October is National Seafood Month, a time to highlight smart seafood choices, sustainable fisheries, and health benefits of eating a seafood-rich diet.
Today, let's hit the highlights:
You may need to eat more seafood. While Americans eat an average of one seafood meal per week, the USDA recommends doubling that to two meals.
According to a 2013 annual report by the National Marine Fisheries Service, the average American ate just 14.5 pounds of fish and shellfish in 2013.
Floridians consumed seafood more frequently than the national averages, according to a 2007 Florida Seafood Study conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or DACS.
Shrimp and sushi dishes remain among the most popular seafood dishes with American diners.
Preparing seafood is easy. Many people prefer to eat seafood when they eat out. This may be because some people do not feel comfortable buying or preparing fresh seafood.
Well, have no fear — seafood is actually easy to prepare. Fresh From Florida's website, http://www.freshfromflorida.com, has tips, recipes and videos that can help.
This month at the seafood counter, look for alligator, blue crab, clams, flounder, grouper, mullet, oysters, shrimp, snapper, spiny lobster, stone crab, swordfish, tilapia and tilefish.
Seafood is healthy to eat. Perhaps you're OK with preparing seafood, but eating it is another story.
You might have heard that fish are mislabeled or fish are contaminated from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
However, recent studies have shown that the benefits of eating seafood far outweigh risks.
The Florida Department of Health states that whether you are healthy, have a medical complication or are pregnant, it’s time to cast your misconceptions aside and reel in reputable advice instead.
DACS has confirmed through consistent laboratory testing and screening analysis that Florida seafood products are plentiful, safe and unaffected by the oil spill.
In other words: get fresh with Florida fish!
Laura Tiu is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.
This list of the most consumed seafood in the U.S. covers almost 97 percent of all seafood Americans eat. The list for 2013, the latest year with available data, is as follows:
1. Shrimp – 3.6 pounds
2. Salmon – 2.7 pounds
3. Tuna – 2.3 pounds
4. Tilapia – 1.43 pounds
5. Alaska pollock – 1.15 pounds
6. Pangasius – .77 pounds
7. Cod – .60 pounds
8. Catfish – .56 pounds
9. Crab – .54 pounds
10. Clams – .35 pounds
Source: National Marine Fisheries Service
BY THE NUMBERS
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: TIU: Get fresh with Florida fish