Principle 17: Serve More Kinds of Seafood, More Often

Seafood is an important part of a healthy diet, and most Americans don’t eat the recommended one to two servings per week of fatty fish, which contain higher levels of health-promoting omega- 3s. However, the focus on just a few species is emptying parts of our oceans of popular types of seafood such as cod and tuna and now also fish like menhaden that are a key ingredient in feed for some types of farm-raised fish. Scientific studies have found that the benefits of eating seafood greatly outweigh the risks and that removing or reducing seafood from the diet can have negative effects on health.

Serving more kinds of seafood more often from responsibly managed sources is the priority. Chefs can have a positive impact on the environment and public health by expanding their understanding of how to source and use a greater variety of responsibly managed and underutilized wild-caught and farm-raised fish and shellfish. Serving small fish like sardines and anchovies, as well as clams, oysters, mussels, mollusks, and other low-trophic species (meaning lower on the food chain) are also good choices for our health and the environment.