Why fish and shellfish are essential in a keto-mediterranean diet

In the Blooness Ultimate Guide series, we have taken an in-depth look at meat in the keto-diet.Mediterranean, and we'll now move on to the other ancestral pillar of optimized nutrition: namely fish, shellfish and seafood in general, and their impact on health and longevity.

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On the one hand red meat often embodies the «hunting» aspect of hunter-gathering, while fish, shellfish and crustaceans represent the «coastal gathering» aspect, and opportunistic fishing.

Among peoples living near seas, rivers or lakes (and there were many of them, as human beings have evolved a great deal near coasts and rivers), these foods have been a major source of proteins and above all fats top-quality the famous long-chain omega-3s (EPA and DHA), not found elsewhere in natural foods.

The fact that humans evolved near the coast and were able to consume many marine products may also explain our dependence on omega-3s for longevity.

Today, in a keto-mediterranean diet - which is a kind of hybridization that we have formalized and that we situate between the low-carb or the ketogenic and the anti-inflammatory, polyphenol-rich principles of Mediterranean diet classic - fish and fruit take on an even greater dimension.

And the reason they play such a central role in health nutrition is that they tick several boxes at once:

• First and foremost, seafood helps maintain a healthy ketosis deep without resorting to a sometimes excessive dependence on saturated fats; ;
• They also boost omega-3 intakes (and omega-3s, as we saw in the content devoted to them, are fatty acids that are anti-inflammatory), and all the while, naturally limiting omega-6s, which tend to be rather pro-inflammatory (remember the content devoted to the ideal intake of omega-3, 6 and 9) ;
• They also enable increase micronutritional density (in particular iodine seleniumin zincin vitamin D, and B12...). This micronutritional density guarantees maximum vitality, and today we know the importance of micronutrition for optimal health, and in particular of these micronutrients, which are terribly lacking in the modern diet, which is very poor in micronutrients. Fish and seafood therefore have the advantage of being micronutrient-dense, and therefore somewhat cost-effective when we weigh their weight against their benefit to our health; ;
• Then they promote satiety and fat loss without chronic hunger, They are generally less calorie-dense than fatty meats and have what is known as a lower molecular weight, but we'll come back to this concept later; ;
• And finally they support longevity via mechanisms that have been validated by scientific literature (in particular, they have a positive effect on heart and brain health, and on the mitochondria that enable our cells to produce energy).

After studying a number of books on health and longevity issues, we finally realize that the Mediterranean diet low to moderate in carbohydrates is finally the approach that combines the best of both worlds on the one hand, the stable energy of ketosis or at least of a blood glucose and possibly intermittent ketosis, and on the other hand, markers of longevity in traditional Mediterranean populations.

When I say’Mediterranean diet low to moderate in carbohydrates, I'm thinking in particular of dietary practices that range from the keto-mediterranean diet to a more flexible low-GI Mediterranean diet, via a Mediterranean diet lowcarb (i.e. at around 50 to 120 grams of carbohydrates per day, which would enable intermittent ketosis) and why a Mediterranean diet with protein and slightly more carbohydrates for bodybuilding enthusiasts and people who oxidize carbohydrates very well.

So in this content, I suggest you start with the basics, by answering the following question: So why are fish and seafood perfect for lowcarb, and what's in it for healthy longevity and weight loss? We're about to find out.

A macro profile almost perfect for keto

First of all, the strong point of marine products is quite simply their breakdown into macronutrients, in protein, lipids and carbohydrates. Starting with their carbohydrate content, which is close to zero.

Carbohydrates in fish and seafood: a non-issue

These are foods that have virtually zero carbohydrate intake, Most of them have enabled many peoples to survive, in very good health, with very good health markers.

As a result, when you eat fish, there's no insulin spike comparable to a carbohydrate-rich food, and when you're already in ketosis, fish and seafood allow you to stay there without problems.

These foods are therefore among the most important for a low-carb or ketogenic diet.

Fish protein: the strong point

The other advantage of seafood products is their excellent content of highly bioavailable yet easily digestible complete proteins.

I refer you to the content dedicated to the protein bioavailability, The PDCAAS score for fish is 1, comparable to that for eggs or meat. As a reminder, this score is an indicator that measures the assimilation of proteins in the body.

That's for assimilation. But that's not all. In terms of protein content, we're on the same order of magnitude as meat, with 18 to 25 grams of protein per 100 grams of food, which is absolutely ideal, and hyper «profitable» when you consider the weight of the food in relation to its protein density.

Lipids in seafood: variable according to species, but always of high quality

When it comes to fat intake, fish and shellfish are almost superfoods, for a number of reasons.

The first reason is that we can increase or decrease fat intake according to species, so you're spoilt for choice when it comes to alternate between lean and fatty fish according to needs, desires, satiety, objectives, etc...

Unlike meat, where you have to fight with the butcher to get more or less fatty cuts, and I refer you to my ultimate guide to the best cuts of fatty meat to choose from When shopping for fish, simply order either lean fish (cod, saithe, sole or hake, for example) or oily fish (sardines, mackerel, wild salmon, herring or anchovy). I strongly recommend alternating the two, and even giving priority to small, oily fish.

List of lean fish

So just to be clear, and to give you some ideas for your shopping, here is a non-exhaustive list of lean fish:

• Cod
• Hake (hake or pollack, depending on variety)
• Whiting
• Hake
• Sole
• Dab
• Saithe
• Haddock
• Pollock
• Trout

List of fatty fish

And here is a list of fatty fish, all the more interesting in the ketogenic diet or for satiety and energy:

• Sardines (fresh or canned in oil/natural and steamed)
• Anchovies
• Mackerel
• Herring
• Salmon (especially wild or farmed of good quality)

Lean fish provides 1 to 3% of lipids, which is perfect for a digestible, rapidly metabolized meal when you're not very hungry or just want to cut calories a little.

Oily fish contain 10 to 20% of lipids, so they are much higher in calories, but these lipids contain between 20 and 40% omega-3 EPA + DHA, which makes these fish stars of the food world. keto, and both Mediterranean and typical of the Blue Zones, Omega-3s are not only good for your health, but also for your waistline.

EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are two “active” forms of omega-3, i.e. they can be used directly by the body. They play a key role in cardiovascular health, brain function and the regulation of inflammation.

With their record levels of easily usable omega-3s, small oily fish are the stars of both keto and Mediterranean or Blue Zone diets.

In fact, the benefits of oily fish are not just for longevity, but also for waist circumference. It's a little counter-intuitive, but on a very low-carb diet, it would seem that boosting fats, and particularly seafood fats, rather than cream or butter, is particularly beneficial for weight loss.

On the other hand, lean fish may be preferable when more carbohydrates are involved, particularly if you're on a low-carb or simply low-GI carbohydrate diet.

Seafood and shellfish

Fish isn't the only seafood product that's extremely good for your health. We also have crustaceans and mollusks (such as shrimps, langoustines, mussels, oysters or scallops), which generally provide 1-5 % of lipids, and around 18 to 25 grams of protein.

The advantage of seafood is that it allows you to vary your protein intake, and of course to vary your pleasures, while benefiting from a protein intake comparable to that of meat, for example, except that seafood, like fish, has a lower molecular weight than meat, and we'll come back to this notion shortly.

Secondly, the strength of crustaceans lies above all in their rich in minerals, The micronutrients they provide are particularly lacking in today's society, which is why it is vital and even urgent to reintroduce this type of food, which has been completely ignored by most people.

In short, with seafood products: no problematic carbohydrates, high-quality proteins, fats that lean strongly towards the anti-inflammatory side and are very useful for weight loss, and a very interesting micronutritional density.

The molecular weight of fish and seafood

The other thing you need to know about fish and seafood is molecular weight.

One of the major advantages of fish and seafood is their speed of metabolization. In fact, seafood has a much lower «molecular weight» than meat, and even lower than cheese.

Molecular weight is the “size” of the molecules that make up a food: the smaller and simpler they are, the faster the body can break them down, absorb and use them. Conversely, more complex structures require longer digestive processes.

As a result, it can be eaten quite late in the day, a little before bedtime, or for example not too far after a physical event, without affecting digestion and without being bloated, precisely because digestion takes place quite quickly.

And so it's ideal for getting back to fasting quickly, whether it's for a physical or cerebral challenge, or simply for going to sleep, or even for bedroom sport, and as such, fish - cooked if possible for this particular context, just in case - is one of the best foods for a date, for example, or in any case a particular moment when you need or want to be in full possession of your means.

Comparing fish and meat

Now, I'd like to make a little comparison between fish and meat, not to pit them against each other, and you know that meat is one of the dietary mainstays of the modern world. Blooness guide, We've devoted no less than 10 articles to the subject on Blooness, but simply to better understand the advantages and particularities of each depending on the context.

Compared to meat, seafood typically has a much better omega-3 / omega-6 balance (often 1:1 compared to 1:10 or even 1:20 in many conventional meats, which are the standard meats sold in supermarkets).

There are also fewer saturated fats in fish if we try to temper them a little (this is often the case in the keto-mediterranean diet, where we prefer the monounsaturated fats of olive oil, for example, to the saturated fats of meat).

Red meat, on the other hand, provides more iron Heme iron is a form of iron that is very well absorbed by the body, and is useful for energy and blood oxygenation. Creatine, carnosine and taurine are natural compounds that support muscles, physical performance and certain brain functions.

All of this is provided mainly by meat, and particularly via the offal, and I refer you to the ultimate guide to offal on Blooness. Note that fish also have their own «offal», which also acts as a superfood, and we'll come back to this later.

Another feature of meat compared to fish is that meat is often more satiety-enhancing than fish, especially red meat, and generally allows you to fast longer without feeling hungry, especially when it comes to the fatty part of the meat. This is an advantage for meat at the start of the day, and an advantage for fish at the end.

And it's important to recognize that meat is a food that most people find tastier than fish. So it's sometimes a bit complicated to introduce people to fish and seafood, because they're not used to it and you have to learn how to cook this kind of food to make it taste good.

Verdict: there is no no competition between the two, but rather a complementarity.

An ideal keto-mediterranean diet, as we might imagine it, would consist of alternate 2 to 4 fish and seafood meals a week (in particular for omega-3s, but not only that), and the rest in meat / eggs / offal for overall density and holistic appeal.

Not forgetting, of course, the vegetables and all the rest, but here we were focused on the complementarity between meat and fish.

Conclusion

To conclude this chapter, fish and shellfish are the perfect embodiment of the keto- spirit.Mediterranean healthy fats (monounsaturated + omega-3), quality proteins, an explosion of micronutrients, and of course no processed ingredients, as long as you choose fish in its raw, unprocessed form.

We therefore avoid industrial breaded fish, even if it means making the breading ourselves when we feel like it, or identifying brands that make breaded fish a little more elaborate than those found at fairly low prices in supermarkets.

You can now make marine products a priority in your diet, bearing in mind that most people tend to eat them only once a week or even once a month, or when they're on vacation by the sea, which is a mistake when you're looking to optimize your health and maintain an ideal weight.

In upcoming episodes (which will be reserved for premium subscribers to the Blooness Guide), we'll dive deeper with :

• Concrete scientific benefits for weight loss, longevity and energy (studies on omega-3, satiety, mitochondrial health...).
• How to classify and choose the best species (lean vs. fat, how to reproduce ancestral ratios, which channel to choose between wild vs. farmed, what are the sustainable labels, which preserves to choose in supermarkets).
• Star micronutrients and their synergies.
• How to deal with pollutants (mercury, PCBs, etc.).
• And how to integrate seafood products into the kitchen, what cooking methods to use, etc...

If you're a premium subscriber, the next episode is coming soon. Otherwise, now is the perfect time to join the community and access the complete Blooness guide and all accelerated programs and flexible keto.

See you soon!