Is eating fish really good for the brain?

Yes

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by Fred Tolleson

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Mark Twain, the great writer and humorist is quoted as saying: "One should eat a lot of whale blubber in order to elevate the brain to genius status!" And following with: "One medium size whale a week should be sufficient to get the job done!" Of course whales are not fish and one whale a week is probably not enough, so we need to look at different aspects of fish!

You really need to differentiate between trout caught by yourself in a cold mountain stream or those pieces of cod imported from half a world away. The trout probably cost you $25 per pound when you include the $300 rod and reel, the $500 collection of flies, gas to and from the remote areas where the trout live and the accumulated expense of taking a few days off for a little relaxation. The cod costs $6-7 per pound!

What about those delicious salmon caught in the Sea of Alaska by those brave fishermen seen on public TV risking their lives for our fish dinners? Of course if you carefully examine the fish meat and the label, it will soon be apparent you have caught a fish farm salmon! Those salmon were caught in a dip net and splashed onto the processing line, LIVE!

Does one dare ignore the ling cod, available widely along almost any coast line? If the word "ugly" was invented for any particular fish, the ling cod is probably the model being used. Fortunately, the fishing boat always has a cleaner or two on board (or at the dock) who will take the ugly off and preserve the wonderful tasting ling cod.

Actually, I do believe that eating fish food is good for the brain. When you are eating the trout, or whatever you caught, you can imagine the trip to the mountains for fishing pur-poses. The excitement of spending some time in a tent, splashing up and down the creeks, falling into chest deep, ice cold water, and all the rest that occurs on such a trip. As a child, my parents frequently challenged us to identify the ocean, or other location our fish dinner had originated in and how it had gotten itself to our dinner table. The inspiring conversation from 6 boys, 1 girl and two parents is still fondly recalled.

If you are referring to the chemical values of fish, versus a steak or some other popular form of food, you must remember that fish is usually only eaten on Fridays! Does your common sense tell you that one meal a week is better than the 3-4 times for beef, eggs, pork products, chicken and others?

But, is fish good for the brain? Absolutely! How else would we have the opportunity to relive those moments in the outdoors? Or the stimulating conversation about how fish dinners arrive? There are more things to good brain food than chemicals!

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