On this week's show, we're celebrating National Family Meals Month with tips for gathering your family around the table more often and simple ways to get more seafood onto your weekly meal plan. Eating seafood at least two times a week is the recommendation from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and on this episode, I've got tips for making that recommendation an easy reality. I also have a brand new recipe for Parmesan Salmon Sticks with Zesty Avocado Dipping Sauce that's sure to get you one tasty step closer to that goal. My salmon sticks recipe is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and on the show, I'll tell you why omega-3s are considered an essential fat that plays a vital role in heart, eye, and brain health.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Benefits of eating family meals together. For more info, visit the Food Marketing Institute's Family Meals Month page.
• Why engaging kids in food shopping, prep and meal planning boosts family mealtime.
• Why removing distractions from family meals is important.
• Flexibility with family meals is key. Breakfast together counts as a family meal.
• The importance of incorporating seafood into your diet - It's rich in protein and healthy omega-3 fats.
• Recipe inspiration for adding more seafood to your diet:
  • Canned tuna or salmon salad with shredded carrot, light mayo, and Dijon mustard stuffed inside a pita pocket or served on top of halved avocados
  • Wild halibut Baked in Parchment with Cilantro and Ginger
  • Omelet with leftover baked tilapia or lox (smoked salmon) with sauteed baby spinach and the cheese of your choice.
  • Fish tacos.
• The benefits of incorporating omega-3s in your diet (read on for Omega-3 Smarts).
• My son Josh is moving to a new apartment in New York near Russ & Daughters. Read more about this iconic "appetizer" shop in the Lower East Side of NYC.
• Corny salmon cakes and Teriyaki Salmon, Snow Peas, and Carrots on the LHT blog.
• Parmesan Salmon Sticks with Zesty Avocado Dipping Sauce.

  - EPA and DHA omega-3s are nutrients that play a key role in heart, brain and eye health throughout life. 

  - According to PubMed, there are more than 30,000 studies on EPA and DHA omega-3s, including more than 3,000 human clinical trials, making EPA and DHA among the most studied nutrients in the world.

  - EPA and DHA omega-3s may help maintain healthy blood pressure and healthy triglyceride levels and improved blood vessel function.

  - Just as calcium is essential for building strong bones, DHA is a building block for the brain. DHA not only is important for brain development – it actually is a significant percentage of the fatty tissue that makes up the brain.

  - Pregnant moms pass DHA to their growing babies through the placenta, and in breast milk after birth. Therefore, it’s important that pregnant and nursing mothers eat enough fatty fish or take an omega-3 supplement not only for themselves, but for their growing babies.

  - The body’s highest concentration of DHA is found in the retina of the eye. Therefore, DHA plays an essential role in eye health, especially for infant eye development.

  - There are three simple ways to get recommended amounts of EPA and DHA: eating fatty fish such as salmon, consuming EPA and DHA-fortified foods and beverages, or taking omega-3 supplements.

  Plant-based sources of omega-3s do not provide the same benefit. You need to get EPA and DHA directly from the diet (such as by eating fatty fish and by taking an omega-3 supplement).

  FYI: 3 ounces of salmon has 1, 670 milligrams of omega-3 fats while 3 ounces of tuna has 325 milligrams.

  • You should aim to get 250mg to 500mg of EPA and DHA per day. 

Resources:

Liz’s healthy Table Website

Liz’s Healthy Table Blog

Liz’s Color, Cook, Eat! coloring book series

Super Healthy Kids 

The Parents On Demand Network

GOED Omega-3 - Global Organization for EPA and DHA

Food Marketing Institute

Fish in Parchment Recipe, by Pamela Salzman

Family Dinner Projects

Kids Cook Monday