News

Friday fish fries

By Tony Staley
Compass Correspondent

	FISH DINNERS: Willy Kelly serves fish dinners Feb. 8 at Resurrection Church in Allouez. Friday fish fries are a staple in the Green Bay Diocese. (Tony Staley photo)

GREEN BAY -- It's Friday. It's Lent. That can mean only one thing: Going to an area parish or restaurant and ordering baked, broiled or grilled salmon, herring or mackerel to fill up on those essential and healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Right.

More likely, it means eating deep-fried perch, cod, shrimp or other fish, along with a serving of fries.

Can fish be considered a healthy food?

Yes, said a recent news release from the National Fisheries Institute, a trade group representing companies in the fish and seafood industry, and Barb Herald, a registered dietician at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay.

George Sorrells, who coordinates the weekly Lenten fish dinners at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Hortonville, agreed. "Prepared right, fish is healthy," Sorrells said. Then, he adds with a laugh, "if it's prepared the way most people eat it at our dinners, it's not."

Most of the 743 orders on Feb. 8, the first of the parish's six Lenten fish dinners, were for deep fried perch, haddock, walleye or shrimp; the remainder were for boiled haddock.

Resurrection Parish in Allouez, serves mainly deep fried cod or shrimp dinners, in addition to baked cod, said Sarah DeGroot, who supervises the meals.

Avoid deep-fried fish

While Herald does not recommend deep frying fish, she knows it's popular and advises using canola or olive oil, which add calories, but not saturated fats. No matter how it's fixed, the healthy characteristics of the fish remain, Herald said.

It's also important to consider the rest of the meal, said Herald, who suggests ordering a baked potato, instead of fries to lower consumption of saturated fats.

Herald also cautioned that not all fish is created equal when it comes to heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which studies have repeatedly shown have health benefits for all people.

Some studies also indicate that omega-3 fatty acids can protect against Alzheimer's disease, certain cancers and obesity.

Both perch and cod - two of the most popular fish in the area - are low in omega-3 fatty acids, Herald said, but they also are low in fat and, like all fish, in saturated fats.

When it comes to healthy eating, Herald recommends baked salmon with a baked potato. Mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines and albacore tuna also are high in omega-3 fatty acids and the American Heart Association recommends eating them at least twice a week.

Health risks

New studies also have dispelled other concerns about eating fish.

In January, an American Academy of Pediatrics report said there is no convincing evidence that avoiding fish during pregnancy or holding off on feeding fish to children who are old enough to eat solid foods prevents allergies.

In December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture encouraged breastfeeding mothers in the Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) program to eat more fish.

One concern related to increased consumption is the presence of trace amounts of mercury in nearly all fish and shellfish. Both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the risk is not a health concern for most people.

For those facing a health risk - pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children - the EPA and FDA advised avoiding some types of fish in favor of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

Women and young children can reduce their exposure to mercury and still receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish, the FDA and EPA said, by following these three recommendations:

• Do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish, all of which contain high levels of mercury.
  
  
• Eat up to 12 ounces (two average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury, such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. Because albacore (white) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna, eat only one six-ounce serving of albacore tuna per week.
  
  
• Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in local lakes, rivers and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of such fish, but do not eat any other fish that week.
  
  

Despite all the healthy reasons to eat fish, that's not what keeps people coming to parish fish dinners, organizers and diners said.

Guests enjoy fellowship

Sorrells said most people come to the Hortonville fish meals - served from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays - so "they can visit with others in the parish and because they realize the church is doing it to meet a financial need and they want to help."

DeGroot said the dinners at Resurrection - served from 5 to 7 p.m. - are about spiritual, not physical health. "We started this because we wanted to have the little kids serving the seniors and to get all the generations together. It does the trick."

At Hortonville, adults prepare the meals and high school students serve as the wait staff. Students receive credit toward their Catholic HEART youth work camp fees and for their volunteer service hours at school, Sorrells said.

Resurrection also uses adults to prepare the meals, which are served by students from the parish school.

Diners at Resurrection gave a variety of reasons for being there, though none related to the health benefits of fish.

Ann Bertagnoli, who said she always orders fried fish, cited a delicious meal at a good price, good company and fun as her reasons for attending.

John Basche said he liked the food, the service and the camaraderie.

For Bob Walus, the reason is simple: "I don't have to cook." His wife, Carole, verified that he does cook a lot of the meals.

Leo Hietpas, said the dinners "are good for the parish. People want to get out and support the parish. It's nice to get together with people you know and to chat a bit."

Alice Beauchaine, who was accompanied by friends from St. Bernard Parish, called them "one of the nicest things we do as a parish. We get such good service and it's for all ages, singles and families. It's a real community builder."

More information on the benefits of eating fish is on the American Heart Association Web site, www.americanheart.org.

The EPA and FDA advice on mercury and fish and shellfish is at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html.