The United States Department of Agriculture says twice a week, make seafood the protein on your plate. Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.
But I can’t hide my proclivity for calamari. Not so much the fried, dip-in-marinara-sauce kind; but the grilled or sautéed, sprinkled-with-olive-oil kind. Calamari (also known less glamorously as squid) is a good source of omega-3s, and when you cook it without too much added fat, it’s very low in calories and very high in protein (6 ounces calamari fills about two-thirds of my daily protein needs). Best of all, it’s a breeze to prepare. The dish I made last night has four ingredients. I used frozen squid, which took all of 5 minutes to defrost under cold running water, and substituted fake vegetarian bacon for the real stuff because I had it in the fridge. It was surprisingly authentic. If you go this route, use a drizzle of olive or canola oil to sauté the squid.
I am a registered dietitian with the National Fisheries Institute, so fish is my nutrition forte. I earned my BA in Communication from Southwestern University, just outside of Austin, TX. During college, one of my very favorite evening outings was a leisurely trip to the grocery market. My passion for food was undeniable, so I combined both of my interests by earning my MS in Nutrition Communication from Tufts University in Boston, MA. As well as my Registered Dietitian (RD) credential through the University of Delaware.
Beyond reading scientific studies about docosahexaenoic acid and selenium, I love to entertain, travel, watch reality TV, grill outdoors, and go to spin class. I live in Kailua, HI on the island of Oahu where my husband serves as a US Marine Corps JAG.
People in Hawaii eat more fish and shellfish than average, but over 80 percent of typical Americans don't eat seafood at least twice per week. Doctors and dietitians like me say that's the goal, so BlogAboutSeafood is here to show you just what plenty of seafood looks like in an RD's real-life diet.
Photo by Marco Garcia
