Pacific cod is renowned for its mild flavor and flaky texture, making it a delightful addition to various meals across cultures. Beyond its culinary appeal, this species has so many unique health benefits. Incorporating this wild-caught Alaskan cod into your regular diet is bound to have incredible effects on your overall well-being.
What are the health benefits of cod?
Pacific cod stands out as a healthy seafood option. With its lean protein and low-calorie profile, it's an excellent choice for anyone looking to maintain a balanced, delicious diet. Here are some key health benefits:
Weight Management: Pacific cod can help you maintain a healthy weight. Its high protein helps you feel full and satisfied for longer, quelling any snacking urges in between meals.
Heart Health: It’s also incredibly lean, containing only 1 gram of fat per 6 ounce serving — without any saturated fat content. If you’re looking to eat less red meat, Pacific cod is a great alternative to higher-fat meats, contributing to a diet that supports your heart health. An equal serving of extra-lean ground beef contains about the same amount of protein, but with 8.6 grams of fat — including 3.8 grams of saturated fat.
Muscle Mass: Incorporating a high protein source of food like Pacific cod into your diet can contribute to muscle health, making this species a top pick for anyone looking to maintain or improve muscle mass. Pacific cod is lean, but it provides a significant amount of this nutrient that’s vital for muscle health.
A Closer Look at Pacific Cod Nutrition
Pacific cod is a nutritious, versatile choice that is excellent for various different dietary needs. It boasts an impressive nutritional profile, solidifying it as a tasty and healthy favorite. A single 6-ounce serving provides approximately:
- 2 micrograms of vitamin D, accounting for 8% of the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI)
Cod and Long-Term Health Benefits
While Pacific cod boasts impressive health stats, the bigger picture of what your health can look like after including cod into your weekly meal rotation is the real star.
Improved Blood Pressure Regulation: When talking about cod health, one of the biggest factors in overall long-term health has to do with how cod is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and low in sodium. This plays a major role in regulating blood pressure. Eating cod regularly can help maintain healthy blood pressure levels, making it a heart-healthy staple.
Enhanced Brain Health: The omega-3 fatty acids found in cod are not only good for your heart, but also crucial for brain health. These nutrients support brain function, giving you the best chance at staying sharp throughout your day and your life.
Cholesterol Management: Cod's low fat and high omega-3 fatty acid content can contribute to lowering bad cholesterol levels (LDL) while promoting good cholesterol (HDL), making it a smart choice for cholesterol management.
Bone and Dental Health: Cod is a great source of vitamin D, an essential nutrient for bone and dental health. Vitamin D helps with absorbing calcium, so eating cod can be a great way to regularly maintain strong bones and teeth in the long run.
Is it okay to eat cod every day?
While Pacific cod is a healthy choice, moderation is key, especially considering individual health needs.
Certain groups, such as young children and pregnant or nursing individuals, should limit their consumption due to moderate Pacific cod mercury levels. There’s no single source of truth for how much Pacific cod these groups can eat safely, as different governmental and environmental organizations have different recommendations.
For general consumption, it's best to include this fish as part of a varied diet. Being higher up in the food chain, this species has mercury levels that warrant some attention. It's recommended to balance it with other low-mercury seafood options to minimize potential risks.
Where to Buy Alaskan Cod
Be sure to stock your kitchen with sustainably-caught fish and shellfish by sourcing your seafood online from Wild Alaskan Company. You’ll get high-quality, wild-caught seafood delivered straight to your doorstep. Choose your fish subscription box today.
FAQs
Weight Management: Pacific cod can help you maintain a healthy weight. Its high protein helps you feel full and satisfied for longer, quelling any snacking urges in between meals. Heart Health: It's also incredibly lean, containing only 1 gram of fat per 6 ounce serving — without any saturated fat content.
Is wild caught Alaskan cod good for you? ›
Today's customers like their fish mild, moist and flaky. That's part of the reason wild Alaska Cod, with its fresh-caught flavor, has become such a popular menu item. It's the perfect choice for a healthy diet. Low in calories, Alaska Cod is an excellent source of high-quality protein and essential nutrients.
Does wild caught Alaskan cod have mercury? ›
In fact, all species of wild salmon, young halibut (like the kind caught by our fishermen), lingcod, Alaska pacific cod, and rockfish are so low in mercury content that there are no dietary restrictions on the amounts one should eat of these species!
What is Pacific cod good for? ›
The vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats found in cod provide significant health benefits. It's rich in vitamin B12, which is an important part of your body's nerve and blood cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent anemia by keeping your red blood cells in good condition.
What is the healthiest wild caught fish? ›
Both wild-caught salmon and sablefish are known as types of fish with the most omega-3s compared to other species. Beyond supporting heart health, these fatty acids may have the potential to treat a range of inflammatory conditions.
Which cod is the healthiest? ›
Weight Management: Pacific cod can help you maintain a healthy weight. Its high protein helps you feel full and satisfied for longer, quelling any snacking urges in between meals. Heart Health: It's also incredibly lean, containing only 1 gram of fat per 6 ounce serving — without any saturated fat content.
Can you eat Alaskan cod everyday? ›
Other organizations, like the EDF or the EPA, consider Pacific cod one of the best choices and offer guidance suggesting it's safe for this group to consume 12 ounces of this species or more per week. To reiterate, this is assuming that no other seafood containing a significant amount of mercury is consumed.
Is cod as healthy as salmon? ›
So, we can conclude that cod may be better for your health than salmon, considering certain factors such as calories and saturated-fat content. However, if you are more focused on increasing folate and good fats, then perhaps salmon is a better choice. It depends on your health condition and priorities.
Does wild-caught cod have parasites? ›
A.: Yes, parasite worms are, unfortunately, quite common in cod and other types of white fish.
How often can I eat cod? ›
Cod, Atlantic -- once a week at most. Crab, blue -- once a week at most. Crab, Dungeness -- once a week at most. Crab, king -- once a week at most.
Pacific cod is a great source of protein, vitamin B12, niacin, and phosphorus. It's also low in fat. Atlantic cod is much the same, but contains more calories (105 vs 82 calories, per 100 grams) and also has more protein. Both types of cod are high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, D, and E.
Why is cod liver so healthy? ›
Because cod liver oil contains both vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids, it's a powerful weapon in fighting cancer. It not only displays anti-inflammatory properties, which help prevent cancer cell development, but it could also be used to treat cancer.
Is cod better than tilapia? ›
Cod is leaner and contains healthier fats than tilapia.
Although both fish are nutritious, low-calorie options with similar protein content, cod contains higher levels of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and less fat overall than tilapia.
What is the unhealthiest fish to eat? ›
Worst: Fish High in Mercury
- Imported swordfish.
- Imported marlin.
- Shark.
- Tilefish.
Cod is both a nutritious and flavorful fish loaded with lean protein, vitamins, and minerals. Although lower in omega-3s than fatty fish, cod can still be part of a healthy diet. Cod contains less mercury than some seafood, including popular fish like tuna, and can be prepared in multiple ways.
Is cod high in mercury? ›
Choose fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury such as salmon, trout, tilapia, cod, sole, sardines, shrimp, oysters, and other shellfish. For the most health benefits, choose fatty fish such as salmon, trout, herring, chub mackerel, and sardines. o These fish have healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
How often can you eat wild-caught cod? ›
Cod, Atlantic -- once a week at most. Crab, blue -- once a week at most. Crab, Dungeness -- once a week at most. Crab, king -- once a week at most.
Is Alaskan cod better than Atlantic cod? ›
Like the other types of cod, Alaskan cod fish has a mild flavor and a delicate texture. It's also thought to be slightly whiter and more sweet than Atlantic cod, and has a firm, flaky body that's perfect for fish and chips.
Is Alaskan cod better than tilapia? ›
Cod is considered healthier than tilapia because it's leaner, contains more Omega-3 fatty acids, and has lots of other nutrients like niacin, B vitamins, and choline. Tilapia and cod have a similar taste and texture.
What is the healthiest fish in Alaska? ›
Healthiest Fish: It's a tie between any variety of wild Alaksan salmon and wild Alaska pollock. Wild Alaskan salmon (both coho and sockeye) and wild Alaska pollock all contain low enough levels of mercury contamination that experts across the board encourage you to choose these species (among many others!)
