Getting Educated About Tilapia

Here’s a quick heads up for members of the media who might stumble across a tempting tilapia story that just doesn’t pass the smell test.

There’s this new report out that suggests that (wait for salacious headline to follow) a Popular Fish Contains Potentially Dangerous Fatty Acid Combination. The fish they are maligning is tilapia and the "combination" has to do with how much Omega 3 vs. how much Omega 6 the fish contains.

Long story short they suggest that hamburger or bacon might have more healthful properties than tilapia based solely on their Omega 6 content— I am not a doctor or a dietitian but I’ve talked to both who characterize this suggestion as nothing short of reckless. I’ve heard the comparison called, “a dangerous reach that could give an uneducated consumer the idea that replacing a meal of low fat tilapia with ground beef or bacon would be a healthy choice.”

The folks who are promoting these findings are obviously not promoting the 3 page editorial in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that blasts the research as “quite weak” and a “potentially flawed concept.”

Do your homework-- don’t just read the headline. Or better yet call me, I’d be happy to put you in touch with doctors and dieticians who can help put this in perspective.