We are often told to eat foods that are rich in Omega 3 such as fish and nuts to improve our heart health and cognitive health. But most times, we do not know for sure how the different foods compare in their levels of the essential Omega 3 fatty acids. A recent article in the NY Times points out that Tilapia which has become very popular in the U.S may not be providing the level of Omega 3 required to enhance heart health. Compared to salmon that contains 2000 mg per portion of Omega 3’s, tilapia only has 135mg of Omega 3’s per portion. Because of its diet of corn and soy, Tilapia has twice as much the harmful Omega 6’s than the beneficial Omega3’s. Furthermore, Tilapia is farm harvested mostly outside the U.S and has created a lot of pollution to lake waters and ecosystems.  Most of the tilapia we import in the U.S (422 million pounds) comes from China and is frozen using carbon monoxide to keep it looking fresh. We then thaw the fish and display it as fresh. If you are eating fish to improve your heart health, you may want to think twice about Tilapia!

See article:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/science/earth/02tilapia.html?emc=eta1