While fish should be part of a healthy diet, including the kind aimed at losing weight, consuming it incorrectly can do more harm than good. What are the most common mistakes that many people make when eating seafood?

Dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth, from Brooklyn, highlights 4 fish-related mistakes that can slow down the weight loss process, specifically:

Not eating it in sufficient quantities

It is important not to ignore seafood when trying to reach a lower body weight. In fact, it is one of the best food choices ever! A review published in 2021 in Nutrition and Metabolic Insights concluded that regular fish consumption has a positive effect on weight and thyroid function, along with a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome. In general, seafood is poor in calories and rich in protein, which makes it an excellent food for someone trying to lose weight and maintain their muscles.

For example, 3 ounces of cooked prawns provides 20 grams of protein with just 84 calories, according to the USDA. This number is roughly equivalent to the amount of protein available in the same serving of grilled chicken breast.

It is required to increase the consumption of fish, so that it is recommended to get 8 ounces of it or more per week, whether the goal is to lose weight or not. It is also important to diversify it to provide the body with various nutrients, taking care to limit fish high in mercury such as shark, marlin, swordfish…

– Lathered with butter

There is no doubt that butter makes any food tastier. However, buttering fish with butter can significantly increase its calorie content, which can hinder weight loss. For example, while scallops have only 80 calories per 4 ounce serving, putting 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet while they’re cooking will add an additional 200 calories and 14 grams of saturated fat.

You don’t have to completely eliminate fat while cooking seafood, but you can get rid of about 100 calories per tablespoon by replacing some of the fat with low- or zero-calorie flavor enhancers such as herbs, spices, or acid, according to the Mayo Clinic.

As for the fats used, it is preferable to switch from butter to virgin olive oil, which contains the same calories as butter, but its saturated fat is much less and helps counter high levels of bad cholesterol and lowers the risk of heart disease, according to “Harvard Health Publishing.”

– say it

The crunchy outer layer that comes from frying the fish adds up to tons of calories, as well as lots of added sodium that causes bloating. For example, 4 ounces of cod fillet contains only 90 calories. But when you coat it with cake powder, the batter for foods before frying, it will add another 200 calories, along with 300 or 400 mg of sodium.

It’s okay to occasionally enjoy the seafood covered in cake powder and fried, but low-calorie cooking methods should be preferred. According to the Mayo Clinic, boiling, baking, or grilling are all delicious options that help better support efforts to lose weight.

– Fear of oily fish

It is true that oily fish contains about 100 more calories per serving than other types, but it must be included in the diet. A 2019 study published in Nutrition Research Reviews found that the omega-3 fatty acids hidden in oily fish may support weight loss. In addition, the fats in oily fish provide protection for the heart and brain.

Therefore, it is very important to introduce omega-3 to the “menu” regularly, provided you pay attention to the portion size and avoid using large amounts of added fats while cooking or flavoring fish, which contributes to controlling total calories. According to the American Heart Association, 3 ounces of oily fish should be consumed at least twice a week.