All about tilapia > Health & nutrition

Tilapia is a high-quality, complete protein and contains all the essential amino acids your body requires from your diet to help build proteins. A 100g cooked portion of tilapia contains 26g of protein (20,1 raw). The Institute of Medicine recommends adult men consume at least 56 g of protein, adult women consume at least 46 g and pregnant and nursing women consume 71 g of protein each day.

A 100g cooked portion of tilapia contains less than 3g of fat, ideal for someone on a low-fat diet. To keep this advantage, choose steaming, court-bouillon or papillote preparation.

Tilapia is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for growth and development in children and brain function.  Of course, not all fats are created equal. Your body can create most of the fat you need to keep things running smoothly, but there are other types, called essential fats, that your body needs to function but cannot make on its own. To keep healthy you need to eat foods containing these essential fats, that's why eating fish with high omega-3s content is so important.