: Why Plant Omega-3s are Better for You and the Environment
Good fat, bad fat Nutritional content of selected oily fish and vegetarian alternatives
The brain is 60 per cent fat and to work
properly must contain enough ‘bendy’
100 grams of: Protein Fat Saturated fat Cholesterol Fibre Energy
polyunsaturated fatty acids to stay supple
(grams) (grams) (grams) (milligrams) (grams) (kcal)
and elastic. If fats in the brain are rigid,
its function is affected. Fish require large
amounts of flexible, unsaturated fat to
Grilled salmon 24.2 13.1 2.5 60 0 215
enable them to see and swim around in
cold, dim, watery environments.
Smoked mackerel 18.9 30.9 6.3 105 0 354
They obtain them from plankton, algae and
other fish. Polyunsaturated fats are also
Tinned sardines 23.3 14.1 2.9 65 0 220
found in eggs, dairy foods and are plentiful
in plant foods – nuts and seeds and their oils,
avocados, olives and soya foods, for example. Smoked tofu 10.9 7.1 1.5 0 0.5 112
Green leafy vegetables don’t contain a great
deal as they are low in all fat.
Red lentils, boiled 7.6 0.4 Trace amounts 0 1.9 100
Olive oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid
and a good substitute (in moderation)
Kidney beans, boiled 8.4 0.5 0.1 0 6.7 103
for butter and lard in cooking.
We don’t need saturated fat – at all! Found
Tinned chick peas 10.3 2.5 0.2 0 4.3 119
widely in processed foods, meat, dairy, eggs
and poultry, it is unhealthy and increases the
Vegetarian style fish 13.3 15.2 1.9 0 1.0 279
risk of heart disease and stroke by raising
fingers (Redwoods)
‘bad’ cholesterol levels. Despite its promotion
as a good source of unsaturated, ‘healthy’
fats, much of the fat found in some oily fish
is saturated (see table, right). For example, Sources: Food Standards Agency, Sainsbury’s, Redwoods and Cauldron Foods
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