Seafood can help prevent stroke, heart diseases

Chef Khatibu Mwangundza serves a guest seafood during the New Year's Eve dinner party at PrideInn Flamingo Beach Resort and Spa, on December 31, 2025.  [File, Standard]

Nutritionists say that seafood, especially fish from the sea and rivers, can manage and stop strokes. Fish contain so many important nutrients that the body requires in order to stay healthy and live longer.

For this reason, one should make sure fish form part of their diet. Nutritionists and dieticians recommend that one should consume fish at least once a week.

"Just one small portion of fish, a quarter of kilogram supplies between a third and a half of the protein required each day," says Grace Chege, former nutritionist at the Hotel Intercontinental, Nairobi.

Fish are also rich in vitamin B12, which is vital for a healthy nervous system and iodine, which the thyroid gland needs to function effectively," says Chege, who is now private nutrition and diet consultant.

"Unlike saturated animal fats, fish oils are highly beneficial," she reveals. Studies have found that people who eat oily fish at least once a week are less likely to suffer from heart disease and stroke.

Most experts believe that it is the Omega-3 fatty acids in fish, which help to protect against heart and circulation problems. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of thrombosis and can also improve the flow of blood through small blood vessels.

Over the years, says Chege, nutritional research has confirmed that the consumption of oily fish helps to relieve some symptoms of psoriasis.

This is due to two factors: Omega-3 fatty acids and the larger amounts of vitamin D in oily fish such as Nile perch, tilapia, salmon, lungfish, mudfish,  sharks, whales, knifefish, tuna and other large seafish.

Scientists have also discovered that Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for healthy development of the eyes and brain in particular, hence mothers-to-be or expectant mothers should include them in their diet.

Even though many people are sceptical about farmed fish due to chemicals used in manufacturing their foods, experts say farmed fish such as salmon and trout, contain similar levels of Omega-3 fatty acids just like wild varieties or species found in lakes, seas, rivers and oceans.

This is so because fish eat the same foods. Chege says fish harvested from cages and ponds are as good as fish caught from the sea. However, the taste is not the same. Steaming, baking or grilling fish is good for your health, says the former hotelier.

But, laboratory tests and studies suggest smoked and pickled fish can produce compounds, which may be carcinogenic, especially if excessively eaten. Food experts say fish such as sardines (omena) are excellent source of calcium as both bones and flesh are eaten.

Since tilapia can be too expensive for most Kenyans, nutritionists are advising the public to consume more omena as an alternative. Omena is more affordable in markets and is now being stocked by supermarkets.

Tinned tuna fish is said to provide very little fish oil as most of the oil in it is removed before canning. People who do not eat fish miss a lot in terms of health benefits. If you don't like the taste of fresh fish, try fried one.