Fish: God’s health food

I’m into eating healthily at the moment. Loving lots of plant-based meals like chana masala (chickpea curry) and quinoa salad, and I also try to eat a couple of portions of fish each week.

My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19) and I’ve been entrusted to do good works in the name of Christ (Eph 2:10), so I want to look after myself so I can obey God and complete what He has in store for me on Earth. And you know, I definitely feel better for a healthy diet.

What about you?

While some of us have health issues (mental or physical) that need medical intervention there’s still always something you can do to make things better.

Eating well is one of those things.

Fish is mentioned a lot in the Bible, e.g. in Matthew’s Gospel as part of the meal fed to the five thousand (Matt 14:13-21), or as one of the clean foods it’s good to eat in Leviticus (Lev 11:9). Fish is indeed one of the healthiest foods on the planet – loaded with nutrients like protein and vitamin D, it’s also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, and these are important for your body and brain.

Three ways that eating fish can boost your mental health:

1. It’s linked to the slowing of mental decline in older adults¹. And people who eat fish regularly also have more grey matter in the parts of their brains that control memory and emotion²
2. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish may help prevent and treat depression^3,4,5,6 – both on their own and when taken with anti-depressant medications
3. It may improve your sleep quality. Particularly eating fatty fish like salmon⁷. And we all know how important a good night’s sleep is to your mental health⁸

So, why not try a good ol’ fish pie this week. Or if you’re feeling posh how about salmon en croute? I’d love to hear about your favourite fish recipes so do share in the comments.

Here’s one of mine…

Email me if you’d like the recipe (susan@creationlifeadventure.co.uk)

God bless xx

References:

1 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16216930/

2 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25084680/

3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3976923/

4 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17685742/

5 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12365878/

6 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17267927/

7 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4013386/

8 – https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health#:~:text=Sufficient%20sleep%2C%20especially%20REM%20sleep,consolidation%20of%20positive%20emotional%20content.