Mackerel Vs Chicken

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Cookybuoy
Cookybuoy Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
On Saturday I did a little fishing. Caught myself 7 beautiful and plump mackerel. I bartered 2 for 2 courgettes, an onion and a plait of shallots. I filleted the mackerel and had a fillet on the BBQ last night. I only had one fillet as I saw that it was over 300 calories per fillet. I thought that mackerel was healthier than chicken? Yes I know it's an oily fish, but these oils are far better you, if we are to believe nutritional experts. So if mackerel is higher in vitamins, minerals, omega 3 and 6 than chicken, why is it so calorific?

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,301 Member
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    Well, precisely because it has those healthy fats. Fats have 9 calories per gram, as opposed to carbs and protein that have 4 calories per gram.
    Healthy and low calorie are not synonymous.
  • Cookybuoy
    Cookybuoy Posts: 5 Member
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    So is it healthier to have the mackerel or chicken?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Cookybuoy wrote: »
    So is it healthier to have the mackerel or chicken?

    You need to put it in context of your entire diet rather than look at items in isolation.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,136 Member
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    Calories have nothing to do with how healthy a food is. How healthy a particular food is is more dependent on how nutrient dense it is, not how calorie dense it is. Nuts are high in calories, as are avocadoes, but they are way more nutrient dense than say 3 cups of lettuce, which has far fewer nutrients and calories.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    "Healthier" is up to each of us to determine personally. However, for ME, in this case, freshly caught fish would be determined as "healthier" than store bought chicken breasts. Personal opinion only. Not fact based.

    I'd enjoy every one of them! Although not at the same time. You should get several delicious meals from them.
  • Cookybuoy
    Cookybuoy Posts: 5 Member
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    Trying to add a photo of the fish but it will not add
  • perryc05
    perryc05 Posts: 215 Member
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    Mackerel is pretty calorie dense precisely because it is oily but it comes loaded with a lot nutrients too. I love mackerel but don't eat it in the same quanities as chicken. Chicken breast without skin is a lot lower in calories gram from gram with mackerel. However there is no reason you shouldn't eat mackerel regularly if you fit it into your calorie limit by making adjustments elsewhere.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Cookybuoy wrote: »
    On Saturday I did a little fishing. Caught myself 7 beautiful and plump mackerel. I bartered 2 for 2 courgettes, an onion and a plait of shallots. I filleted the mackerel and had a fillet on the BBQ last night. I only had one fillet as I saw that it was over 300 calories per fillet. I thought that mackerel was healthier than chicken? Yes I know it's an oily fish, but these oils are far better you, if we are to believe nutritional experts. So if mackerel is higher in vitamins, minerals, omega 3 and 6 than chicken, why is it so calorific?

    Calories aren't a measure of nutritional value, calories are measure of energy. How did you determine the calories in the mackerel? Did you weigh the filet? No particular filet is going to be some exact amount of calories, it depends on the weight.

    Dietary fat is 9 calories per gram...it doesn't matter if it's healthy fats or not...that's how many calories (energy) is in a gram of dietary fat. Calories don't measure nutritional value. An avocado is packed with nutrients and are also calorie dense...because it's primarily comprised of dietary fat, mostly heart heathy fats...but it's still fat and calorie dense.

    There are numerous high calorie foods that also have substantial nutritional value...there are also high calorie foods that provide very little nutritional value. There are low calorie foods that provide substantial nutritional value...there are also low calorie foods that provide little to no nutritional value. Calories aren't a measure of nutritional value.
  • Cookybuoy
    Cookybuoy Posts: 5 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Cookybuoy wrote: »
    On Saturday I did a little fishing. Caught myself 7 beautiful and plump mackerel. I bartered 2 for 2 courgettes, an onion and a plait of shallots. I filleted the mackerel and had a fillet on the BBQ last night. I only had one fillet as I saw that it was over 300 calories per fillet. I thought that mackerel was healthier than chicken? Yes I know it's an oily fish, but these oils are far better you, if we are to believe nutritional experts. So if mackerel is higher in vitamins, minerals, omega 3 and 6 than chicken, why is it so calorific?

    Calories aren't a measure of nutritional value, calories are measure of energy. How did you determine the calories in the mackerel? Did you weigh the filet? No particular filet is going to be some exact amount of calories, it depends on the weight.

    Dietary fat is 9 calories per gram...it doesn't matter if it's healthy fats or not...that's how many calories (energy) is in a gram of dietary fat. Calories don't measure nutritional value. An avocado is packed with nutrients and are also calorie dense...because it's primarily comprised of dietary fat, mostly heart heathy fats...but it's still fat and calorie dense.

    There are numerous high calorie foods that also have substantial nutritional value...there are also high calorie foods that provide very little nutritional value. There are low calorie foods that provide substantial nutritional value...there are also low calorie foods that provide little to no nutritional value. Calories aren't a measure of nutritional value.

    I filleted the fish and weighed it so I had a more accurate value for my meal. As for finding the calories, I just searched generic, mackerel fillet raw as I wasn't adding any extra fat to it due to BBQing it.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,087 Member
    edited August 2022
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    If that's a picture of you in your AV, I feel like you're yanking our chain. Looking at your image I'd have to assume you know about nutrition, fats, proteins.

    What is your actual question?
  • Cookybuoy
    Cookybuoy Posts: 5 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    If that's a picture of you in your AV, I feel like you're yanking our chain. Looking at your image I'd have to assume you know about nutrition, fats, proteins.

    What is your actual question?

    It is me but quiet a few years ago now. Nearly 10 to be fair. Now I'm closer to 50 than 40 and struggling with more than what I should call "middle age" spread.

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