Fish & shellfish 300 g Woman +0.95 years Man +1.2 years

I wade out in swimming trunks in the summer and lay nets directly in the sea. In the fall, I’ll put on the wetsuit. My conscience is safe with eating sustainable catch, but if you have a different view, follow your inner compass and completely plant-based with vitamin B-12 supplementation. In the nets, I catch trout, plaice, turbot, and perch, and the record is a ten kilo of salmon.

Sometimes, the seals have eaten the catch, and sometimes, the nets are filled with seaweed and seaweed. It is laborious and therapeutic to clean fish and feed the family as people have done for thousands of years. The family helps me stretch and clear the nets of seaweed. Reverence grows for nature, life, and the earth’s cycle. It deepens the desire to protect the oceans from toxins and plastics.

For some, sport fishing with a rod is life itself. To step out into streams and rivers for fly fishing, to follow the changes of the seasons. Find your way to the love of the sea’s treasures - and how we should nurture them sustainably for the next generation.

Positive effects: Fish and shellfish contain essential nutrients such as protein, iodine, vitamin D, and minerals. Research shows fish lowers inflammation and blood pressure and protects against stroke and cardiovascular disease. Between one and two servings of fish a week lowered the risk of death from heart disease by 36%.

Shahidi F, Ambigaipalan P. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their health benefits. Annual review of food science and technology. 2018 Mar 25;9:345-81.

Omega-3 from fish prevents arrhythmias, where the heart beats abnormally and irregularly. Studies show associations between high fish intake and a lower risk of heart failure and death from heart disease. Early research found low rates of cardiovascular disease in the Inuit people of Greenland and coastal populations in Japan and Alaska.

Shahidi F, Ambigaipalan P. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and their health benefits.Annual review of food science and technology. 2018 Mar 25;9:345-81.

Studies show that fish intake of more than one serving per week results in less cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s in older people.

Solfrizzi V, Custodero C, Lozupone M, Imbimbo BP, Valiani V, Agosti P, Schilardi A, D’Introno A, La Montagna M, Calvani M, Guerra V. Relationships of dietary patterns, foods, and micro-and macronutrients with Alzheimer’s disease and late-life cognitive disorders: a systematic review. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2017 Jan 1;59(3):815-49. Cunnane SC, Plourde M, Pifferi F, Bégin M, Féart C, Barberger-Gateau P. Fish, docosahexaenoic acid and Alzheimer’s disease. Progress in lipid research. 2009 Sep 1;48(5):239-56.

Higher fish intake results in a greater volume of gray matter (dementia is linked to lower volume) in the brain and a slower decline in memory scores.

Tan ZS, Harris WS, Beiser AS, Au R, Himali JJ, Debette S, Pikula A, DeCarli C, Wolf PA, Vasan RS, Robins SJ. Red blood cell omega-3 fatty acid levels and markers of accelerated brain aging. Neurology. 2012 Feb 28;78(9):658-64.

The study “Estimation of the impact of food choices on life expectancy” shows that more treasures from the sea lead to longer lives.

An example of a longer lifespan is 300 g of fish (we include shellfish as English seafood consists of fish and shellfish) per day for a 20-year-old who consumes 2322 kcal: Woman +0.95 years, Man +1.2 years.

The likelihood of depression is lower in people who eat fish regularly, studies show.

Fadnes LT, Økland J-M, Haaland ØA, Johansson KA (2022) https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=...Estimating impact of food choices on life expectancy: A modeling study.) https://food4healthylife.org https://priorityapp.shinyapps.io/Food/

Omega-3 fatty acids help with depression and increase the effectiveness of antidepressants, studies show.

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

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

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

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes vision loss and blindness. Fish consumption in women regularly was found to result in a 42% lower risk of AMD, a study found.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC31346...

Another study found that eating oily fish once a week was linked to a 53% reduced risk of neovascular AMD.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18689376/

Eating fish regularly has been shown in studies to be associated with almost a 1/4 lower risk of asthma in children.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC38271...

Tip: Seafood is quick to cook and my favorite to serve as it takes longer to eat than to cook. Prawns, lobsters, crayfish, mussels, and crabs brighten life and turn the table into a feast. They were inspired by Strindberg’s stories from the cancer records of the time.

My favorite fish is char from Iceland, sustainably farmed in Icelandic waters and quick to cook in the oven. Venture away from the freezer’s limited seafood selection and find new suppliers for your family (like the fish truck or a local fisherman).

Go as close to the source as possible and buy in the right season. It provides better quality and lower prices while supporting small local growers and fishermen instead of billion-dollar companies. Don’t spend your money on cod liver oil but real fish without heavy metals.