What’s so special about wild-caught Alaskan halibut? Why is it so sought after? Well, besides its incredible taste—even picky eaters can enjoy its mild bite!—halibut offers a wide array of nutrients and vitamins to your diet. Seafood is a crucial element of a healthy diet, and Alaskan halibut in particular has many amazing health benefits to consider.
Sure, you could get your halibut from a local fishmonger or grocer, but why not treat yourself to a true taste of the Pacific? The fishermen here at Alaska Gold take pride in using traditional fishing methods that prioritize the health of our halibut, from the open ocean to your dinner table.
Let’s discuss some of the many perks that Alaskan halibut can offer for your health.
Packed With Protein
A single six-ounce serving of our wild Alaskan halibut boasts 38 grams of protein. That’s right: one serving of halibut in your meal satisfies more than your recommended daily dose of muscle-boosting protein. Whether you’re a bodybuilder or an office worker, you need high-quality protein in your diet in order to keep your cells healthy. The protein you’ll find in halibut can improve all kinds of functions in your body, from memory to muscle work.
Protein also plays a major role in child development. Seafood helps kids grow big and strong! And luckily, halibut is a remarkably kid-friendly fish to serve up for dinner. Even picky eaters take well to halibut, as its flesh has a sweet taste and pairs well with a wide variety of sauces and marinades. If you’re having a hard time getting protein into your child’s diet, try pan-searing some Alaskan halibut and serving it with butter and lemon.
Heart Health Benefits
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among both men and women. Add some preventative care into your diet with a regular dose of halibut. When discussing the health benefits of seafood, we’d be remiss not to mention omega-3 fatty acids. By now, practically everyone has heard about these essential acids. They’re the building blocks of many superfoods, and they perform crucial maintenance on your body.
Omega-3s are particularly famous for their benefits to cardiovascular health. They lower triglyceride levels and boost “good” cholesterol (HDL) levels while escorting “bad” cholesterol (LDL) out of your arteries to prevent dangerous buildup.
The other nutrients found in Alaskan halibut also do a great deal to lower triglyceride levels and prevent oxidative stress on your cells. Niacin and selenium are micronutrients that you need in very small doses in order for your body to function properly.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
You may not even realize that your body is slightly inflamed, but that chronic inflammation can wreak havoc on your overall health. The aforementioned nutrients in halibut—omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and niacin—perform multiple duties throughout your body to keep you healthy.
A single serving of Alaskan halibut contains all the selenium your body needs for the day. That selenium quells oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals in your body. Essentially, the selenium helps your cells detoxify more efficiently so that they’re not carrying those free radicals around your body at all times. When your cells are free of toxins, you won’t experience as much inflammation.
The regular presence of selenium in your diet can also boost your immune response, so order halibut from Alaska to fight off chronic inflammation. Make sure your immune system works the way it should by incorporating wild-caught Alaskan halibut into your meals.
Give the Brain a Boost
Many of halibut’s health benefits are of the preventative variety. The fatty acids are essential to building healthy cells, and one of the most important construction sites in the body is the brain. Enjoy a serving of halibut on a regular basis, and you’ll see marked improvement in both cognitive and behavioral health. Strong brain cells are crucial to developmental success, and as you age, keeping those cells healthy becomes even more important. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids has been known to delay the onset of age-related cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Alaskan halibut is also extremely rich in potassium, another brain-boosting nutrient. A diet rich in potassium will improve your memory and enrich your ability to learn new things. If you want to keep your brain young and flexible as you age, add halibut and other potassium-rich foods to your routine.
The Benefits of Niacin
Alaskan halibut is high in vitamin B3, also known as niacin, which is essential to prime digestive function. A daily dose of niacin will help keep you regular and aid in breaking down fats, carbs, and alcohols. It’ll help your body convert those nutrients into energy more quickly and efficiently.
Niacin also gives your skin a healthy, radiant glow. It improves skin’s elasticity, reverses discoloration and sun damage, and aids in healing any wounds or scars.
Finally, niacin also works alongside selenium and omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation. If you suffer from arthritis, consider incorporating Alaskan halibut into your diet to relieve any joint pain and swelling your condition may cause. Fish truly does have healing properties.
Why Go Wild?
If halibut has all of these advantages, why wouldn’t you just buy it from the grocery store?
Many grocers and fishmongers source their halibut from farms, where the fish are raised and kept in more crowded spaces. Farm-raised halibut are more likely to come into contact with parasites and bacteria, and their quality of life is much lower than that of wild halibut. Fish that are not raised healthily or humanely will produce inferior meat, and you don’t want to pick up any bacteria from poorly raised halibut.
Alaska Gold is a fishermen-owned co-op that cares deeply about our oceans and the creatures that swim in them. Our hook-and-line style ensures that we aren’t overfishing the brilliant Pacific, and we catch all our seafood from the wild, not from crowded farms. These practices ensure that the halibut at your table was healthy and happy while it was alive.
As you plan your next seafood dinner, consider the many amazing health benefits of Alaskan halibut for your diet. Our wild Alaskan halibut packs a punch of protein, omega-3s, and micronutrients for your ideal diet. A single six-ounce serving can bring you all the protein you need for the day plus a host of essential minerals and acids that keep your body in top function.
