For Lent, For Health,

St Rose Lightens Up Its Friday Fish Fry

By John Voket

The familiar sights, tastes, sounds, and smells of a Lenten Friday night fish fry at St Rose of Lima Parish may have changed little over the years, but 2007 marks the beginning of some healthy adjustments to the traditional parish rite. According to St Rose’s pastor, Father Bob Weiss, this year the fish fries, as well as the upcoming parish carnival, will be using cooking oil that is free of trans fats.

“It may not be the healthiest way to prepare fish, but we’re using the healthiest oil we can in the frying process,” Father Weiss told The Newtown Bee earlier this week. The parish is set to offer another feast of fried fish, macaroni and cheese, coleslaw. and dessert this Friday, March 9, beginning at 5 pm.

Trans fats, or artificial fats, are made by a chemical process called partial hydrogenation. Liquid vegetable oil — an otherwise healthy monounsaturated fat — is packed with hydrogen atoms and converted into a solid fat. This made what seemed an ideal fat for the food industry to work with because of its high melting point, its creamy, smooth texture, and its reusability in deep-fat frying.

Partially hydrogenated fats, or trans fats, also extend the shelf life of food.

This year, St Rose has also switched to fresh tilapia, instead of the frozen cod that was used in years past. While tilapia has a slightly higher caloric and fat content than cod, its content of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids is virtually equal, and tilapia has nearly twice the amount of potassium per serving than cod.

The other real benefit comes with the fresh and heartier tilapia filets, which are brought from the neighboring Big Y supermarket. Numerous sources indicate that even under the best circumstances, once cod begins to thaw from its frozen state, its health benefits begin to deteriorate rapidly.

The move by St Rose is being duplicated across the country to various degrees, from the switch to fresh fish and trans fat-free oil, to other churches that are incorporating fresh vegetables and healthier ways of preparing their fish.

For years, Lent meant huge chunks of fried fish on Fridays for George Ehrman, a longtime parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Macedonia, Ohio. But the dinner plate was decidedly lighter for Mr Ehrman at a recent Friday fish fry in the bustling parish hall: grilled salmon packed with omega-3, fiber-rich rice pilaf, and green beans.

“I was happy when I found out they were offering this for the first time,” said Mr Ehrman, whose health requires him to eat a low-salt, low-fat diet. “It’s very tasty, too.”

Parishes have long used the Roman Catholic abstention from meat on Fridays during the Lenten season to hold fish fries that bring people together and raise money. Now with more people trying to eat healthier food, many churches are offering lighter fare, including grilled shrimp, baked fish, fresh tuna, and crispy, raw vegetables.

There is still plenty of battered cod, haddock, and other types of seafood submerged in oil. And there still are servings of potato-stuffed pirogi, macaroni and cheese, french fries, or other heavy side dishes on parish menus.

Milwaukee’s St Florian Church lists “heart-healthy baked fish” alongside its famous beer-battered fillets. St Ferdinand’s in Florissant, Mo., near St Louis offers baked cod and blackened Cajun-style fish. In Cincinnati, St Paul’s offers sautéed vegetables and tomato soup.

At St Irenaeus in Oakmont, Penn., near Pittsburgh, the parish has added baked fish, fresh tuna, and a salad bar. Like many restaurants, it stopped using artery-closing trans fats for frying. Volunteers change the deep fryer’s oil after each batch and blot each piece of fried fish dry of extra grease.

“We really baby it,” said Jeanne Kaus, who has volunteered for 25 years at the fry that draws 500 people a week. “We have a fresh salad bar and we have heart-healthy baked fish.”

Does the baked stuff go over well?

“Oh gosh, yeah!” she said. “It just melts in your mouth.”

Jananne Finck, who teaches nutrition and wellness at the University of Illinois Extension in Springfield Center, said that even with the healthier Lenten options many Catholics may feel married to tradition and opt for fried fish, particularly if they do not eat many fried foods at home.

That is OK, she said, as long as fried foods are a rare treat, diners skip fatty condiments such as tartar sauce, and portions are small.

“It’s telling yourself even if you’re served that, even if we grew up with, ‘Clean your plate,’ it’s probably in our best interest to take some of that home,” Ms Finck said.

Paula Turocy, chairwoman of the athletic training department at the Duquesne University, a Catholic school in Pittsburgh, said worshippers who choose lighter menus during Lent might unexpectedly find themselves forming healthier habits by Easter.

“If this positive behavior can be maintained for six weeks, these new healthier behaviors can assist them in making a long-term commitment to improved health,” she said.

In Newtown, Father Weiss said even the non-Lenten fare at parish events tends to be healthier.

“Chicken seems to be the standard when it comes to church dinners, which is one of the healthiest meats anyway,” said Father Weiss. “But we have a growing number of parishioners, even the kids, who are vegetarian, and we can accommodate them, too. We’re really trying to do everything possible to be health conscious.”

(An Associated Press report was used in this story.)