We all try to do our best to keep up a healthy and balanced diet, this often means eating lots of fruit vegetables, drinking water and minimising our intake of processed foods.

But one thing that you might have forgotten is to increase the amount of fish in your diet!

Eating a good amount of fish is a crucial part of any healthy diet, but is often the part that many people forget to include.

At Fish4Ever, we love fish--especially canned fish--because not only does it taste amazing, it also comes with a range of health benefits when eaten regularly.

Here are some of the surprising health benefits that you can enjoy if you start increasing the amount of fish in your diet:

 High in nutrients

One of the main reasons many experts will suggest increasing the amount of fish in your diet is because they are packed full of all the nutrients that most of us are lacking in our bodies.

Alongside various vitamins and minerals, oily fish like tuna, mackerel and anchovies are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are important in helping our bodies and brains function to their highest ability.

Normally it’s best to try and eat fatty fish at least once or twice a week in order to get the right amount of these important nutrients.

Important for the body’s development

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are often advised to eat more fish, this is because it’s essential for the growth and development of our bodies--especially for the development of our brains and eyes.

The best fish to eat that contain plenty of essential omega-3 fatty acids include salmon and sardines.

Even if you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding, eating a good amount of fish in your diet can help to keep your brain in good working order for as long as possible.

As we age, the function of our brains will naturally start to slow down, but eating fish can actually prevent this decline from happening too soon.

Helps you to sleep

You might be surprised to hear that eating fish can actually help you sleep better at night, which may be very appealing to those of us who suffer from disturbed sleep or insomnia.

Experts think that a deficiency of vitamin D is one of the leading causes for loss of sleep, but luckily vitamin D is something that a lot of fish are very high in. So the more fish you eat, the more likely you are to have a long, peaceful sleep every night.

Improves your mood

Mental health issues like depression are becoming more and more common, so anything that you can do to improve your mood can help--which can include eating more fish.

Recent studies into the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on our brains have begun to show that people who eat more fish are far less likely to become depressed. These studies have also shown that these essential acids can increase the effectiveness of antidepressant medications.

Gives you clear skin

When you have acne, it can feel like nothing you do is making the condition any better, but have you thought about how fish could help to improve your skin?

Fish oil is a beneficial ingredient that has been shown to clear up moderate to severe acne in many cases. If you feel like you’ve tried all of the skincare products possible to clear up your spots, it may be time to turn to watching the foods that you eat.

Lowers cholesterol

High cholesterol is when you have too much of the fatty substance in your blood, this is mainly caused by having an unhealthy diet and not exercising regularly enough.

Eating fish that are full of essential dietary fats, can help you to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

The best types of fish to eat to help with your cholesterol levels are tuna and salmon, sardines are also a good option too.

 Decreases the risk of heart disease

Did you know that the majority of premature deaths in the world are caused by heart attacks and strokes? It’s a scary statistic, but luckily for people who consume a lot of fish, studies have shown that high fish consumption can make you 15% less likely to die from heart disease.

Fish is known to be one of the healthiest foods to eat for your heart health, this is mostly down to the high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids that they contain.

 Reduce your risk of autoimmune diseases

The omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D found in oily fish have also been found to reduce the chance of developing autoimmune diseases, like type 1 diabetes in children and other autoimmune diabetes in adults.

 Conclusion

 Did you know about any of these incredible benefits of eating more fish? In short, fish is an amazing source of some of the vital vitamins and proteins that we need to keep our mind and body functioning as they should.

Things like omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D that are found in fish have a range of health benefits, from helping to keep our heart strong and healthy, to improving our mental health as we get older.

 There’s no reason to not add some tuna, sardines or mackerel into your weekly meals!

 Easy recipes to try using fish

 Did all of the promises of good health inspire you to up your intake of fish?

If you now want to run to the shops and get yourself a tin of canned or salmon or tuna to keep in your pantry, we have a bunch of fun and creative recipes that you can try out for yourself to incorporate fish into your diet.

 Check out all of our recipes online, including a sustainable tuna spread, colourful mackerel salad and our favourite duck egg and salmon omelette..