Tilapia vs. Mahimahi — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison
Summary
Tilapia is higher in protein, fat, vitamin D, phosphorus, and selenium. It is also lower in sodium and cholesterol.
On the other hand, mahi mahi contains more calcium, potassium, vitamin B3, vitamin A, and fewer calories.
Table of contents
Introduction
Tilapia and mahi mahi are two of the most consumed fishes in the world. In this article, we will compare these foods, focusing on their nutritional composition and health impact and showing their actual differences.
Actual differences
Tilapia (1) is a freshwater fish from the Cichlidae family. This fish is usually widespread in the Nile River and the Middle East. Tilapia has a fishy, mild, and a bit sweet taste. Tilapia has a broader range of cooking methods: it is usually consumed in sealed, poached, steamed, grilled, raw, baked, or smoked forms. You can easily find tilapia in markets, in frozen or fresh form.
Mahi mahi (2), the dolphinfish or dorado fish, is a yellow or bright-green predatory fish primarily found in Hawaii. Mahi mahi has a non-fishy flavor compared to tilapia. It is usually fried with herbs, lemon, and spices. The fish lives in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. However, it is sold and found worldwide.
Nutrition
Here we will discuss the macronutrient, mineral, and vitamin composition of raw tilapia and mahi mahi. Both of them do not provide any quantities of carbs.
Macronutrient Comparison
Contains
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FatsFats
+194.4%
Protein
Tilapia is higher in protein than mahi mahi. Per 100g serving, tilapia provides 26.2g of protein, while mahi mahi contains 23.7g of it.
Both contain many essential amino acids, such as lysine, histidine, and phenylalanine.
Fat
Tilapia is nearly three times higher in fats than mahi mahi. It is richer in both saturated and unsaturated fats. Tilapia is an excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids.
Surprisingly, mahi mahi is 37mg higher in cholesterol than tilapia.
Fat Type Comparison
Contains
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Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat
+516.1%
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Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat
+184.4%
Contains
less
Sat. FatSaturated Fat
-74.4%
Calories
Tilapia and mahi mahi are classified as low-calorie foods. Due to its higher protein and fat composition, tilapia provides more calories than mahi mahi. It has 19 more calories per 100g serving.
Minerals
Mahi mahi provides more zinc and iron than tilapia. Tilapia contains more phosphorus and copper. Tilapia is lower in sodium than mahi mahi. Mahi mahi is rich in mercury, while tilapia provides more selenium (3).
Check the mineral comparison chart below for a visual representation of the distribution of minerals.
Mineral Comparison
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CopperCopper
+41.5%
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PhosphorusPhosphorus
+11.5%
Contains
less
SodiumSodium
-50.4%
Contains
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ManganeseManganese
+94.7%
Contains
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SeleniumSelenium
+16.2%
Contains
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MagnesiumMagnesium
+11.8%
Contains
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CalciumCalcium
+35.7%
Contains
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PotassiumPotassium
+40.3%
Contains
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IronIron
+110.1%
Contains
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ZincZinc
+43.9%
Vitamins
Tilapia is richer in vitamins B1 and B12. Mahi mahi contains vitamin A which is not present in tilapia. In contrast, mahi mahi lacks vitamin D, which is produced in tilapia.
Vitamin Comparison
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Vitamin EVitamin E
+∞%
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Vitamin DVitamin D
+∞%
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Vitamin B1Vitamin B1
+304.3%
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Vitamin B12Vitamin B12
+169.6%
Contains
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Vitamin KVitamin K
+∞%
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CholineCholine
+∞%
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Vitamin AVitamin A
+∞%
Contains
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Vitamin B2Vitamin B2
+16.4%
Contains
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Vitamin B3Vitamin B3
+56.6%
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Vitamin B5Vitamin B5
+30.3%
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Vitamin B6Vitamin B6
+275.6%
Health impact
Cardiovascular health
Tilapia and mahi mahi consumption is connected to lower cardiovascular disease risk (4). This is due to omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid composition. These two compounds are long-chain essential fatty acids that are not produced in the human organism. Hence we must get them with the food we eat. Research shows that the risk of heart disease increases when there is no balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid concentrations in the blood flow (5). Mahi mahi boosts omega-3 levels in the bloodstream of those with higher omega-6 levels (6).
Health risks
Mahi mahi is considered a food with moderate quantities of mercury. While this mineral is not harmful to healthy middle-aged persons, it can harm kids, teenagers, and pregnant women. (7). To minimize mercury poisoning, limit your fish intake.
While consuming tilapia, you should consider it is often fed with animal feces and farmed with toxic chemicals and banned techniques. It may contain dioxin, a potential carcinogen (8).
References
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175176/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171959/nutrients
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6553691/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468748/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34371930/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23351633/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2954077/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14623487/
Infographic
Comparison summary table
Lower in Cholesterol | |||
Lower in Sodium | |||
Lower in Sugar | |||
Lower in Saturated Fat | |||
Lower in Glycemic Index | Equal | ||
Lower in price | Equal | ||
Rich in minerals | Equal | ||
Rich in vitamins | Equal |
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
Nutrient | Opinion | ||
Calories | 128kcal | 109kcal | |
Protein | 26.15g | 23.72g | |
Fats | 2.65g | 0.9g | |
Cholesterol | 57mg | 94mg | |
Vitamin D | 150IU | ||
Magnesium | 34mg | 38mg | |
Calcium | 14mg | 19mg | |
Potassium | 380mg | 533mg | |
Iron | 0.69mg | 1.45mg | |
Copper | 0.075mg | 0.053mg | |
Zinc | 0.41mg | 0.59mg | |
Phosphorus | 204mg | 183mg | |
Sodium | 56mg | 113mg | |
Vitamin A | 0IU | 208IU | |
Vitamin A | 0µg | 62µg | |
Vitamin E | 0.79mg | ||
Vitamin D | 3.7µg | ||
Manganese | 0.037mg | 0.019mg | |
Selenium | 54.4µg | 46.8µg | |
Vitamin B1 | 0.093mg | 0.023mg | |
Vitamin B2 | 0.073mg | 0.085mg | |
Vitamin B3 | 4.745mg | 7.429mg | |
Vitamin B5 | 0.664mg | 0.865mg | |
Vitamin B6 | 0.123mg | 0.462mg | |
Vitamin B12 | 1.86µg | 0.69µg | |
Vitamin K | 0.9µg | ||
Folate | 6µg | 6µg | |
Choline | 51.3mg | ||
Saturated Fat | 0.94g | 0.241g | |
Monounsaturated Fat | 0.955g | 0.155g | |
Polyunsaturated fat | 0.6g | 0.211g | |
Tryptophan | 0.265mg | 0.266mg | |
Threonine | 1.156mg | 1.04mg | |
Isoleucine | 1.22mg | 1.093mg | |
Leucine | 2.04mg | 1.928mg | |
Lysine | 2.315mg | 2.178mg | |
Methionine | 0.766mg | 0.702mg | |
Phenylalanine | 1.05mg | 0.926mg | |
Valine | 1.28mg | 1.222mg | |
Histidine | 0.585mg | 0.698mg | |
Omega-3 - EPA | 0.005g | 0.026g | |
Omega-3 - DHA | 0.13g | 0.113g | |
Omega-3 - ALA | 0.045g | ||
Omega-3 - DPA | 0.06g | 0.012g | |
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid | 0.015g |
Which food is preferable for your diet?
Low Calories diet | ||
Low Fats diet | ||
Low Carbs diet | Equal | |
Low Glycemic Index diet | Equal |
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Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.
- Tilapia - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/175177/nutrients
- Mahimahi - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171992/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.