"Fish makes children smart," this phrase is often used by parents to encourage their children to eat more fish. Indeed, fish is rich in nutrients, and its abundant DHA and EPA can promote children's brain development and intellectual growth. Furthermore, the rich protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, and various trace elements in fish can provide children with balanced dietary nutrition. While fish is beneficial, from a safety perspective, it's still important to be cautious when selecting fish for children.
From the perspective of food safety, some fish with fewer intermuscular bones (commonly known as having few bones) are more suitable for children, such as yellow croaker, salmon, butterfish, and hairtail. From the perspective of environmental pollution, naturally grown marine fish generally have less pollution than artificially farmed marine or freshwater fish, especially in cases where the environmental pollution at the farming site is severe; these fish should be avoided for children. From the perspective of heavy metal bioaccumulation in the food chain, it's best to choose medium-sized or smaller fish. The larger the fish, the longer its growth period, and the more pollutants it accumulates in its body. Therefore, when parents select fish for their children, there's no need to exclusively choose expensive varieties. They can choose locally sourced, relatively affordable fish, such as mackerel (chub mackerel), blue scad (round scad, pool fish, yellow mackerel), Spanish mackerel (bà yú), and sardines, which are all high in DHA and protein, and have plenty of delicious meat. Additionally, there is a wide variety of fish from many different origins. When giving fish to children, there's no need to stick to just one or two types. It's important to let children try different varieties, which allows them to experience different flavors, comprehensively absorb the different nutritional characteristics of the fish, and develop a good habit of not being picky eaters.
Many parents also ask which part of the fish is best for their children: the head, the belly, or the roe? In fact, the nutritional differences among various parts of the fish are not significant, and children can eat all of them. Generally, the fish head is more contaminated. This is mainly because the metabolic rate of tissues and organs like the brain, liver, and fish bones is slow, making it difficult for pollutants to be expelled. However, the "fish cheek" is quite suitable for children. This area has tender flesh, no bones, and is not highly contaminated. There's also a saying that fish roe has the least contamination, so should children eat more of it? Actually, there's no need to overemphasize fish roe. Firstly, fish roe has a membrane on the outside that is not easily digested or absorbed and might pass through the digestive tract undigested. Secondly, if the fish as a whole is heavily contaminated, the roe will also be affected. Finally, although fish roe is rich in lecithin, its cholesterol content is also very high, so the amount given to children should be controlled. It's particularly important to crush the fish roe before serving to break the outer membrane, which facilitates digestion and absorption in children.
When preparing fish for children, steaming is the best method. Steamed fish loses fewer nutrients and retains its original flavor, which is beneficial for the development of a child's sense of taste. Cooking methods like frying not only alter the fish's natural taste but also change its inherently digestible nature.
Finally, the amount of fish given to children should be moderate, generally 1-2 times per week, with each portion being 50-100 grams. If a child particularly likes a certain type of fish, they can have a little more, but it should not replace staple foods.