Something fishy with Simon Rhodes from Lobsterpot Fishmongers, Wood Street Food Hall

I WAS driving in my car last week when I heard on the radio two different authors of slimming and lifestyle books talking about how a controlled, balanced diet can help achieve a healthier life.

Included in their discussions was getting more fish into your diet. It was then that I suddenly heard myself nodding with agreement and talking to the radio that it was about time fish was brought to the forefront of diets and healthy living.

It also got me thinking that as it was national dementia week on the BBC, people are extremely concerned that this is a real issue and the prospect of losing their memory is frightening.

Maybe, just maybe we might be waking up to the fact that food is important in our lives and it plays an important part in our wellbeing.

I have been harping on since starting this column that to include fish as part of your weekly meals can only be a good thing. To reiterate, fish isn’t the devil’s food; it is a great source of protein, it contains fats that help the brain, and bones, it also contains irons and minerals including zinc, and iodine.

These can all contribute to lowering your cholesterol, preventing heart disease and cancers.

Fish is also brilliant for kids; it can help with bone and tissue development and also improves their brain power – which could mean you have a potential NASA scientist sitting in front of you! (I wonder how many parents have just looked at their children engrossed on the X-Box and thought ‘he’s having a laugh – I got more chance of them being abducted by aliens than them eating fish!’).

Persevere with them, fish have many flavours and textures and in my experience with a little enthusiasm from the parents and a bit of variety, a compromise can be achieved.

It might be a prawn curry, an oven roasted piece of cod, a good home-made fish pie or even a chargrilled swordfish steak (which can be compared to chicken in texture) that can get your kids to start eating more fish.

If we can change our approach to foods then maybe, just maybe we won’t have the health problems we have now in the future. Fish could actually save our lives!