The easiest ways to maximize nutrition from fish

Scientists are discovering that fish is an important part of the human diet that many of us are missing. Here's some tips for buying, cooking and storing fish so that you can get the most out of every piece.

• You've probably heard by now that omega-3s fend off heart disease — something that could be right around the corner if your blood sugar is stuck in overdrive.
• One study found that women with diabetes who ate fish just once a week had a 40 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than did women with diabetes who ate fish less than once a month.
• Fish is also a protein food, and protein foods have virtually no impact on blood sugar.
• Omega-3s also quell inflammation in the body, a major contributor to numerous chronic diseases of aging, including insulin resistance and diabetes.
• Fish can cut the risk of prostate cancer and help maintain brain power as you age.
• There's also evidence that fatty fish may help defend against depression.

• All fish contain some omega-3s, but fatty types such as albacore tuna, salmon, mackerel, lake trout, herring and sardines are richest in them.
• A portion of fish is 85 grams (three ounces). If you're having fish as your main meal of the day, a serving of up to 170 grams (six ounces) is acceptable.
• We suggest that you aim to eat fish for dinner once or twice a week when you might otherwise have chicken or beef.

• Make it baked, broiled, pan-fried, stewed or grilled. Just don't make it fast food or deep fried, like fish and chips or a fish sandwich.
• Loaded with bad-for-you fats, deep-fried fare just isn't the same kettle of fish.
• One study found eating fried fish and fish sandwiches offered no heart benefits at all.

• Shop at a busy fish counter. Lots of customers mean lots of turnover and fresher fish.
• The fish's eyes should be clear, not cloudy.
• The inside of the gills should be bright red, not grayish or even pink.
• It shouldn't smell bad. Fish should have a moist, almost musky smell like that of a cucumber or melon.

• Fillets should be moist and firm.
• If there are gaps or separations in the flesh, it's not fresh.
• Fillets, strangely enough, shouldn't smell fishy.
• Don't bypass frozen fillets. Vacuum-packed sole, cod or salmon fillets are the next best thing to fresh.

Fresh fish will keep in the fridge for a day or two. But cook it as soon as possible or freeze it for up to six months.

The Greenland Inuit eat an incredibly high-fat diet with few vegetables, yet their rate of heart disease is stunningly low. Chalk it up to all the fatty fish they eat: the staple food in their diet is fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. You could lower your chances of certain diseases too, if you start to eat more fish, and eat them right.