Fish as Health Food

Contents: 1. Nutrient Composition of Fishes: Basics, Principles and Functions. 2. Coldwater Fishes and Their Health Benefits in Human Nutrition. 3. Rainbow Trout: A Power House of Nutrients. 4. Nutrient Profiling of Mahseer (Tor and Neolissochilus Sp.) and Its Evaluation as a Human Diet. 5. Nutritional Significance of Himalayan Snow Trouts in Human Nutrition. 6. Nutrient Composition of Selected Coldwater Fish Species/Small Indigenous Fishes (SIFs) & Their Potential Contribution in Human Dietary Requirements. 7. Glossary of Terms in Fish Nutrient Profiling. References.

The concept of healthy or the functional food is becoming popular in global food scenario because of its positive link with spreading of lifestyle diseases. As a consequence of this, the evaluation of nutritional and functional quality of food and food ingredients is becoming indispensable. Worldwide, many food components are being taken up for evaluation of nutritional and functional quality. Among the long array of the functional foods, fish has a long history of preventing humankind from many chronic lifestyle diseases of old ages, and it is taken equally by rich and poor people for their inherent functionality and nutritional potential respectively. Coldwater fish not only contains long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs; eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA and docosahexaenoic acid, DHA), but it is also a source of other health promoting bioactive components, such as vitamin D and A, selenium, iron, zinc, manganese, etc. Fish is a rich source of protein. Because of the presence of these intrinsically balanced desirable nutrients and inherent bio-active components, fish comes to everyone’s plate irrespective of rich or poor, young or old, healthy or unhealthy. Considering the importance of fish in human health, ICAR-Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (ICAR-DCFR), Bhimtal took the responsibility of evaluating the nutrient composition of coldwater fishes under the umbrella of ICAR’s network project #3 “Nutrient profiling and evaluation of fish as a dietary component” with a view to generate knowledge base on nutrient quality and to popularize fish consumption. With the sincere efforts of the ICAR-DCFR, nutrient composition data of 24 coldwater fish species are now available and we are sure that the present book “Fish as Health Food” will provide very useful information on the nutrient profile of coldwater fishes and their prospects in human nutrition for consumers. This book will serve as a knowledge base and an indispensable reference to the physicians, dieticians, scientists, teachers, students and other stakeholders to understand the nutritional significance of fishes and coldwater fish species in particular.