This deep-water fish is packed with protein and is low in calories.
When we think of the ‘healthiest foods in the world’ we may picture fruit, vegetables or certain types of nuts and seeds. But one type of fish has made it onto a list of the top three ‘world’s healthiest foods’.
The BBC listed the world’s most nutritious foods, revealing that there is one type of deep-water fish that boasts a higher nutritional value than the plenty other fish in the sea.
Ocean perch, also known as rockfish, scooped up third place on the list of the world’s healthiest foods, scoring an impressive 89 out of 100 for nutrition. The only two foods to beat the ocean perch on the nutritional scale were almonds and cherimoya.
Cherimoya, also known as a custard apple, is a sweet, creamy fruit with a unique flavour often described as a mix of pineapple, banana, and vanilla, native to the Andes mountains of South America.
With only 79 calories in 100 grams but packed with roughly 20 grams of protein, as stated by Facts.net, ocean perch triumphs as a superb dietary choice over any other type of fish.
Low in saturated fats, it also stands out as a remarkable source of various nutrients and minerals. Alongside ocean perch, other fish like salmon are celebrated for their health properties, particularly the critical omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies cannot self-produce.
The Centre for Diseases and Control leverages nutrient density scores to ascertain the vitamin and mineral composition of food items, reports Surrey Live.
Among the array of healthy vegetables, staples such as spinach, chard, and beet greens are highly rated, scoring in the 80s. However, watercress stands out as the only vegetable to attain a perfect score of 100.
Jennifer Di Noia, an associate professor of sociology at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, explained the significance of this ranking: “Higher-ranking foods provide more nutrients per calories.”
For those interested in eating healthily, the world’s top 10 healthiest foods are listed below.
Top 10 healthiest foods
Here are the top 10 healthiest foods in the world that score the highest in nutritional value.
- Almonds
- Cherimoya
- Ocean perch
- Flat fish
- Chia seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Swiss chard
- Pork fat
- Beet greens
- Snapper
Other types of fish have been also proven to boast surprising health benefits. For example, eating four portions of salmon a week could help prevent high cholesterol, research suggests.
The oily fish is known to offer a wealth of health benefits thanks to its abundance of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids. But a study published in the Journal Of Nutrition found more evidence to support how it could tackle the “silent killer” condition of high cholesterol that is a major risk factor for heart disease.
Omega-3 fats found in foods like oily fish, nuts and seeds could also play a crucial role in protecting individuals from motor neurone disease (MND) and a certain type of dementia, other studies have revealed.
