- With Mayo Clinic nutritionists
Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
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Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
Katherine Zeratsky and Jennifer Nelson
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., C.N.S.D.
Jennifer Nelson is your link to a better diet. As specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, she plays a vital role in bringing you healthy recipes and meal planning."Nutrition is one way people have direct control over the quality of their lives," she says. "I hope to translate the science of nutrition into ways that people can select and prepare great-tasting foods that help maintain health and treat disease."
A St. Paul, Minn., native, she has been with Mayo Clinic since 1978, and is director of clinical dietetics and an associate professor of nutrition at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
She leads clinical nutrition efforts for a staff of more than 60 clinical dietitians and nine dietetic technicians and oversees nutrition services, staffing, strategic and financial planning, and quality improvement. Nelson was co-editor of the "Mayo Clinic Diet" and the James Beard Foundation Award-winning "The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook." She has been a contributing author to and reviewer of many other Mayo Clinic books, including "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody," "The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and "The Mayo Clinic/Williams Sonoma Cookbook." She contributes to the strategic direction of the Food & Nutrition Center, which includes creating recipes and menus, reviewing nutrition content of various articles, and providing expert answers to nutrition questions.
Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
As a specialty editor of the nutrition and healthy eating guide, Katherine Zeratsky helps you sort through the facts and figures, the fads and the hype to learn more about nutrition and diet.A Marinette, Wis., native, she is certified in dietetics by the state of Minnesota and the American Dietetic Association. She has been with Mayo Clinic since 1999.
She's active in nutrition-related curriculum and course development in wellness nutrition at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and nutrition related to weight management and practical applications of nutrition-related lifestyle changes.
Other areas of interest include food and nutrition for all life stages, active lifestyles and the culinary arts.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served a dietetic internship at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and worked as a registered dietitian and health risk counselor at ThedaCare of Appleton, Wis., before joining the Mayo Clinic staff.
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Nutrition-wise blog
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June 1, 2011
Fish and heart health
By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.
A new study has again confirmed that fish is heart-healthy. So what's new about that? This study looked at how often fish was consumed, the types of fish and even how it was prepared. Data were collected from food questionnaires completed by 84,000 postmenopausal women. Here's what the study found:
- Frequency. Women who ate five or more servings of baked or broiled fish a week had a 30 percent lower risk of developing heart failure, compared with women who rarely or never ate fish.
- Preparation. Eating even one serving of fried fish a week was linked to a 48 percent higher risk of heart failure. Frying fish increases trans fats, which researchers speculate may contribute to an increase in risk for heart disease. Low-fat cooking methods, such as baking, broiling, grilling, poaching and steaming, don't produce this effect.
- Types of fish. Eating baked or broiled dark fish, such as salmon, mackerel and bluefish, was associated with a 22 percent lower risk of heart failure. That was not true for tuna and white fish, such as sole, snapper and cod.
- Omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers also looked at omega-3 intake from sources, such as fish oil supplements, vegetable oil and other plant products. They found no association between these omega-3 sources and heart failure risk. This suggests that whole fish — not just omega-3 — provided the protection from heart failure.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend increasing the amount and variety of seafood in your diet by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry. So, up your intake of fish — especially salmon, mackerel and bluefish. Here are a few low-fat recipes to get you started. Share your favorites too.
- Salmon — Brush with maple syrup and grill. Top with zest of lime or lemon.
- Mackerel — Brush with a little olive oil and season with lemon pepper, then broil.
- Bluefish — Brush with mustard and bake.
- Jennifer
15 comments posted
June 3, 2013 5:06 p.m.
I'm interested to know if the "frying" referred to is deep frying in oil or pan frying in olive oil at 250-399 degrees.
- Bert
May 23, 2012 6:04 p.m.
Greetings. Great info, have been thinking about the health benefits of eating fish for a while. I think it is a great help and mentioned the positive results in my blog, troutfly, but it is nowhere as educated as yours. Now I´m reading more about it. Thanks for the post.
- Hörður
February 14, 2012 3:38 p.m.
fish is good for the heart for real??? If its true i must start to eat it everyday...
- Sordan
January 19, 2012 12:24 p.m.
Has anyone heard of Swai fish? Just bought some at the grocery store. Went on online to look up recipes. Found a web site that said that this fish is very cheap and could be poisonous, because of the way the fish is industrially farmed in a polluted Mekong River. The scientists have lab tested these fish and found high levels of contamination. What is fact? Should people be eating this fish?
- Sandy
November 25, 2011 8:08 p.m.
Why does frying create trans fats? I thought they came from hydrogenation of oil rather than heating.
- Margaret
November 15, 2011 4:49 p.m.
I love Makerel, I just wish I could find some.
- Roy
August 18, 2011 4:32 p.m.
I typically grill my salmon but due to a thunderstorm microwaved it instead. I used salmon with skin on, washed it in cool water, dried it, then brushed with olive oil, and then spiced it up with Montreal Steak Seasoning and Rosemary. Place a papertowel over the dish and mircowave in short segments on 80 percent power turning after each 3 minute segment until done. It was just as flavorful as grilling! I highly recommend.
- Renae
August 13, 2011 10:43 a.m.
who did the study and who paid for it?
- harry
July 20, 2011 2:38 p.m.
Sorry, my HDL is always above 70. It should be noted that I seldom eat meat and only eat kosher when I do eat meat. Anyhoo, I just can't believe that Canola oil is in everything now! It's just like HFCS, which also took a little while for people to catch on to. Avoiding weird, highly processed man made concoctions like Canola and HFCS has made me more creative in the kitchen! I just think back to how my grandparents ate. They ate well! They used butter,soaked beans and baked with sugar. 3 out of the of 4 of them lived well into their 90's. One died in her 80's. Beware of modern day "food like substances!"
- Patricia
July 20, 2011 2:26 p.m.
While reflecting on "Fish and Heart Health" I would like to express my amazement that Katherine Zeratsky Registered Dietician defends Canola oil as a healthy oil. There are more criteria to consider in selecting a healthy oil/oils for your family to eat than just Omega 3s. A wee bit of time spent evaluating sites and doing research would prompt many to think they may be best off choosing oils promoted by nature for millions of years rather than blindly trusting a GMO oil that must be processed to a point that vitamin E deficiency results in mammals consuming it alone. I will pay more for good olive oil thank you. I will make my own lemon and olive oil salad dressings (canola has become ubiquitous in the salad dressing isles.) and use lots of lovely avocados. I'm 51 years old and have the same HDL LDL cholesterol profile as my 20 year old son. So, I may be doing something right. It's a real tip off that the Canola is "Canada Oil" verbally squashed together. It's one of Canada's main exports and they'll do whatever is necessary to promote it I fear. I can't believe that Mayo Clinic expects that we in the U.S. buy into this nonsense! My instincts are not very trusting. I remember my dad (a chemist at SRI) telling me to avoid hydrogenated oils (trans fats) back in the 70's. It took our government over 20 years to catch up. I use butter, olive oil, sesame oil (full of omega 6's) but never touch Canola. My total cholesterol has never been over 200. My HDL
- Patricia
June 26, 2011 9:18 p.m.
Great Post! I take Fish Oil tabs daily. After reading your post I will try to get a couple more meals out of fish per week.
- Geoff
June 25, 2011 4:01 p.m.
To improve our health we need to increase our omega 3 fatty acids and decrease our omega 6 fatty acids. We can increase our omega 3 fatty acids by eating more wild-caught salmon, albacore tuna, walnuts, flax seed and avocados. One of the drawbacks for eating fish is that they contain increasingly high levels of pollutants such as PCB’s, lead and mercury. This condition exists because of industrial pollution which has accumulated in the streams, rivers and oceans around the world. Because most of the fish today is contaminated, it is probably better to increase your intake of fish oils by taking supplements. We can decrease our omega 6 fatty acids by eating less rich foods such as mayonnaise, salad dressings, processed foods and fast foods.
- Dennis
June 8, 2011 3:06 p.m.
This is interesting, but five servings of fish per week sounds like a lot; as a woman of childbearing age, I've been advised by my OB/GYN to limit to no more than 1-2 servings per week due to mercury concerns, and to avoid certain types of fish altogether. With the increasing popularity of CFL bulbs as an alternative to incandescent lighting and the lack of education being provided to consumers about their proper disposal, it seems unlikely that environmental mercury contamination will decline any time soon. What is the appropriate balance to strike in order to reap the health benefits of eating fish, without increasing one's risk of mercury poisoning?
- Jennifer
June 6, 2011 4:25 p.m.
Hi Bill - Nice question. According to the study, it excluded subjects where there was data missing about fish intake. It's difficult to make an assumption about whether these individuals were vegan - or just don't eat fish. The data therefore only included those subjects who indicated they consumed fish. It would be interesting to see what the data said about those who never eat fish.
- - your blog host, Jennifer
June 2, 2011 5:21 a.m.
Surely one also needs to know what the non fish eaters eat instead. Where they vegans or hamburger fans?
- Bill
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