In the outpatient clinic of Director Li Qun from the Department of Nutrition at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital, many patients with "three highs" (high blood pressure, high blood lipids, high blood sugar) and the elderly have asked whether they can drink fish head soup for nourishment. Many mistakenly believe that fish head soup is delicious, harmless, and nutritious, so they consume it frequently. However, from a nutritional perspective, the nutritional value of fish head soup is often limited, and it is not advisable for patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and high cholesterol to drink it regularly.
Misconception 1: Fish head soup is high in protein.
The truth: Protein accounts for only about 2% of the fish, while it concentrates 40% of the fat in the fish.
According to Director Li Qun from the Department of Nutrition, the nutrients required for human health are not a single element, but a scientific combination of multiple elements in proportion, and should vary from person to person. For example, regarding protein, patients with protein-energy malnutrition need a high-protein diet, but for patients with chronic renal failure, a high-protein diet can be fatal. In meat soups (fish, meat soups), besides being rich in fat, other nutrients are very lacking. For instance: the protein dissolved in a bowl of fish soup accounts for only about 2% of the fish, while it concentrates 40% of the fat in the fish.
In terms of nutritional value, if the Bighead (also known as Silver Carp, Fathead, Bighead, etc.; the Tianmuhu clay pot fish head is mainly made from this type of fish head) is dehydrated, the protein content in the fish head is 49.0%, which is much lower than the 87.5% in the fish meat; the fat content in the fish head is 14.9%, which is much higher than the 3.1% in the fish meat. Similarly, the protein content in the head of a Silver Carp (also known as White Carp, etc.) is 53.6%, which is much lower than the 83.2% in the fish meat; the fat content in the head is 11.4%, which is much higher than the 2.8% in the fish meat.