Benefits Of Halibut

Halibut is a popular flatfish with a fresh and unique taste. Besides being a great source of necessary nutrients in the body, it has a delicately sweet flavor making it everyone’s favorite. It is a lean fish with a snow white flesh that contains few bones and is a very good source of high quality protein. While pacific halibut, caught in North Alaska is gentler in taste than Atlantic halibut, halibut from California is a large flatfish with a softer flesh. Though most of the halibut is available fresh as steaks, fillets, or roasts, yet much halibut is frozen as of its availability. Halibut is rich in various nutrients such as selenium, magnesium, phosphorus potassium, vitamin B12, niacin, vitamin B6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Health Benefits Of Eating Halibut

Omega-3 fatty acids present in halibut provides a wide range of cardiovascular benefits like it helps in preventing erratic heart rhythms, making blood less likely to clot inside arteries that can cause heart attacks, and improving the ratio of good HDL (High Density lipoprotein).
Halibut is also a good source of vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and folic acid that lower levels of homocysteine, a compound that can damage artery walls.
Halibut is a very good source of magnesium, a natural calcium channel blocker, which lessens resistance and improves the flow of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
Triglycerides, a kind of fat carried in bloodstream, can be lowered by two servings of omega-3-rich fish a week.
Intake of halibut improves the electrical properties of heart cells thereby protecting against fatal abnormal heart rhythms and making less blood clot inside arteries.
Omega-3s reduces inflammation, which is a key component in the processes that turns cholesterol into artery-clogging plaques.
It reduces blood pressure, prevents arthritis and promotes healthy brain function.
Consumption of fatty fish provides major protection against renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer. It also reduces risk of colorectal cancer.
It offers significant protection against both early and late age-related macular degeneration and fends off dry eye syndrome.
Eating halibut fish lowers the risk of certain types of strokes. In addition the selenium present in it is a crucial antioxidant which is very important for a healthy liver. Liver detoxifies and clears potentially harmful compounds such as pesticides, drugs, and heavy metals from the body.
Halibut provides protection against ovarian and digestive tract cancers.

Caution

It is recommended that pregnant women and women of childbearing age who might become pregnant should stay away from halibut and other sea food as they are mercury contaminated. High levels of mercury in blood can harm their fetuses with symptoms like joint pain, fatigue, decreased memory and headache.
Halibut contain naturally-occurring substances called purines that can cause health problems to people susceptible to it. Purines break down to form uric acid which can lead to gout and formation of kidney stones that can be related to excessive intake of purine-containing foods. Individuals with kidney problems or gout may want to limit or avoid its intake.
Allergic reaction can crop up with typically any food; hence people allergic to halibut should not eat them in their pure, isolated form as it might trigger an adverse reaction.

Cooking Tips

Take the halibut fish out from the freezer and unwrap it. Now rinse it under cool running water and pat dry before cooking.
Cook halibut at simmer in a small amount of fish or vegetable broth with fresh herbs. Season to taste.
Mix marinated chunks of halibut and your favorite vegetables and broil together. Brush it with garlic olive oil when done.

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